The Would-Be Chaplain Who Doesn't Believe in God [View all]

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Jul 29, 2013
Stars and Stripes| by Leo Shane III

WASHINGTON -- Jason Heap wants to be a Navy chaplain. But he doesn't believe in God.

Belief in a higher power, the 38-year-old humanist argues, has nothing to do with that work.

"I am aware there are many who would be reticent or militant against that," he said. "But at the end of the day, my job is not to inculcate my viewpoints onto other people. My job as a chaplain is to be a facilitator, someone who cares for people, someone who is a sounding board."

Heap submitted his application to the Armed Forces Chaplains Board earlier this month, in an effort to become the first humanist chaplain in military history.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/07/29/the-would-be-chaplain-who-doesnt-believe-in-god.html