Navy rejects request for first humanist chaplain

Jason Heap

By Adelle M. Banks

(RNS) After the Army recently permitted “humanist” as a religious preference, many hoped 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.”