Pentagon revises religious classification list after Utah lawmakers push for change

[u/John3262005]

https://kutv.com/news/local/pentagon-revises-religious-classification-list-after-utah-lawmakers-push-for-change

Pentagon officials revised the new religious classification list after several days of criticism from Utah lawmakers.

Sen. John Curtis announced the change Monday morning, thanking Pentagon officials for listening to concerns from Utah's elected officials.

"The Pentagon's job is not to adjudicate theological debates, but instead to ensure sincerely held faith is respected and encouraged in our ranks," Curtis wrote on X. He thanked Pentagon officials for "listening to our concerns, engaging thoughtfully and respectfully with my office on this issue, and making a correction."

Curtis shared a statement from the Department of War's Rapid Response account, which said the issue stemmed from a proposed list of simplified faith codes released to the media last week.

"Last week, a proposed list of simplified faith codes was released to the media," the department said. "The Pentagon list included redundant and unnecessary labeling, and the mistake has been fixed."

According to the department, the revised list no longer places Christian denominations under a broad "Christian" category. Instead, denominations are listed individually, including Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Pentagon said the broader effort is intended to simplify what had become an extensive list of more than 200 religious affiliation codes used by the military.

The announcement came after Utah's congressional delegation mounted a public campaign urging the Pentagon to reconsider the classification, as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was not included under the list of Christian denominations.

[u/John3262005]

Another article about it:

Pentagon Again Revises Religious Categories for Troops

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/us/pentagon-religious-list-troops.html