Pentagon cuts Mormon recognition from military religion list, sparking GOP backlash
The Defense Department reduced the number of religious categories for service members, omitting Mormonism, prompting criticism from Utah Republican officials.
The U.S. Defense Department announced on Friday that it will reduce the number of religious identifiers on military personnel records from more than 200 to 31, eliminating categories such as Wiccan, pagan, humanist, atheist and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The new list retains broad categories like Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu, Baha’i and agnostic, with 22 Christian denominations still available.
Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who practices Mormonism, called the change "repugnant to any sense of decency" and said it violates the principle that government should not intervene in doctrinal disputes. > "It’s just repugnant to any sense of decency, any sense of our common heritage and our common belief that the government needs to not weigh in on doctrinal disputes between various religious denominations," Lee said in a video posted on X.
Representative Mike Kennedy, also from Utah, urged the department to correct the record, stating that the exclusion misrepresents the faith. > "The Pentagon’s decision to list The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints apart from other Christian faiths is wrong and needs to be corrected," Kennedy wrote on X.
Senator John Curtis, another Mormon, described members of his church as "among the most patriotic, service-oriented individuals" and emphasized that the faith is unequivocally Christian. > "It is unacceptable for a government entity to characterize a faith in a manner that contradicts the religion’s own foundational tenets," Curtis said.
The Pentagon’s press office described the reduction as a "long-overdue move" aimed at simplifying chaplains’ ability to assess unit composition and allocate resources, asserting that it does not question the legitimacy of any belief system. > "This decrease in religious affiliation codes is not designed to make any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religious belief, nor is it intended to provide a list of ‘officially approved’ religions," spokesperson Sean Parnell said.
Republican leaders in Utah said they will seek a correction to ensure Mormonism is accurately represented among recognized faiths.