The Pentagon updated its recognized religious affiliations Monday, three days after it released a streamlined list.
Utah Republican Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis had complained because the Pentagon’s Christian categories did not include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Whether members of the LDS Church are considered Christian is a long-running debate.
On social media, Sen. Curtis thanked the department for listening and acting. Both senators agreed with the department's statement that noted the "Pentagon’s job is not to adjudicate theological debates, but instead to ensure sincerely-held faith is respected and encouraged in our ranks."
The latest military rubric, however, does not categorize the LDS Church as Christian. Rather, it removes the Christian label from 20 other traditions, including Catholicism, Lutheranism and Pentecostalism.
The armed forces are religiously diverse, and nearly 70% of troops identify as Christian, according to a 2019 congressional report. Almost a quarter of troops were listed as other, unclassified or unknown.
The Defense Department said that the original list “included redundant and unnecessary labeling, and the mistake has been fixed.”
Last week, a proposed list of simplified faith codes was released to the media. The Pentagon list included redundant and unnecessary labeling, and the mistake has been fixed.
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) June 8, 2026
The goal of this effort is to simplify a previously out-of-control “belief” coding system that had… pic.twitter.com/yCsQDhZcGp
