The phrase “God is my co-pilot” has origins in an old-timey, biographical war movie. I won’t review it here (especially because I haven’t seen it), but it’s often considered a “flag-waving” propaganda film. It’s likely the sort of movie that good, patriotic Americans swallowed down little bitter-sweet pills of freedom. The title makes me think of some of old war vet expressions, like “There are no atheists in foxholes,” and other such fun stuff. There is also the whole “Nice shootin’, Tex” thing going on, where we’re supposed to be glad that, much of the time, bullets and bombs determine the future more than our brains. Granted, people’s brains were technically behind the creation (and usage) of these bullets and bombs, but that’s a mere technicality and not really my point.

So, what is my point? I thought you would never ask! Okay, there’s a certain naiveté to the (apparently) common belief that “god is on one’s side.” Look at war, including the so-called war on terrorism. Unless there are 100% atheistic folks on one side, don’t you think both sides have perceived Gods on their shoulders? It becomes weird, like the faithful fighters are often mirrored, just with different, warped interpretations of what each other’s God are (and possibly their own, too)

In fact, this sort of extends beyond strictly religious beliefs. If you look at the World Wars honestly, you’ll find characters who are decidedly more evil than the rest. However, if you’re really being honest, you’ll admit the other sides were at times actually comparable to the Nazis. This is even more true if you’re including the whole histories of the countries involved, rather than simply what occurred during war time.

You see, many (if not most or all) countries are basically just imaginary storage tanks for atrocities. We pick the ones we like best.  While most of us lament the Nazi death regime, a lot of us more easily shrug off Stalin’s totalitarianism. In fact, there are tons of terrible organizations people don’t hear much about. They basically all had their ideas of what was right, and all viewed their populations as largely expendable. In fact, Joseph Stalin is often quoted as saying, “The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic.” While that’s possibly misattributed to the Soviet ruler, its attitude could nevertheless be attributed to ANY totalitarian leader, or any leader readily capable of killing a bunch of people.

Am I saying that all religions and all political philosophies are equally bad? Technically, no. However, it’s never far enough from being the case, which is why I distinctly say that God is NOT my co-pilot. I say that not merely as an atheist, either. I say that as someone who can plainly see that it’s a ruse. It’s a flimsy justification. If it’s a source of strength, it’s a delusional one, and I prefer to not be deluded — especially not in such a mind-numbingly catastrophic fashion.

Similarly, if I were an atheist in a foxhole who indeed converted to, let’s say, Christianity…what would that say about me? It would say that, when push comes to shove, I chicken out and switch my philosophy to whatever makes me fit in better with the world. My faith is a strategic, just-in-case sort of deal.  The end result is that I’m just another conformist, sitting in a foxhole, pretending my bizarre and deadly situation is a spiritual rather than man-made crisis.

If I were so converted, while still getting the sniper’s bullet, then my faith is literally about as good as that. Then, in the hypothetical afterlife, what the hell would I even have to say to God? “Hey, dude, thanks for the bullet you let get lodged in my brain! I’m so glad that I can see your wisdom and benevolence, now that the hole in my head has magically vanished and I’ve been transported to your unblighted sky temple!” It would be an odd gift, that’s for sure, and not the kind that I would consider particularly wise or sane.