Department Of War Updates Religious Designations List After Drawing Anger From Mormons
The Daily Caller
Last updated: June 9, 2026
The Department of War updated its religious designations list for military service members after facing criticism for not recognizing Mormons as a Christian denomination. This revision aimed to simplify faith codes and respect sincerely held beliefs within the ranks.
- The Department of War reduced its list of recognized faiths from 211 to 31, using simplified codes for each denomination. Notably, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was initially not categorized as a Christian denomination, drawing strong criticism from Utah politicians like Senator Mike Lee, who called the exclusion offensive and an inappropriate government intervention in theological disputes.
- In response, the department issued an updated list that removed "Christian" as a general identifier. New simplified codes were introduced, such as "CJ" for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and "CA" for Catholic, alongside codes for other religions like Buddhism ("BU") and agnosticism ("AN").
- The Pentagon stated its goal is to clarify the work of chaplains and commanders by simplifying the list, emphasizing that its role is not to resolve theological debates but to ensure religious beliefs are respected. Previously excluded categories like Atheists and Druids were also not reinstated.
