Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers

Vision – Equal Rights for Nontheists
A military where nontheist service members are accepted, valued, and afforded equal rights

Mission – Community, Education, and Advocacy
To provide a supportive community for nontheistic service members,
to educate military leaders about nontheism, and
to resolve insensitive practices that illegally promote religion or unethically discriminate against nontheism

Mission & Vision created 15 Mar 2002 with only minor wording changes to date

MAAF is open to everyone including civilians regardless of military status. MAAF focuses on the military, but we can not function without the support of civilians. Civilians and civilian groups also have a great opportunity to reach out through MAAF to those who serve. We especially encourage those DoD Civilians that work so closely with us to join. Free membership is extended to personnel on active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, retirees, spouses, and veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. The military family also receives benefits. While the issues and discussions on MAAF tend to center around issues particular to the American Constitution and United States policies, we welcome atheists and freethinking service members from any of the world’s armed forces. Everyone, members and other supporters, are always invited to donate to the organization to support membership materials, marketing, care packages, web maintenance, and other support and administrative costs.

The Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers builds local nontheist communities within the military, doing the work to empower individuals, to educate military leaders, and to change policy as necessary to fulfill our vision of equal rights. MAAF is unique among other national nontheist organizations. Only the UK has a similar military-focused nontheist organization. Other organizations are ideologically driven (AHA, AEU, SHJ) or activist (AA, CFI, FFRF) or have different audiences (SSA, CQ, SCA). MAAF works closely to bring together civilian and military communities on common ground of nontheistic and naturalistic beliefs.

There are often questions of MAAF in relation to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. MRFF is an organization (not theistic and not nontheistic) that uses media and legal action to oppose religious discrimination and Christian proselytism. MAAF is by and for atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers, skeptics, and other nontheists. In many ways MAAF and MRFF share common enemies, but we have a different approach, different resources, and different ideologies. Other interfaith or secular (not nontheist) organizations support separation of church and state or general equality for nontheists (like AU, IA), and we work with these organizations whenever possible. Only MAAF focuses on community-building and positive outreach by and for atheists, humanists, and other nontheists in the military.