Announcement List for the Virginia Atheists & Agnostics

[Victoria Gabriele <>]

Hey VAA!

Today in Minor Hall 120, at 7pm, we'll be hearing from one of our very own regarding religion and the military. His talk is titled "Atheists in Foxholes: Hanging On to Rationality in a Combat Zone," and a further description is included below: 

My name is Patrick Fowler, and before I was a student at UVA, I served as an enlisted soldier in the U.S. Army. During my service, I was often intrigued and sometimes alarmed by the level of religious indoctrination I encountered, and I began to consider the day-to-day place of service members who profess no faith. I also began to consider the larger-scale role of the military in a society that is founded upon freedom of religion, which includes the freedom to choose not to have a religion. And finally, when I deployed to Iraq, I began to think about what it meant to cope with day-to-day life in a hostile fire zone while maintaining a view of the world that is based on rational skepticism. While this talk is intended for an audience of religious skeptics with views similar to my own, I intend for it to be non-confrontational, and anyone who holds a theistic worldview is welcome to attend as well. Come with plenty of questions; there's nothing I'd like better than to start a constructive dialogue. I hope to see you there.