Published Jun 8, 2026, 1:06 PM EDT
Military.com broke the story of how the department dramatically reduced its religion and belief list by 180.
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Published Jun 8, 2026, 1:06 PM EDT
Utah lawmakers are among those expressing discontent with the Department of Defense's new list of recognized religious faiths and beliefs, specifically alarmed at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) being excluded as a Christian religion. Last Thursday, Military.com was the first to report how the DOD drastically reduced its number of recognized religious faiths and belief systems by 180—from the 211 recognized in 2017, to this change nearly 10 years later that recognizes 31 faiths and beliefs. The change, communicated through the ranks via an internal May 20 memo obtained by Military.com, drew scrutiny from current and former chaplains and United States military veterans from different faith-based backgrounds who described it as the current administration's continued efforts to push Christian theocracy across the armed services. The change, now officially acknowledged by the DOD after Military.com's initial reporting, has ruffled the feathers of LDS followers—who include Republican lawmakers at state and federal levels—openly criticizing the new list. Among them are Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who on Sunday took to social media calling for the Pentagon to "not just reconsider it, but undo it." “Secretary Hegseth—tear down that wall! This is not cool! Get rid of it, get rid of it now!” Lee said on X. “It’s just repugnant to any sense of decency, any sense of our common heritage and our common belief that the government needs to not weigh in on doctrinal disputes between various religious denominations,” Lee added in his video recorded rebuke of the policy. Military.com reached out for comment to Lee's office and the LDS Church.
