A bit of controversy broke out last week after the Pentagon dramatically reduced its list of officially recognized religious affiliation codes from more than 200 to just 31 categories. While the new list includes numerous Christian denominations, it lists members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints separately rather than under the broader Christian category, prompting criticism from many Latter-day Saints and Utah political leaders, as well as local members.  The list doesn’t change anything substantive, but does irritate members of the church, which has been involved in a decades – nearly centuries – long campaign to clarify its Christian bona fides to the general public. 

According to KSL, Utah Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis publicly challenged the change, arguing that members of the church consider themselves Christian and that the church’s name, beliefs, and focus on Jesus Christ make its exclusion from the Christian grouping difficult to understand.  That sentiment was echoed broadly over the weekend as news of the list was discussed among members.

The Pentagon has responded that the revised list is not intended to determine which religions are “officially approved” or legitimate. Officials say the streamlined system is designed to help military chaplains quickly assess the religious makeup of units and allocate resources more efficiently. Service members can still identify as Latter-day Saints, and they may continue to list other faiths not included among the 31 primary categories on military records and dog tags. 

The dispute has become part of a broader debate over the Pentagon’s religious policies under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Critics argue that reducing the number of recognized faith categories may marginalize minority religions, while supporters maintain the changes are administrative rather than theological. For many Latter-day Saints, however, the central issue is not recognition itself but the perception that their faith was separated from Christianity despite its emphasis on Jesus Christ.  The church’s policy regarding the use of its full official name, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks to the issue.