After the Army recently permitted “humanist” as a religious preference, many thought
a humanist chaplain might follow.
But the Navy last week rejected the application of Jason Heap for a commission, a Navy official familiar with the case confirmed. The details of the decision were not divulged due to privacy concerns.
Heap was not immediately available for comment, but groups that have pushed for his commission – and other accommodations for nontheistic members of the military — were disappointed.
“The Humanist Society and the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers have provided years of outreach and a great chaplain candidate to the military,” said Jason Torpy, president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers. “We hope nonchaplain military leaders swiftly overturn this discriminatory decision.”
Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, also called for a reversal of the decision.
“Prejudice is not an American value,” he said.
But the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty welcomed the decision.
“Chaplains, historically and by definition, are people of faith,” said retired reserve Chaplain Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. “You can’t have an ‘atheist chaplain’ any more than you can have a ‘tiny giant’ or a ‘poor millionaire.’”
Many humanists are atheists but some say that the term “atheist” is not sufficient to express their belief, or lack of it. They often emphasize their confidence in the human potential.
