Pentagon reworks ‘offensive’ policy affecting LDS after Mormon lawmakers loudly protest
The revised list cuts more than 200 faith codes to 31 and drops Christian labels from 19 categories after Utah lawmakers objected.
- The Pentagon sharply revised its newly introduced list of recognized military religious codes on Monday, moving quickly to defuse a massive political backlash sparked over the weekend by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- The controversy began Friday when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth slashed recognized faith categories from 211 down to 31, an administrative overhaul aimed at helping the chaplain corps streamline logistics. However, the system classified the LDS Church under a standalone category entirely separate from its 21 designated "Christian" sub-groups.
- Mormon lawmakers led a fierce, public rebellion against the policy, with Utah Republican Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis, alongside Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, blasting the omission as "unacceptable" and demanding Hegseth immediately fix a classification that explicitly defied the church's core identity.
- In modifying the policy, the Department of Defense completely removed the overarching "Christian" label from the tracking system, instead opting to list all 31 recognized faith groups—including specific Protestant denominations, Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, and the LDS Church—as flat, independent choices.
- Despite the adjustment, the wider policy remains under intense fire from civil liberties groups, who note that the streamlined layout completely erases the distinct identities of minor beliefs by pushing Unitarian Universalists, Wiccans, Pagans, and Atheists into broad "Agnostic" or "Other Religions" brackets.
103 Articles
103 Articles
The Pentagon updated the list of verified religious affiliations for members of the armed forces, used in personnel management systems, and removed the “Christian” label of various confessions following criticisms received during the...
Pentagon Updates Religious Codes
Washington Post: “The Defense Department on Monday edited its new list of religious ‘codes’ for service members so that no group is labeled ‘Christian’ — drawing praise from Mormon lawmakers who were angered last week when their faith was categorized as outside of Christianity.”
From 200-Plus to 31: How the Pentagon Cut Religion Codes
The Pentagon fulfilled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s promise to slash the number of Religious Affiliation Codes used by the military to track the volume of members adhering to different religions and to shape the chaplain corps to support them. The change reduces the number of religions counted for such purposes from more than 200 to just 31. Changes include collapsing the number of identified Christian denominations to 21 and removing Pagan…
'Race-Baiting Garbage': Pete Hegseth Fixed a GOP Complaint in Days. Black Officers Have Waited Months, and the Pentagon’s Excuse Makes It Worse
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reversed course within days after religious groups objected to a new Pentagon policy. Black service members have been waiting much longer for answers. The Pentagon changed its newly shortened list of religious affiliations this week after lawmakers and religious leaders complained about how it organized the categories. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies during a hearing before the Senate Appropriations …
Defense Department rejiggers list of recognized religions after backlash, narrows it to 30
(RNS) — After eliminating about 180 faith groups from its list of recognized religions, the Department of Defense moved quickly to revise the list once again on Monday (June 8) in response to criticism from various religious groups. The most updated list dropped the word “Christian” from 19 categories after pressure from two Utah senators and others who objected to a missing “Christian” label beside the name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latt…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
