Pete Hegseth makes screeching U-turn on Pentagon religious codes after Mormon outrage

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 18:54, 8 June 2026 | Updated: 18:58, 8 June 2026 Pete Hegseth's Department of War (DOW) has issued a new listing of religious codes after facing a furious backlash over its classification of Mormons as not being Christians. The DOW on Monday admitted the 'mistake' after Mormon lawmakers, including some of Donald Trump's most ardent supporters, slammed the decision as 'offensive' and 'repugnant.' 'Last week, a proposed list of simplified faith codes was released to the media. The Pentagon list included redundant and unnecessary labeling, and the mistake has been fixed,' the DOW posted on X. The Pentagon announced Friday that it had recategorized a list of known religious faiths, whittling the number of affiliations down from over 200 to just 31, excluding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Christian denominations.  The previous list had categorized Christian groups in the format 'Christian - Baptist,' 'Christian - Catholic,' and so on, but the label 'Christian' did not precede the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The new list issued by the Pentagon notably does not apply the label 'Christian' to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but by way of an apparent compromise, it removes the prefix from all denominations.  Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who said that he discussed the matter with Trump, welcomed the news, writing on X: 'I agree with this statement, and am grateful to [Pete Hegseth] for correcting the error.' He quoted the Pentagon's statement in his post, writing: 'The Pentagon’s job is not to adjudicate theological debates, but instead to ensure sincerely-held faith is respected and encouraged in our ranks.'  Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Jennifer Rauchet attend as Mentalist Oz Pearlman hosts The White House Correspondents Dinner at Washington Hilton on April 25, 2026 in Washington, DC The Mormon Temple, the centerpiece of Temple Square in Salt Lake City Lee, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, earlier on Monday said he had spoken to Trump and suggested that the President was prepared to intervene on the controversy. At the time, he blasted the change as 'offensive' and called it repugnant to any sense of decency.' He said that Hegseth, an evangelical Christian, and the government should not 'weigh in on doctrinal disputes between various religious denominations.' The Senator said of his conversation with Trump: 'I won’t speak for him, but I’m thrilled about where this is heading... We’re most fortunate that President Trump (1) loves Latter-day Saints, and (2) is our commander in chief.'  Former Utah Congressman and current Fox News commentator Jason Chaffetz was also among the prominent Republicans who criticized the Department of War (DOW). 'DOW needs to correct the record. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints truly are Christians,' Chaffetz posted on X on Sunday evening.  'I happen to be a member, and first and foremost, I believe in Jesus Christ. We are Christians,' the former Congressman added.  Senator Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, quoted Lee's post, adding: 'I don't know why but I am with you. This needs be fixed ASAP.' Lee's Utah colleagues also demonstrated their displeasure at the Pentagon's announcement. Senator Mike Lee speaks with members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus during a news conference on Capitol Hill in September of 2023, in Washington, DC A list of the new religious designations shared by the Department of War's Rapid Response account Senator Mike Lee on X, shared a list of the new faith categorizations from the Pentagon Fellow GOP Senator John Curtis, who is also a Mormon, wrote on X: 'Latter-day Saints are among the most patriotic, service-oriented individuals in our country. They are also unequivocally Christian—just look at who is in the name of the Church.' 'It is unacceptable for a government entity to characterize a faith in a manner that contradicts the religion's own foundational tenets. I am working now to ensure a correction is made,' Curtis added.  Republican Congressman Mike Kennedy, also of Utah, wrote on X, 'I'm a Latter-day Saint, and I am a Christian. Christ's name is on our Church for a reason. This must be corrected.' The military is religiously diverse, and nearly 70 percent of troops identify as Christian, according to a 2019 congressional report. Almost a quarter of troops were listed as other, unclassified or unknown. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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