Denied job, “humanist chaplain” sues Navy for discrimination

From RNS: 

The Oxford-educated man who unsuccessfully sought to be the Navy’s first humanist chaplain is suing the Pentagon, claiming unconstitutional discrimination.

Jason Heap is certified as a humanist celebrant by the Humanist Society, which joined in the suit and is challenging both the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense for not recognizing the group as an endorser of chaplain candidates.

“Dr. Heap’s qualifications and experience far exceed the standards articulated by the Navy for accepting applicants,” according to the suit, filed Wednesday (Nov. 5) in Alexandria, Va. “The Navy denied his application because of his Humanist beliefs.”

The suit claims the denial of chaplains “impairs the religious exercise of Humanists in the Navy.” Humanists make up 3.6 percent of the U.S. military, according to a survey by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, which is affiliated with the Pentagon.

“Belief in divinity is not a litmus test for protection under federal law and the Constitution,” said Matthew A. Smith, a lawyer with Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, the Washington law firm that is representing Heap and the Humanist Society.

The suit also charges that the Navy inconsistently requires accommodation of religious practices for sailors while not permitting a humanist chaplain because “the Navy does not consider Humanism to be a religion.”

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