Pentagon Reclassifies Over 20 Christian Groups, Including Catholics, in Chaplain Faith Categories

The Defense Department revised its list of religious affiliations for service members this week, removing the Christian designation from more than twenty groups including Catholic, Lutheran and Pentecostal. The move came after objections from Latter-day Saints lawmakers who noted that their church had been left off the Christian category in an earlier version of the list.

The Pentagon had been working to reduce a roster of more than 200 religious affiliations that troops could select.

It deleted categories such as atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans. The department stated that the new structure is intended to help chaplains organize resources efficiently rather than to judge the legitimacy of any faith. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has nearly 18 million members worldwide, identifies itself as Christian and states that Jesus Christ is central to its doctrine.

Its website describes the church as a restoration of the original Church of Jesus Christ rather than Catholic or Protestant. Scholars note longstanding theological differences, including views on the nature of God and the Trinity, that have led some other Christian denominations to classify the church separately.

"They believe that while the three have a relationship, they are distinct beings," said Matthew Bowman, chair of Mormon studies at Claremont Graduate University.

The Catholic Church has maintained that Latter-day Saint baptismal rites differ sufficiently from Catholic and mainline Christian practice that they are not regarded as Christian baptisms. Latter-day Saints lawmakers said their faith is inextricably tied to their Christian identity and that government characterizations should align with how the religion defines itself.

The Pentagon has not indicated further changes to the list.