Pentagon amends 'Christian' designations after Mormon members of Congress complain

'The Pentagon’s job is not to adjudicate theological debates'

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Monday, June 08, 2026

The U.S. Department of War further amended its recently revised list of recognized religious affiliations Monday after several Mormon members of Congress expressed outrage that Mormonism was initially listed as separate from other Christian denominations.

"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," the Department of War said in statement that was forwarded to The Christian Post.

"The goal of this effort is to simplify a previously out-of-control 'belief' coding system that had ballooned to over 200 codes. In order to clarify the work of chaplains, and simplify the work of commanders, the Pentagon has consolidated and simplified the list to roughly thirty codes — using the previously used labels for faiths."

The Pentagon added that its job "is not to adjudicate theological debates, but instead to ensure sincerely-held faith is respected and encouraged in our ranks."

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.

The goal of this effort is to simplify a previously out-of-control “belief” coding system that had… pic.twitter.com/yCsQDhZcGp

— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) June 8, 2026

The change came after Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and others among the nine Mormon members of Congress issued a flurry of social media posts condemning the list, which was first released publicly last week. The list came after the Pentagon eliminated 180 belief systems from its previous list of recognized faiths for U.S. service members, streamlining the number from 211 to 31.

The religions that remained were Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, the Baha'i faith and various denominations listed as "Christian," including Jehovah's Witnesses, Quakers, Christian Scientists and Seventh-day Adventists.

"Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" was listed separately without the "Christian" designation. The new list, which is arranged alphabetically, does not append "Christian" to any denomination apart from "Christian (Non-Denominational)."

Lee made multiple posts over the weekend addressing the topic, with his first on Saturday asking, "Can anyone tell me why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was left out of the list of Christian churches?"

Can anyone tell me why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was left out of the list of Christian churches? pic.twitter.com/t4u6PI29ON

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 6, 2026

"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," wrote Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, on Friday. Others, including Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, echoed such sentiments.

The entire Utah delegation in Congress, including both senators and four representatives, are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose church leaders have been lobbying the media for years to refrain from referring to them as "Mormons."

In a post to X shortly after midnight on Monday, Lee said he had spoken with President Donald Trump about his concerns, writing, "We're most fortunate that President Trump (1) loves Latter-day Saints and (2) is our commander in chief."

Lee's initial X post, which has approximately 8.8 million impressions as of Monday, sparked fierce theological debate on social media, uniting many Protestant, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians who pointed out core doctrinal differences with Mormons regarding the character of God, the nature of Jesus Christ, the authority of Scripture and the means of salvation.

Some noted that Mormonism, which was founded under the leadership of Joseph Smith in the early 19th century, does not adhere to the Nicene Creed, which has largely united all branches of Christianity since the fourth century and affirms that God is one being in three persons.

Some who do not adhere to Mormonism nonetheless expressed concern that the U.S. government was appearing to make a theological distinction between belief systems.

Noting "Christians have not recently been adept political thinkers," Josh Howerton, who serves as senior pastor of Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, Texas, suggested they ought to choose their battles wisely when it comes to politics.

"We should respect Mormons enough to be honest with them that, by their own self-identification, they are 'not creedal Christians' (what Mormons THEMSELVES will say, [because] they understand they disagree with many/most of the core doctrines of Christianity that are expressed in the earliest creeds)," he wrote.

Howerton also said "Christians need to develop the ability to understand there are two overlapping but distinct realms: the church and the state (Jesus, 1 Peter, Augustine)."

"Therefore, there will be some people that are on a DIFFERENT TEAM spiritually (not Christians), but on the SAME TEAM culturally (aligned in almost all political/cultural goals). If you don't understand this, you will oppose people you should befriend in the political/cultural realm, and you will befriend people you should differentiate from in the church/spiritual realm," he added.

New York Times columnist David French said, "The issue with the Pentagon list excluding the LDS church from Christianity has nothing to do with theology and everything to do with the Establishment Clause."

"I've spent my whole life around Christians who draw different lines around the faith. It's a 2,000 year-old argument that will continue for another 2,000 years or until Christ comes again. But that's a church argument, and it's none of the state's business," he added.

Robert Gagnon, who serves as Visiting Scholar at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Ridgeland, Mississippi, responded to French by suggesting the state "has a right to take account of obvious facts."

Gagnon went on to list what he described as "absurdly anti-Christian notions" of Mormonism, such as God the Father being an embodied human being who was exalted to deity; that He married a woman and had spiritual children; and that men can become gods, citing an aphorism from fifth LDS President Lorenzo Snow, who in June 1840 declared under supposed divine inspiration: "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become."

Before his death last year, the late Pastor John MacArthur addressed some of the theological distinctions between Mormonism and biblical Christianity, noting that Mormons are fundamentally "polytheists" who misunderstand the nature of God's being and the atoning work of Jesus Christ that is attributed to Christians by grace through faith.

"Here's the problem: they are polytheists," MacArthur said. "They have millions of gods, just millions of them, and more all the time. Every time Mormons have a baby, they potentiate another god. So this is anything but Christian in its view of God."

"They have a Christ who is another Jesus, and ... preach another Jesus, and you get cursed," he said, referencing the warning of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 1:8-9. He noted that Mormonism ultimately preaches a works-based salvation, and that its theology is "more like Hinduism and paganism and false religion, than it is anything to do with Christianity."