Pentagon Backtracks, Giving ‘Christian’ Designation to Mormon Church
Powerful players in Congress were among those who objected to a new religious-affiliation list.
The Pentagon revised a religious-affiliation table Monday after criticism when it last week categorized some denominations as “Christian” while omitting that designation for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Pentagon officials called the category designator “redundant and unnecessary labeling” and a “mistake.”
Andrew Tata, undersecretary for personnel and readiness, issued a revised list Friday of Religious Affiliation Codes to help military chaplains better “anticipate the religious support needs” of personnel.
“The goal of this effort is to simplify a previously out-of-control ‘belief’ coding system that had ballooned to over 200 codes,” the Defense Department’s Rapid Response communications team said.
The Friday list whittled a roster of more than 200 categories — including atheists, druids, humanists, pagans, Unitarian Universalists, and Wiccans — to 31 recognized faiths and beliefs. Of those, 21 groups were prefixed with a “Christian” tag, including Baptists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Pentecostals.
The Pentagon designated Jehovah’s Witnesses — known for their noncombatant stance — Christian but not adherents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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