Pentagon Reduces Religious Affiliation Codes from Over 200 to 31
The Pentagon cut its list of religious affiliation codes to 31 on Friday to simplify chaplain services. The change followed criticism from members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that the LDS entry was not grouped with Christian faiths.
abcnews.go.comThe Pentagon reduced its religious affiliation codes from more than 200 to 31 on Friday. The update followed criticism from members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who said the LDS entry was not listed among the 21 Christian faiths on the new roster.
Background on the Change Republican Sens.
John Curtis and Mike Lee of Utah objected to the classification. Curtis wrote on X on Saturday that it is unacceptable for a government entity to characterize a faith in a manner that contradicts the religion's own foundational tenets. The Monday statement said the consolidation was intended to clarify the work of chaplains and simplify the work of commanders.
The list includes Presbyterian, Quaker, Church of Christ, Christian (Non-Denominational), Catholic, Episcopal, Islam, Hindu, Sikh, and Judaism. The nonprofit civil rights organization FAIR, which supports the LDS Church, stated that the church believes in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
The list is part of an effort to overhaul the Military Chaplain Corps that was announced in December. The U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains Major Gen. William Green Jr. was fired from his position in April. The initial announcement to trim the codes occurred in March after an internal review committee determined the roughly 30 codes were the most used by service members.
