The Department of War has updated its faith codes after excluding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the list of Christian churches and causing a bitter theological debate on social media.
Members of the LDS church, colloquially known as Mormons, were angered that their church, while on the list, was not included among the Christian denominations.
‘The Pentagon’s job is not to adjudicate theological debates.’
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah heavily criticized the list.
I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” he wrote Saturday. “My church membership is inextricably intertwined with my Christianity, as it is for 17 million other Latter-day Saints. Regardless of what the Pentagon thinks.”
Others argued that the theological positions of the LDS church separated it from traditionally defined Christianity.
“In strictly theological terms, Catholics do not consider Mormons (Latter-day Saints) as Christians,” explained Father Ronald Vierling, a priest who listed rejection of the Trinity as one of the differences.
Lee later indicated on Sunday that he has spoken to President Donald Trump about the issue.
“I won’t speak for him, but I’m thrilled about where this is heading,” the senator wrote.
On Monday, the Department of War updated the list and said the omission had been a mistake.
“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,” reads the statement from the agency posted on social media.
The agency went on to explain that it was trying to simplify the coding system, which had ballooned to over 200 codes.
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“The Pentagon’s job is not to adjudicate theological debates, but instead to ensure sincerely-held faith is respected and encouraged in our ranks,” the agency added.
Lee thanked War Secretary Pete Hegseth for the change in the policy.
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