The Pentagon has rewritten its religion codes, cutting the military’s recognized faith list from more than 200 to 31 and no longer counting The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as Christian. The change immediately drew objections from Utah Republicans and LDS leaders who said the Defense Department was mischaracterizing the faith.
Republican Rep. Mike Kennedy said the Pentagon’s decision to place the church apart from other Christian faiths was wrong and needed to be corrected. Sen. John Curtis called Latter-day Saints “unequivocally Christian” and said government should not characterize a faith in a way that contradicts its own foundational beliefs.
The revised list was first described in a May memo and reported by Military.com, but the issue landed in a wider public fight on Sunday after Kennedy and Curtis posted their objections on X. Sean Parnell, a Defense Department official, responded the same day, saying the policy was meant to help chaplains collect information on the religions commonly found in their units, not to make any claim about the legitimacy of any faith or to create an official government list of approved religions.
The overhaul goes beyond Mormonism. Some religions were folded into broader categories such as Muslim or evangelical Christian, while numerous others were dropped entirely and grouped under a general other religions label. That means the policy changes how the military sorts service members’ faiths on paper, even if it does not directly change anyone’s personal beliefs or practice.
That distinction did not satisfy critics. Kennedy said no one should have to wonder where members of the church stand, adding that they “stand with Christ” and are Christians. Curtis said the move was unacceptable for a government entity because it conflicts with what the religion says about itself. Eric Biggart, who chairs the LDS Dems Caucus, said the change did not surprise him, while former Air Force chaplain Jenna Carson said she had never previously had any issues regarding her Christianity in the military.
John Compere, a retired general and board member of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, argued the revisions were driven by partisan political purposes rather than efficiency, and said such action harms troop morale and freedom of religion. The practical effect of the new codes remains unclear, including how chaplain care, unit reporting or recognition will work for service members whose faiths were removed from the list. What is clear is that the Pentagon has drawn a line in a place that immediately reopened a long-running fight over who gets to define Christianity inside the U.S. military.
