Debate and disagreement about the polices towards atheists at Brigham-Young University, raised earlier in a news story, have continued in comments. Some of the comments offer important and unique perspectives of students and former students of BYU and I think they deserve to get more attention than they are likely to receive if just left in the comments section.
So, here they are -- and be sure to follow the links to see the other comments as well!
Anonymous writes:
Most of us started BYU as fully-active members of the church. BYU was the only school I applied to because I wanted to marry in the temple, and knew it would be the best place for this to happen.
Most of us start having questions about doctrine (not culture) around our sophomore years. We don't suddenly leave because they are merely questions which we believe will be resolved. Questions turn into serious concerns, but since salvation is a huge deal, we stay hoping our concerns will be mended-- After all, what better spiritual environment? Finally, after trying to maintain faith, but having become to educated in order to do so, we are left with only 1 or 2 semesters left.
Regarding eligibility, I read the honor code just earlier today. It says students must live the standards of the church, including fulfilling their duties as members and attending church meetings. Furthermore, members who disaffiliate (i.e. have records removed) are not eligible to receive an ecclesiastical endorsement.
So... While the honor code calls for integrity and honesty, we can't exactly be atheist, fulfill teaching callings, and do our visiting teaching in good conscience, can we?
Most of the members in this group with whom I've spoken personally have expressed the desire to have their records removed, but finish their degrees here. They are willing to follow the honor code and pay non-lds tuition. Again, the honor code precludes this possibility. In addition to credits which don't necessarily transfer out, there is a lot more invested in one's education than just what appears on your transcript.
Like it or not, the honor code is in direct contradiction both with itself in regards to "honor" AND with the church's teachings which (used to) claim to promote "finding out for one's self" and decried "institutional coercion of belief."
[original post]
There are a couple of very important points raised in the above comment which I think deserve to be singled out. First, becoming an atheist is a process and a conclusion, not a choice or a lifestyle. It's not something that a person just decides to do, it's something that happens to a person, often without them even desiring it, and often due to education -- which, of course, is exactly what people go to BYU for.
Second, becoming an atheist is something that often happens after having been at BYU for two or three years, which means that a person is near the end of their time there. Expecting them to leave after so much personal, intellectual, and emotional investment is a serious demand. Moreover, it's a demand that imposes a significant cost on people because so many of the classes they have taken cannot be transferred to other schools. I hadn't realized that and it makes me wonder why BYU is even an accredited school to begin with.
Finally, the "honor" code is itself dishonorable -- I think that accusation is justified because any ethical demands that are patently contradictory have to be designed to "catch" people and ensure that they cannot abide by the code. That is necessarily and inevitably dishonest, which is to say dishonorable. Thus the BYU "honor" codes is nothing of the sort, yet atheists are the ones who are treated as the dishonorable ones.
Another writes:
I'm going to have to mention that I myself am a member of this group, and can tell you firsthand that I came very close to being effectively expelled--all for admitting my doubts. There are also others who actually HAVE been expelled or not allowed to graduate due to their beliefs. There is very much an aura of fear and oppression at BYU, which first of all nobody should be subjected to.
I say "subjected to" because becoming an atheist is not a choice, and many of us came to BYU because the church promises that efforts to put ourselves in "the right environment" will restore our wavering faith. I very much wanted to still believe. That didn't happen, and this doctrine combined with BYU's policy is tantamount to entrapment. Also, how can the Honor Code require both honesty and punish loss of faith? It contradicts itself and is literally impossible to follow for people like me.
Actually, the Honor Code does not mention the punishment for losing faith. That is just how BYU operates, and is something that students never agreed to. We never agreed to that rule, we never signed any statement regarding that rule, and if BYU wants to punish us for it they will have to find us first.
Personally, I thought it best to leave, but there is great cost (untransferable religion credits for one) and many of us have so much to lose--and we shouldn't have to lose it. If BYU had any integrity, our group would not have to exist. And by the way, the fact that you so flippantly disparage the class of people that your daughter does indeed belong to is disturbing.
When an institutions invests its "honor" in something so dishonorable, it's no surprise that fear and oppression will result. Atheists may arguably be the most truly honest and honorable ones around since they would be willing to openly voice their doubts, concerns, and skepticism -- it's only the threat of punishment which prevents this. And is that perhaps the point? Is it perhaps precisely because the administrators themselves fear the spread of doubt and skepticism that they impose a contradictory, dishonorable "honor" code on students then use it to coerce doubters into silence?
Only weak leaders who don't have any confidence in their own authority and ideology would use their power to coerce skeptics into being silent.
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