{"id":1101,"date":"2026-06-06T18:05:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T18:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1101"},"modified":"2026-06-06T18:05:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T18:05:52","slug":"sens-lee-and-curtis-question-new-pentagon-designation-for-latter-day-saints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1101","title":{"rendered":"Sens. Lee and Curtis question new Pentagon designation for Latter-day Saints"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Utah\u2019s two U.S. senators are questioning a new Pentagon policy that leaves \u201cChristian\u201d off the designation for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.<\/p>\n

Read more Letter to the editor: Remembering Karen Huntsman<\/a><\/p>\n

The Department of War recently announced the reduction in the number of religious affiliation categories for service members from over 200 down to 31. Categories that were removed from the list include \u201catheist\u201d and \u201chumanist,\u201d and \u201cWicca.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is included as a religious category on the updated list. But the faith was not included in the list of faiths labeled \u201cChristian.\u201d <\/p>\n

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, put up a screenshot of the list on X and asked \u201cCan anyone tell me why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was left out of the list of Christian churches?\u201d <\/p>\n

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Can anyone tell me why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was left out of the list of Christian churches? pic.twitter.com\/t4u6PI29ON<\/p>\n

\u2014 Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 6, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, called the characterization \u201cunacceptable.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cLatter-day Saints are among the most patriotic, service-oriented individuals in our country. They are also unequivocally Christian \u2014 just look at who is in the name of the Church,\u201d he said in a statement. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is unacceptable for a government entity to characterize a faith in a manner that contradicts the religion\u2019s own foundational tenets. I am working now to ensure a correction is made.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Latter-day Saints are among the most patriotic, service-oriented individuals in our country. They are also unequivocally Christian\u2014just look at who is in the name of the Church.<\/p>\n

It is unacceptable for a government entity to characterize a faith in a manner that contradicts the\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/ywqk59ZtRz<\/p>\n

\u2014 Senator John Curtis (@SenJohnCurtis) June 6, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

On the Church of Jesus Christ\u2019s website, under \u201cfrequently asked questions,\u201d the church says it is Christian. <\/p>\n

Read more Utah, feds expand fire restrictions as extreme drought continues to grip state<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian church but is neither Catholic nor Protestant,\u201d the website says. \u201cRather, it is a restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ as originally established by the Savior in the New Testament of the Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The entry continues, \u201cLatter-day Saints believe God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save all mankind from death and their individual sins. Jesus Christ is central to the lives of Church members. They seek to follow His example by being baptized (see Matthew 3:13-17), praying in His holy name (see Matthew 6:9-13), partaking of the sacrament (see Luke 22:19-20), doing good to others (see Acts 10:38) and bearing witness of Him through both word and deed (see James 2:26). The only way to salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why did the Pentagon reduce the number of religious categories? <\/h3>\n

When asked for comment, a Pentagon spokesperson referred the Deseret News to a statement made by chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, who explained the reason behind the policy change but did not refer specifically to concerns raised by Utah\u2019s senators. <\/p>\n

Parnell said the reduction in the number of religious categories was made in order to \u201cto allow our chaplains and religious support personnel to provide the best spiritual care to our warfighters.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said it was not meant to \u201cmake any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religious belief,\u201d or provide an \u201cofficially approve\u201d list of religions, but is meant to simplify the work of chaplains who serve in the armed forces. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Department of War places a high value on the First Amendment and the free exercise of religion,\u201d Parnell said. \u201cChaplains play an instrumental role in providing spiritual care and facilitating the Warfighters\u2019 ability to freely exercise their religion of choice, or no religion at all. With this new change, we believe we can provide the best data to support our chaplains in that effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Office of the Secretary of War is announcing a significant change to the Department\u2019s categorization of religious affiliation. In a long overdue move, we reduced the list from over 200 unmanageable categories to 31. With this move, we are returning to the original intent of\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/dgHX5ytzjJ pic.twitter.com\/eho537O08J<\/p>\n

Read more Deseret News archives: How did Utah Beach figure in the D-Day invasion?<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) June 5, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis questioned why the term “Christian” was left off of the designation for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes referred to as “Mormon.” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith"],"yoast_head":"\nSens. Lee and Curtis question new Pentagon designation for Latter-day Saints - American Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1101\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sens. 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