Pentagon Revises Religious Policy After Mormon Outrage

The U.S. Department of Defense was compelled to quickly amend a contentious policy regarding religious affiliations after facing backlash from lawmakers.

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I find it very regrettable that the Pentagon has decided to identify virtually every religious group that believes in Jesus Christ as Christian with one exception.

The Pentagon had recently issued a streamlined list of religious codes for service members, a move championed by "acting secretary" Pete Hegseth, known for his conservative Christian advocacy. This new list drastically reduced the options from 211 to just 31. Furthermore, it broadly labeled many denominations, including Catholics, Evangelicals, Methodists, and Lutherans, simply as "Christian."

A significant point of contention arose when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church, was included on the list but omitted from the "Christian" designation. This decision ignited anger among several members of Congress with Mormon backgrounds, including Senator Mike Lee of Utah.

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I find this offensive, not only because it happens to be my faith, and not only because it happens to be the faith of tens of thousands of United States soldiers, but also because it is repugnant to all decency and our common heritage that the government would take a position on the doctrinal disputes of religious communities.

Senator Lee expressed his strong disapproval on social media, calling the Pentagon's decision "offensive." He argued that it was regrettable for the government to weigh in on doctrinal disputes among religious communities, especially when it excluded a faith shared by tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers. Lee stated he had discussed the matter with President Donald Trump and Hegseth, who assured him the classification would be corrected.

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The Pentagon's job is not to resolve theological debates, but to ensure that sincerely held beliefs are respected and supported within our ranks.

Following the criticism, the Pentagon released a revised version of the list on Monday. In this updated version, religious groups are listed by name, and the blanket "Christian" label has been removed. A Pentagon spokesperson clarified that the reduction in codes was intended to simplify an "unnecessary and overlapping" previous list, making it more practical for military chaplains to understand the spiritual support needs of service members. The department emphasized that the revision was not meant to validate or invalidate any religion's beliefs.

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This reduction in religious codes was not intended to pass judgment on the validity of any faith or religious belief, nor is it intended to be a list of 'officially approved' faiths.