Chief Petty Officer Martin Healey has received approval to become the Navy’s first atheist lay leader. Healey, who serves on the amphibious assault vessel USS Makin Island, completed lay leader training and received an endorsement from Paul Loebe of American Atheists in order to be considered for the role.

Advocates for diversity in the military hailed the decision.

“It’s time to set aside semantic barriers and recognize that many military personnel are good without a god and that they’ll be better with equal accommodation,” said Jason Torpy, president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers. “That means chaplain services, lay leaders and Humanist chaplains, not just the right to sit in a corner alone while others pray.”

The position of lay leader, while not identical to that of chaplain, allows Healey to organize and facilitate group meetings, and it officially recognizes the presence of non-theists onboard.

A group called the Humanist Society continues to press for a full-blown humanist chaplain. Last month the organization filed a lawsuit against the Navy on behalf of Jason Heap, a humanist celebrant who has been denied status as a chaplain by the Department of Defense.

“Dr. Heap’s qualifications and experience far exceed the standards articulated by the Navy for accepting applicants,” the Heap v. Hagel lawsuit asserts. “The Navy denied his application because of his Humanist beliefs.”

The lawsuit says that 3.6 percent of members of the military identify as humanist.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

After this story was published, AU received the following update from the Navy Chaplain Corps:

On October 23rd, Chief Martin Healey was appointed as an atheist-freethinker religious lay leader of USS Makin Island . On November 6, the commanding officer of USS MAKIN ISLAND issued a letter realigning Chief Healey's designation under the Morale Welfare and Recreation supervisory authority. This re-designation aligns the atheist-freethinker leader under the appropriate non-religious instruction.

The service members belonging to this group continue to have command support to meet and engage in discussions in accordance with similar command supported and sponsored MWR groups. Both the commanding officer of the USS MAKIN ISLAND and the Navy remain committed to supporting the morale, welfare, religious, and spiritual needs of all service members and support the right of each individual to determine his or her own religious convictions which includes the right to observe no religion.