Like Many other atheists, I'm been told by theists that in a crisis, I will turn to God (or in my case ''return'' as I was also once a God-believer) and beg him for help. This assertion reminds me of the adage that ''there are no atheists in foxholes'', because in the extreme danger of combat, all soldiers fear for their lives and supposedly pray to God for deliverance. That assumption is wrong. There are indeed atheists in foxholes. In fact there is an it organization comprised of such non-believers: Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers.
This unwavering resoluteness obtains with their civilian counterparts as well.. In my own situation, namely three cancer operations plus the removal of a kidney all within one year, I can attest that not once during that time did I ever consider renouncing my unbelief for the simple reason that I find no evidence for the existence of a supernatural being. In other words, just because of difficult or even life threatening health circumstances, why should I abandon reason in favor of superstition? Any hope that I had for recovery was based on my trust in the skill of the surgeons and the other members of the medical team who were involved with my case. And they are the ones who deserve the credit for the favorable outcome of my surgeries, not some imaginary sky-daddy.
But what about atheists whose family members or friends are stricken with a serious condition? It's one thing for the patient him / herself to refute the existence of a supreme being, but many (most?) theists think that the wish for the victim's well-being is enough to cause these loved ones to re-evaluate their own non-belief and instead resort to prayer for a successful outcome. On that they couldn't be more wrong. My wife who's also an atheist and who lovingly saw me through this critical period confirmed that all the while she remained steadfast in her non-belief for the same reason I did.
At this writing, I'm fortunate enough to be in remission. However, that status can change any time, and I know that no beseeching of an imaginary supreme being can make that reality go away. To put it another way, when there is a genuine commitment to critical thinking in the face of adversity, God-belief doesn't have a prayer.
