The Pentagon recently consolidated its religious-affiliation codes from more than 200 to 31 to streamline administrative tracking and help chaplains allocate spiritual resources. Utah Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis — both members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — have demanded the Pentagon restore LDS to the list of Christian designations after the church was omitted. Pentagon officials say the change is logistical and not a statement on legitimacy, but critics warn the consolidation may erase minority faith identities and complicate chaplain planning.
Utah Senators Demand Pentagon Reinstate LDS Among Christian Designations After Religious-Code Overhaul
The historic Mormon Temple grounds sit empty during the 190th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on April 4, 2020, in Salt Lake City. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
Two Republican U.S. senators from Utah — Mike Lee and John Curtis — have publicly pressed the Department of Defense to correct a recent directive that no longer lists The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) among designated Christian faiths. Calling the omission "unacceptable," both lawmakers say the change contradicts the church's expressed identity and are urging the Pentagon to update its classifications promptly.
Policy Change And Pentagon Rationale
Defense officials say the change is part of an internal effort to simplify what the Pentagon described as an "unmanageable" system of religious-affiliation codes. As part of the restructuring, the department reduced its official religious-affiliation codes from more than 200 to 31, consolidating many distinct entries into broader categories.
The Pentagon frames the move as logistical: streamlining data so military chaplains can quickly assess unit demographics and deploy spiritual-support resources more effectively. "With this move, we are returning to the original intent of collecting this data — to allow our chaplains and religious support personnel to provide the best spiritual care to our warfighters," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.
"This decrease in religious affiliation codes is not designed to make any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religious belief, nor is it intended to provide a list of 'officially approved' religions. Rather, it is designed to allow chaplains to quickly look at the religious composition of their units and determine how they structure resources to best provide for warfighters of all faith groups," Parnell added.
Parnell also emphasized the department's commitment to First Amendment protections and the role of chaplains in ensuring service members can freely exercise their religion — or opt for no religion.
Who Was Affected
The consolidation has impacted many minority faiths and nonreligious designations. According to the Pentagon's summary of changes, the department discontinued individual tracking for categories such as:
- Atheism
- Humanism
- Wicca
- Paganism
- Unitarian Universalism
Many service members who previously identified with specific traditions are being asked to register under broader labels such as "Agnostic," "No Religion," or "Other Religions." Several traditional Christian denominations were similarly grouped under umbrella headings without listing specific branches.
Criticism And Political Response
Critics argue the consolidation risks erasing the distinct identities of smaller faith communities and could complicate accurate demographic representation when chaplains plan spiritual support. The issue has drawn heightened attention in Utah, home to the LDS Church's global headquarters.
Representative statements from the two senators underscore their concern. John Curtis posted on X: "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. 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."
Senator Mike Lee similarly questioned the logic of omitting the global church from Christian designations, asking on X: "Can anyone tell me why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was left out of the Christian churches?" He later added pointedly: "If only we, as Latter-day Saints, belonged to a church that had 'Jesus Christ' in its name and His image in its logo … Oh wait."
What Comes Next
The Pentagon has framed the change as an administrative consolidation rather than a statement on theological legitimacy. Still, the public pressure from lawmakers and the concerns raised by minority faith advocates may prompt the department to review how it balances operational simplicity with accurate representation of service members' religious identities. Lawmakers from Utah say they are pursuing a quick correction to ensure the LDS Church is represented among Christian designations.
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