{"id":2605,"date":"2026-06-08T21:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T21:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wokeantifa.org\/topics\/how-the-pentagon-picked-a-fight-with-mormons\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T21:45:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T21:45:00","slug":"how-the-pentagon-picked-a-fight-with-mormons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wokeantifa.org\/topics\/how-the-pentagon-picked-a-fight-with-mormons\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Pentagon picked a fight with Mormons"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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\n\tThe spires of the historic Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2016. | George Frey\/Getty Images\t<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Over the weekend, the Department of Defense stepped into one of the more delicate questions in American religiosity: who gets to be called \u201cChristian.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

More specifically, does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church), fit the bill?<\/p>\n\n

The brouhaha started with Secretary Pete Hegseth\u2019s plan to simplify and reform the work of military chaplains \u2014 those religious and spiritual advisers who tend to the faithful within the military\u2019s ranks. <\/p>\n\n

A Pentagon spokesperson on Friday posted a new list of categories of religious affiliation<\/a> for military service members, which had shrunken from over 200 to 31 labels. In previewing this reform, Hegseth had argued that it was part of the Trump administration\u2019s fight against secular humanism and for the role of religion in public life. By narrowing the number of religions, and excluding some prior identity groups Hegseth\u2019s Pentagon found objectionable, officials argued it would be easier to assign chaplains to units. <\/p>\n\n

“This brings the codes in line with its original purpose, giving chaplains clear, usable information so they can minister to service members in a way that aligns with that service member’s faith background and religious practice,” Hegseth said in a video statement in March.<\/p>\n\n

Gone were “atheist” and \u201cWicca\u201d from the new list \u2014 and though the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was included as a religion, it was not labeled \u201cChristian.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

That set off an explosive reaction from Mormon elected officials, including some normally aligned with the administration. To them, the government seemed to be saying that Mormons are not Christians \u2014 a highly offensive statement for LDS Church members, who see Jesus Christ as the center of their faith.<\/p>\n\n

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It does seem that the LDS are being unfairly singled out here. If the essential criterion for Christianity is Trinitarian theology, why do the Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses, Christian Scientists, Oneness Pentecostals, and even Quakers (in some instances) get a pass here? https:\/\/t.co\/3NKPBsDFaw<\/a><\/p>— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) June 7, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cI can say confidently that the U.S. government has no business recognizing the Christianity of literally every other religious sect that worships Jesus Christ \u2014 with one exception,\u201d Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) posted<\/a> on X, one of many complaints he raised over multiple days.<\/p>\n\n

On Monday, the Pentagon said the move was unintentional<\/a> \u2014 and amended the original document that blew open this controversy. \u201cThe Pentagon\u2019s job is not to adjudicate theological debates, but instead to ensure sincerely-held faith is respected and encouraged in our ranks,\u201d an official statement read. Lee said he was \u201cthrilled\u201d<\/a> with Trump\u2019s response after he discussed the issue with the president in a phone call. <\/p>\n\n

But the fiery response spoke both to the LDS church\u2019s long battle for acceptance in America\u2019s faith community, and to deeper tensions within the religious right in President Donald Trump\u2019s second term. Even as the administration tries to privilege Christianity in America<\/a>, its coalition is suspicious about which kind is taking the lead.<\/p>\n\n

A history of exclusion<\/h2>\n\n

Mormons have often<\/a> faced a hostile<\/a> reception<\/a> in mainstream religious life since their church\u2019s founding in the 19th century, a wound that the Pentagon decision reopened. <\/p>\n\n

Despite a tense history between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and both the American state and other religious groups, there\u2019s been a kind of detente in the 21st century.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Mitt Romney\u2019s 2012 presidential campaign was widely seen as a watershed moment for Mormonism\u2019s mainstream acceptance, especially within the Republican Party\u2019s conservative Christian electorate, even as his faith was a sensitive topic at points<\/a> during the race.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like those theological concerns about Mormonism disappeared in 2012, but by the time we got to 2012, the issue wasn’t Romney’s Mormonism anymore,\u201d David Campbell, a professor of American politics and religion at the University of Notre Dame, told me. \u201cAnd so a lot of members of the LDS church thought, well, this issue’s over now<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

As Campbell noted, however, there were still major doctrinal differences between LDS and major branches of Christianity. For example, LDS theology does not accept the Trinity \u2014 the idea that God is both one being and manifested in three essences (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). Roughly, LDS believers view Jesus Christ as the Son of God and a distinct entity to God the Father, who has a separate physical body.<\/p>\n\n

More simply, the LDS Church rejects the Nicene Creed \u2014 the statements of faith that have united most Catholic, Orthodox, and mainline Protestant churches for more than a thousand years as well as the Apostles Creed (which most western Christians accept). For these reasons, many <\/strong>Catholics and Protestants would not call Mormons Christians<\/a>, even if they believe in a God and follow Jesus Christ. <\/p>\n\n

The Pentagon dust-up brought these divides rushing back to the front of mind. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWhen Mormons have come into the public square and have sought to build bridges politically, that has been acceptable,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cBut when that theological question comes up, maybe some have been won over, but not very many. And this is just yet another reminder of that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

One example of this submerged tension came up during Romney\u2019s 2012 run, when a prominent Texas evangelical pastor, Robert Jeffress, called Mormonism a \u201ccult\u201d<\/a> and argued Romney \u201cis not a Christian.\u201d But Jeffress also endorsed Romney<\/a> in the general election, citing their shared values apart from theology \u2014 and he is now a prominent Trump supporter. <\/p>\n\n

Some LDS voices on the left argued that Mormon Republicans had been too naive in thinking that a White House that elevated figures like Hegseth, an evangelical who has pushed boundaries with his Christian rhetoric in public duties<\/a>, would protect religious freedom rather than elevate political allies. Some linked the Pentagon list to the administration\u2019s embrace of \u201cChristian nationalist\u201d evangelical leaders<\/a> who have called for tearing down walls between church and state. <\/p>\n\n

“For us on the left, it’s like, yeah, of course the Trump administration doesn’t believe in our version of Christianity,” Eric Biggart, chair of the LDS Dems Caucus, told ABC4<\/a>, a Salt Lake City news station. “That’s been clear to us for 10 years now.”<\/p>\n\n

Republican lawmakers who protested the Pentagon\u2019s decision did not make this argument themselves and appeared to accept the official explanation on Monday. But it\u2019s also noticeable that they did not give Hegseth the benefit of the doubt when the story first emerged \u2014 the response to the Pentagon\u2019s list was immediate and public, rather than delivered quietly behind the scenes. Loyal Republican politicians like Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis immediately criticized the decision and spent the weekend debating theology, engaging other Christians, and calling out the Department of Defense.<\/p>\n\n

This episode is probably not going to be a turning point, Campbell told me, but it is another crack in the religious right\u2019s coalition. Many LDS members already view Trump and MAGA with suspicion in comparison to other conservative religious communities, although he\u2019s made inroads<\/a> with LDS voters since his first election. To some, the episode was a sign that members of the faith should be suspicious about tying their religion to a political coalition. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cI say this with love to my fellow Latter-day Saints: the sooner you give up trying to convince the religious right to validate your faith, the sooner you’ll know peace,\u201d McKay Coppins, an LDS journalist who has written extensively about the church, posted<\/a> on X. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cAre we real Christians? Only one opinion matters \u2014 and it’s not Pete Hegseth\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
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Source link www.vox.com<\/a>\r\n
The Pentagon recently sparked controversy by categorizing religions for military chaplains, notably excluding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) from the “Christian” label, igniting backlash from Mormon officials and legislators. Secretary Pete Hegseth aimed to simplify the religious affiliation list, yet this decision reawakened longstanding tensions regarding the LDS Church\u2019s place in Christian discourse. Despite efforts toward acceptance in mainstream politics, many LDS individuals feel marginalized due to doctrinal differences like the rejection of the Trinity. This incident reflects the intricate dynamics within the religious right and the challenges Mormons face in gaining broader recognition.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The spires of the historic Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2016. | George Frey\/Getty Images Over the weekend, the Department of Defense stepped into one of the more delicate questions in American religiosity: who gets to be called \u201cChristian.\u201d  More specifically, does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church), fit…","protected":false},"author":167,"featured_media":2606,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_analytify_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1057,200,521],"class_list":["post-2605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-life","tag-politics","tag-religion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wokeantifa.org\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wokeantifa.org\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wokeantifa.org\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wokeantifa.org\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/167"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wokeantifa.org\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wokeantifa.org\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wokeantifa.org\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wokeantifa.org\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wokeantifa.org\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wokeantifa.org\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}