President Barack Obama quietly signed an update to the Religious Freedom Act last week ensuring atheists are protected as a religious group.
The law was first passed in 1998, and it specifies that “the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion is understood to protect theistic and non-theistic beliefs and the right not to profess or practice any religion.”
The law also states that the U.S. can target “entities of particular concern.” This covers groups that are not sovereign countries such as Boko Haram and ISIS.
There will also be a method set up to track religious prisoners overseas. It will also require all foreign service officers to undergo training in religious liberty.
This U.S. law is in direct contrast with many others around the world in relation to atheists.
There were some non-atheists that spoke up in favor of the amendment to the Religious Freedom Act.
“Protecting non-theistic beliefs and requiring increased religious freedom training for our foreign service officers emphasizes our shared value of religious liberty for all people across the globe,” said J. Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Freedom.
“We are pleased that religious liberty still finds broad bipartisan support,” Walker told The Baptist Standard, a publication devoted to the Baptist faith.