Pentagon Erases Mormon Faith from Military Records, Trampling on Religious Freedom and Targeting Christians
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The Defense Department’s alarming decision to slash religious categories for service members—removing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other faiths—has sparked fierce backlash from Utah’s Republican leaders, who see this as a blatant attack on religious liberty and a dangerous step toward government control over faith.
In a deeply troubling move on Friday, the U.S. Defense Department announced it would slash the number of religious identifiers on military personnel records from over 200 to a mere 31. This reckless decision eliminates important categories such as Wiccan, pagan, humanist, atheist, and, most egregiously, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While the new list keeps broad categories like Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu, Baha’i, and agnostic, it outrageously reduces the visibility of specific Christian denominations, including Mormonism, with only 22 Christian denominations remaining.
Utah’s Republican officials are rightfully outraged. Senator Mike Lee, a proud Mormon, condemned the change as 'repugnant to any sense of decency,' warning that it violates the fundamental principle that government should not meddle in religious matters. In a video posted to X, Lee decried the Pentagon’s overreach and the erosion of America’s religious heritage.
Representative Mike Kennedy, also from Utah, demanded the Pentagon correct this injustice, stating that excluding Mormonism misrepresents the faith and undermines religious freedom. His statement on X calls out the Pentagon’s disregard for the rights of service members to have their faith accurately recognized.
Senator John Curtis, another faithful Mormon, highlighted that members of his church are 'among the most patriotic, service-oriented individuals' and stressed that the faith is unequivocally Christian. He denounced the Pentagon’s move as unacceptable government interference, contradicting the very tenets of the religion.
The Pentagon’s press office tried to downplay the controversy, calling the reduction a 'long-overdue move' to help chaplains allocate resources. Spokesperson Sean Parnell claimed the change isn’t meant to question any faith’s legitimacy or create a list of 'officially approved' religions. But this bureaucratic language does little to mask the fact that the government is now deciding which religions are worthy of recognition.
Utah’s Republican leaders have pledged to fight back and demand that Mormonism is restored to its rightful place among recognized faiths, standing up for religious freedom and the rights of all Americans to have their beliefs respected.