By STEVE JENSE
While it may be hard to find an atheist at BYU, it’s easy to find those who will protect atheists’ rights.
Student were asked to respond to a news release by American Atheists’ President Ellen Johnson, who “demanded that Republican presidential hopeful Pat Buchanan apologize and retract his claim made on Jan. 29 that the U.S. Constitution shouldn’t protect atheists.”
Buchanan put atheists in the category of criminals, homosexuals and flag burners as groups whose rights should not be upheld by federal judges.
Johnson said “ten to 12 percent of Americans are atheists.”
“The Constitution allows the right to religion and worship,” said Rasheedah Corbitt, a senior from Charlotte Courthouse, Va., majoring in sociology. “And if you choose not to have your right to religion and worship, that shouldn’t change anything.”
Johnson also cited former President George Bush, who in 1987 said he did not think atheists in our country should be considered citizens or patriots because he considered America one nation under God.
“I’m starting to really get mad at the Republican party for some of the stuff they’re starting to say,” Corbitt said.
Kelcy Jensen, a sophomore from Portland, Ore., majoring in English education, feels that atheists should be protected based on the ideology that began our country.
“America was founded on the whole concept of religious tolerance,” Jensen said. “We left England to be able to worship how we wanted.”
More than one of the students interviewed referred to the 11th Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“It says that all men are free to worship `according to the dictates of (their) own conscience,'” said Rebecca Forstner, a freshman from Provo majoring in violin performance.
“And if one man’s conscience leads him to believe that there is no God, then that is his personal right as guaranteed by the Constitution,” she said.
