Mormons outraged after Pentagon no longer counts | Political News
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the modifications on Friday, (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Mormons in Utah are outraged following a determination by the Department of Defense to stop classifying The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a Christian religion.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the modifications on Friday, declaring that his division would scale back the quantity of non secular designations in which servicemembers can register, from 200 to 31. Under the latest change, members of the army can determine as Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, pagan, humanist, atheist, and more.
Further, among the religions categorized as Christian are Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Baptists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Mormonism, however, just isn’t on that listing.
The Pentagon’s press secretary, Sean Parnell, described the transfer as “long overdue.” In a prolonged assertion, he argued that the change will make it simpler for the division to gather data on its service members, and for non secular leaders to present assist to personnel.
“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,” Parnell wrote in a assertion posted on X. “Rather, it is designed to allow chaplains to quickly look at the religious composition of their units and determine how they structure resources to best provide for warfighters of all faith groups.”
Mormon Republican officers, however, didn’t welcome the change with open arms, calling the transfer “repugnant.” (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“The Department of War places a high value on the First Amendment and the free exercise of religion. Chaplains play an instrumental role in providing spiritual care and facilitating the Warfighters’ ability to freely exercise their religion of choice, or no religion at all,” he added. “With this new change, we believe we can provide the best data to support our chaplains in that effort.”
Mormon Republican officers, however, didn’t welcome the change with open arms, calling the transfer “repugnant.” Among them was GOP Senator Mike Lee, who said the change was a denial of Christian’s common heritage.
“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, a Utah Mormon himself, said in a video posted on X over the weekend.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has not yet commented on the latest change (Image: Getty)
Likewise, Utah Rep. Mike Kennedy called on the Pentagon to reverse its choices, saying members of the church “stand with Christ.”
“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,” he said. “No one needs to wonder where members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stand. We stand with Christ. We are Christians.”
“On that ground, and on the much larger ground of shared faith, values, and purpose, Latter-day Saints stand alongside many Christians of every tradition in following the teachings of Christ,” Kennedy added. “We only ask to be accurately portrayed. I strongly urge the Department to correct the record.”
Sen. John Curtis, a Utah Mormon, slammed the exclusion, saying the members of his church are “patriotic” and “service-oriented individuals.” As a outcome, he argued, they shouldn’t be excluded from the listing of Christians.
“Latter-day Saints are among the most patriotic, service-oriented individuals in our country. They are also unequivocally Christian—just look at who is in the name of the Church,” he wrote on X, responding to the Pentagon announcement.
“It is unacceptable for a government entity to characterize a faith in a manner that contradicts the religion’s own foundational tenets. I am working now to ensure a correction is made,” he added.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has not yet commented on the latest change. The Pentagon has also not commented on the latest backlash on its determination.
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