The Pentagon has updated its military faith codes list after backlash from Utah lawmakers who were upset that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) was not listed as Christian.
U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Sean Parnell announced a change to the department’s Religious Affiliation Codes (RAC) on Friday, reducing the number of categories from more than 200 to 31. The list designated 21 faiths as Christian, including Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists, but listed LDS as a separate category.
Islam, Judaism, Baha’i, Buddhism, Hindu and Agnostic were also listed, though unlike Christianity, sects of each faith were not listed.
Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) said members of the LDS are “unequivocally Christian, just look at who is in the name of the church.”
“It is unacceptable for a government entity to characterize a faith in a manner that contradicts the religion’s own foundational tenets,” he said. “I am working now to ensure a correction is made.”
Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-Utah) also called for an update to the list. “I’m a Latter-day Saint, and I’m a Christian,” he wrote. “Christ’s name is on our church for a reason. This must be corrected.”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who is a member of the LDS church, posted on X: “Can anyone tell me why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was left out of the list of Christian churches?”
The pushback led to a theological debate on social media among Christian faith groups about whether the LDS church is Christian, with Lee arguing that those who believe that the church is not should read the Book of Mormon before deciding.
Lee said on Sunday that he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump about the list.
“I won’t speak for him, but I’m thrilled about where this is heading,” Lee said. “We’re most fortunate that President Trump loves Latter-day Saints and is our commander in chief.”
The Defense Department stated on Monday that the list “included redundant and unnecessary labeling,” seeming to refer to the designations of the faiths as Christian, and released an updated RAC list that only includes the codes.
“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 department stated.
