(Screengrab via X)
A MAGA Republican senator publicly blasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a Pentagon policy overhaul left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints off a list of Christian faith groups used by the U.S. military.
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), an ally of President Donald Trump and a practicing Mormon, demanded an explanation from the Defense Department over the change in multiple posts to X on Sunday.
In a video posted to the platform he said: “I find this offensive, not just because that happens to be my faith, not just because it happens to the faith of tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel, but it’s also just repugnant to any sense of decency, any sense of our common heritage and our common belief that the government needs to not weigh in on doctrinal disputes between various religious denominations.”
He added: “I’m imploring people at the Pentagon to reconsider this, not just reconsider it but undo it. Secretary Hegseth, tear down that wall. This is not cool. Get rid of it. Get rid of it now!”
As of two days ago, the Pentagon recognizes every Christian faith in America as Christian
Except one
That’s not okay, and it needs to change—now
Pass it on if you agree pic.twitter.com/QyQSYGot8d
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 8, 2026
Lee’s criticism came as fellow Utah Republican Senator John Curtis also condemned the move, calling it “unacceptable” and pressing the Pentagon to reverse course.
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… https://t.co/ywqk59ZtRz
— Senator John Curtis (@SenJohnCurtis) June 6, 2026
The dispute stems from a broader Defense Department effort to streamline the way service members’ religious affiliations are categorized. The overhaul reduced the number of religious affiliation codes from more than 200 to just 31, folding many faith traditions and belief systems into broader classifications.
The changes affected a range of groups, including atheists, humanists, pagans, and Unitarians. But the omission of the LDS Church from Christian designations sparked particular backlash in Utah, where the church is headquartered.
The Pentagon has defended the restructuring as an administrative measure rather than a judgment on religious identity.
The Office of the Secretary of War is announcing a significant change to the Department’s categorization of religious affiliation. In a long overdue move, we reduced the list from over 200 unmanageable categories to 31. With this move, we are returning to the original intent of… https://t.co/dgHX5ytzjJ pic.twitter.com/eho537O08J
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) June 5, 2026
“With this move, we are returning to the original intent of collecting this data – to allow our chaplains and religious support personnel to provide the best spiritual care to our warfighters,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
He added that the changes are “not designed to make any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religious belief” and are intended solely to help chaplains allocate resources across the force.
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