Utah’s two U.S. senators are questioning a new Pentagon policy that leaves “Christian” off the designation for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Department of War recently announced the reduction in the number of religious affiliation categories for service members from over 200 down to 31. Categories that were removed from the list include “atheist” and “humanist,” and “Wicca.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is included as a religious category on the updated list. But the faith was not included in the list of faiths labeled “Christian.”
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, put up a screenshot of the list on X and asked “Can anyone tell me why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was left out of the list of Christian churches?”
Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, called the characterization “unacceptable.”
“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 said in a statement.
“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.”
On the Church of Jesus Christ’s website, under “frequently asked questions,” the church says it is Christian.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian church but is neither Catholic nor Protestant,” the website says. “Rather, it is a restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ as originally established by the Savior in the New Testament of the Bible.”
The entry continues, “Latter-day Saints believe God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save all mankind from death and their individual sins. Jesus Christ is central to the lives of Church members. They seek to follow His example by being baptized (see Matthew 3:13-17), praying in His holy name (see Matthew 6:9-13), partaking of the sacrament (see Luke 22:19-20), doing good to others (see Acts 10:38) and bearing witness of Him through both word and deed (see James 2:26). The only way to salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ.”
Why did the Pentagon reduce the number of religious categories?
When asked for comment, a Pentagon spokesperson referred the Deseret News to a statement made by chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, who explained the reason behind the policy change but did not refer specifically to concerns raised by Utah’s senators.
Parnell said the reduction in the number of religious categories was made in order to “to allow our chaplains and religious support personnel to provide the best spiritual care to our warfighters.”
He said it was not meant to “make any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religious belief,” or provide an “officially approve” list of religions, but is meant to simplify the work of chaplains who serve in the armed forces.
“The Department of War places a high value on the First Amendment and the free exercise of religion,” Parnell said. “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. With this new change, we believe we can provide the best data to support our chaplains in that effort.”