“Latter-day Saints are among the most patriotic, service-oriented individuals in our country,” Curtis wrote in a post on social media. “They are also unequivocally Christian—just look at who is in the name of the Church.”Curtis called the classification “unacceptable,” arguing that a government agency should not define a faith tradition in a way that contradicts its own beliefs and teachings. He said he is working with department officials to ensure the issue is corrected.
Lee also weighed in on the controversy, posting an image of the church’s logo on social media.
“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,” Lee wrote.
The dispute follows the Pentagon’s decision to significantly reduce the number of recognized religious affiliation codes used across the military. The revised list contains 31 faith categories, down from roughly 211 religious affiliation codes established during a major expansion in 2017.
Department officials have emphasized that the change is administrative rather than theological.
