# Hegseth's Pentagon is drastically reducing the number of religions recognized by the military **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 5, 2026, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649 "2026-06-05T19:42:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/141 "2026-06-09T08:09:53Z")
And why isn’t _The One and Only True Religion_ listed? I woudln’t put it past them. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/142 "2026-06-09T09:32:05Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > And why isn’t _The One and Only True Religion_ listed? There’s at least a couple dozen of those on the list. Take your pick. I think they should add Pastafarianism… ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/143 "2026-06-09T09:41:36Z")
Should just be Agnostic, Baha’i, Buddhism (why not Buddhist?), Christian, Hindu, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/144 "2026-06-09T12:15:54Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > > [@Monty](#): > > > > And why isn’t _The One and Only True Religion_ listed? > > There’s at least a couple dozen of those on the list. Take your pick. > > I think they should add Pastafarianism… Hah! But _The One and Only True Religion_ is, no doubt, whatever it is Hegseth pretends he is following. Or it could be _Adoratio aurantii_. That’s the one he really follows. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/145 "2026-06-09T19:24:25Z")
The lunkheads at Fort Fumble thought better of it: > **[Pentagon updates list of recognized religious affiliations after backlash...](https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/08/politics/pentagon-religious-affiliations)** > > The Pentagon has updated its list of verified religious affiliations for service members used in personnel systems and removed the “Christian” designation from several faiths after facing backlash over the weekend that the Church of Jesus Christ of... ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/146 "2026-06-09T19:28:04Z")
Is that the revised list mentioned above, or a brand new one? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/147 "2026-06-09T19:28:36Z")
As I said, all that’s changed is they stopped calling some groups “Christian” while not calling the LDS Church that. In my mind, the bigger issue is that they are still ignoring the various sects in other religions and other religions entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/148 "2026-06-10T04:59:21Z")
Like an ice cream shop with 28 varieties of Vanilla and just one kind of Chocolate, Strawberry, and Sherbet. Pistachio is right out. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/149 "2026-06-10T17:35:14Z")
Well put. As an agnostic (I don’t _know_ Russell’s teapot is in orbit) I wouldn’t care even if I was still in the navy, but it is important to others and, like trans- or homosexuals there is no good reason those important views cannot be accommodated. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/150 "2026-06-10T17:54:19Z")
When the government takes action with regards to religion, that’s something that should be minded carefully. When the government takes action with regards to religion with the intent to favor one and/or limit another, that’s unamerican. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/151 "2026-06-11T18:32:10Z")
I’m somewhat flummoxed at finding Jehovah’s Witnesses on this list. They are famously pacifist, and used to happily go to prison rather than serve in the military during the active draft years. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/152 "2026-06-11T19:10:26Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Or it could be _Adoratio aurantii_. That’s the one he really follows. That made me snigger when I ran it through Google Translate. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/153 "2026-06-11T19:23:56Z")
Ah yes, the almighty dollar. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/154 "2026-06-12T06:24:24Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > > [@Monty](#): > > > > Or it could be _Adoratio aurantii_. That’s the one he really follows. > > That made me snigger when I ran it through Google Translate. Thanks! You’re quite welcome! And this is a fun read: [What the Pentagon’s Snub of Mormons Was Really All About](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/pentagon-snub-mormons-really-140000828.html) > [@](#): > > Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), an ardent Trump loyalist, recently got a taste of what it’s like to be a disfavored religion in the Christian nationalist world of MAGA. He was triggered by the news, [broken](https://www.military.com/dod-officially-drops-180-faiths-from-militarys-recognized-religion-list) by the defense news site [Military.com](http://Military.com), that the Pentagon had eliminated 180 recognized religious faiths in order to “streamline the DoW [sic] collection of religious preferences collection [sic] for service members to enhance the delivery of targeted religious support from the Chaplaincy.” The Pentagon’s new list of what it calls Religious Affiliation Codes classified a number of religions, like Methodists and Baptists, as Christian. But Lee’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was not listed among the “Christian” faiths. He [demanded](https://x.com/BasedMikeLee/status/2063272322799210514) — on X, of course, because United States Senators have no other means of either commanding attention or acquiring information — “why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was left out of the list of Christian churches.” > > Lee and other LDS lawmakers [spent](https://www.ksl.com/article/51507816/lee-curtis-defend-church-of-jesus-christ-as-christian-after-new-pentagon-classification) several days futilely seeking answers to that question. By midday Monday, Lee had lodged his complaint with management — that is, he called President Donald Trump, who “loves Latter-day Saints,” Lee [assured](https://x.com/BasedMikeLee/status/2063841898838552928) his followers on X. The Pentagon then [released a new list](https://x.com/DOWResponse/status/2064015222621221315?s=20), which did not classify _any_ religion as Christian. Was it a win? A win would have been for the LDS Church to have been included among the Christian faiths. Convincing the public that, yes, a religion that has the words _Church of Jesus Christ_ in its name was actually Christian had been at the top of the senator’s [to-do list](https://x.com/BasedMikeLee/status/2063300631629074751?s=20) this weekend. That the Pentagon chose to excise the Christian label entirely rather than apply it to Lee’s church was quite telling. But Lee declared victory anyway, [writing](https://x.com/BasedMikeLee/status/2064019315171418221) on X that he was “grateful” to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for “correcting the error.” > > It’s hard to imagine why such a new classification system was even necessary, other than being another step in Hegseth’s march to his personal brand of Christian supremacy. The rest of the article is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/155 "2026-06-12T18:42:14Z")
The horrors of Christian Theocracy were much more recent 250 years ago. The Salem witch trials had been less than a century earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/156 "2026-06-12T19:08:55Z")
BTW, I wondered about the 2017 list that was cut down and found [this PDF document](https://americanhumanist.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Faith-and-Belief-Codes-for-Reporting-Personnel-Data-of-Service-Members.pdf) that seems to list them. Mostly it just lists many more Christian churches. Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Baha’i, etc. are undifferentiated ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/157 "2026-06-12T19:12:12Z")
Reduce it to two: 1. Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879 2. Heretics ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/158 "2026-06-12T19:23:51Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > BTW, I wondered about the 2017 list that was cut down and found [this PDF document](https://americanhumanist.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Faith-and-Belief-Codes-for-Reporting-Personnel-Data-of-Service-Members.pdf) that seems to list them. Mostly it just lists many more Christian churches. Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Baha’i, etc. are undifferentiated Sorry; looking further, Conservative Judaism, Orthodox Judaism and Reformed Judaism are listed separately. But this 2017 list also doesn’t explicitly call some churches Christian while not calling the LDS one that, so I can understand why Sen Mike Lee was unhappy. And, BTW, heathen was an option. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/159 "2026-06-12T19:31:23Z")
I know others here said that Judaism is some kind of smooth spectrum, but certainly the work hours, hair, and diet accommodation differences between Orthodox and Reform Judaism are more different than between Lutheran and Methodist. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649/160 "2026-06-12T19:35:31Z")
Are they more different that Mennonite and Evangelical? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hegseths-pentagon-is-drastically-reducing-the-number-of-religions-recognized-by-the-military/1030649.md?page=9)