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Pentagon Revises Religious Affiliation List Following Mormon Lawmaker Outcry

KVIA•Monday, June 8, 2026 at 5:48 PM•CNN Newsource

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The Pentagon has amended its list of recognized religious affiliations for military personnel after criticism from Mormon lawmakers regarding the exclusion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the Christian category. Initially, the list included 31 religious categories, with 21 variations of Christianity, but failed to classify the Latter-day Saints as Christian. Following backlash from lawmakers like Sen. Mike Lee, the Pentagon removed the 'Christian' designation from the list altogether. This update is part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's broader initiative to reform the military's chaplain corps and streamline religious codes, which had previously exceeded 200. The new list aims to provide clearer guidance for chaplains to support service members' faiths effectively.

Key Details: • Initial list included 31 religious categories, with 21 as variations of Christianity. • Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Mike Kennedy criticized the exclusion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. • The updated list removes the 'Christian' identifier from various faiths. • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth aims to reform the military's chaplain corps and streamline religious codes.

military government religion mormon chaplaincy

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Pete HegsethMike LeePentagonMike Kennedy

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