Pentagon updates religious codes after criticism from Mormons

Politics Pentagon updates religious codes after criticism from Mormons By Eleanor Watson Eleanor Watson CBS News Reporter Eleanor Watson is a CBS News multi-platform reporter and producer covering the Pentagon. Read Full Bio Eleanor Watson June 8, 2026 / 3:26 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The Pentagon on Monday updated its religious affiliation codes after members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints criticized the list because it did not describe LDS as a "Christian" faith. On Friday, the Pentagon cut the number of religious affiliation codes from over 200 to 31 to help military chaplains streamline religious support services. The 31 codes included the Church of Latter-day Saints – but not as one of the 21 religions described as "Christian," which angered members of the LDS community, including Republican Sens. John Curtis and Mike Lee of Utah.  "It is unacceptable for a government entity to characterize a faith in a manner that contradicts the religion's own foundational tenets," Curtis wrote on X on Saturday. The Pentagon released a new list Monday afternoon that removed the "Christian" descriptor from other religions and provided just the code and the name of the religious faiths.In a statement, the Pentagon said the list from Friday, which was posted on X to the public by chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, included "redundant and unnecessary labeling, and the mistake has been fixed.""In order to clarify the work of chaplains, and simplify the work of commanders, the Pentagon has consolidated and simplified the list to roughly thirty codes – using the previously used labels for faiths," the Monday statement said. "The Pentagon's job is not to adjudicate theological debates, but to ensure sincerely-held faith is respected and encouraged in our ranks." In response to the statement, Lee posted on X, "I agree with this statement, and am grateful to [Secretary] Hegseth for correcting the error." ...