Den Leader Testifies Twins Told Her, ‘We’re Atheists’ : Trial: The Randall brothers’ views on God caused a stir among the other Cub Scouts gathered in the Anaheim Hills home that day, she says.

When den leader Angela Cutts went over the religious requirements her Cub Scouts had to pass to get their Bear Badges, one of the youngsters took a stance that has challenged the very core of Scouting.

Cutts was not sure if it was William or Michael Randall, but one of the identical twins from Anaheim Hills declared “that they did not believe in God,” Cutts testified Friday.

“We’re atheists,” she quoted the boy as saying.

As a result of that statement, the 10-year-old Randalls allege they were expelled from Scouting. They are challenging the Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America in court, contending that the organization is illegally discriminating against religious nonbelievers.

Boy Scout officials claim that, as a private organization, they are free to associate with whomever they please, even if that means only boys who believe in God.

Scouts and non-Scouts alike are watching the developments in the non-jury trial, waiting to see how Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard O. Frazee Sr. will rule.

On Friday, Cutts testified that the Randall boys’ views on God caused a stir in her Anaheim Hills den that day in December, 1990.

“All the (other) boys in unison said, ‘You don’t believe in God?’ ” Cutts testified. She said she asked the other Scouts to “calm down” and then told William and Michael that she would discuss the matter with their parents.

After relaying the incident to Scouting officials, Cutts called the boys’ mother, telling her that the officials felt the twins “had to believe in some sort of supreme being or . . . consider joining some other organization.”

Under direct examination by attorney James Grafton Randall, who is representing his sons in their lawsuit, Cutts acknowledged that she never made the Scouts in her den say prayers or discuss their faiths. Religion only became an issue, she said, when one of the Randall boys stated his views.

Cutts also testified that the Randall boys were “disruptive” and acted “kind of like the Three Stooges.”

Other parents of Den 4, Pack 519 also testified Friday, saying that they did not want religious nonbelievers in their sons’ den.

During the questioning of one of the parents, Randall noted that the Boy Scouts does not define God, and that a child may worship any god or gods. Randall asked one parent: “If a child believed that Satan was God, would that be OK with you?”

“Certainly not,” replied the parent, Jin Soh.

Later in the day, Valerie Randall, the twins’ mother, took the witness stand after pledging a non-religious oath to tell the truth in court.

She testified that her sons had been in a Cub Scout den in Culver City for two years before moving to Anaheim Hills, and that the boys’ previous den leader had no problem with their religious non-beliefs.

She said her sons were not encouraged to deny God’s existence, but came to that opinion on their own. Valerie Randall said she questioned her sons about their position, but then accepted their views after they retrieved a copy of the Declaration of Independence and said “they had the right to life, liberty and a piece of happiness.”

The trial is expected to resume Monday with Valerie Randall continuing her testimony.