Hegseth’s religious coding “streamlining” threatens Mormon status

Pentagon religious – The Pentagon’s shift from 211 religious designations to 31, framed as “streamlining,” has sparked backlash after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s approach left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints without a “Christian” label. Utah Republicans Sen. M

On the anniversary of D-Day in France, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a speech meant to be anti-Nazi—but used a metaphor that made Nazis sound like the victims of World War II, according to the account driving the backlash around his tenure.

The reaction to that speech sits beside a longer pattern that critics say Hegseth has helped define: a demand for “military promotions based on merit. ” paired with repeated blocking of promotions for people seen as more qualified. the claim being that it happens for no other reason than they are not white men.

That same critics’ ledger includes his insistence that the United States has “won the Iran war,” even though “there’s still no end in sight,” alongside calls that he wants “more time and money to wage it.”

Last week, critics said, the Pentagon added a new flashpoint. Hegseth claimed he was “simplifying” the military’s religious coding system—but what followed. in their telling. was confusion and rancor. The move, they argue, was not mainly about efficiency. It became a window into what some see as Christian nationalist priorities: efforts to marginalize non-Christian faiths. while preserving a hierarchy that leaves certain groups outside the definition of belonging.

The policy change traces to a Defense Department system that used to recognize 211 separate religious designations for service members. Those designations shape practical parts of military life, from chaplain services to what marker is placed on a tombstone.

Under the “streamlining” effort, the number was reduced to 31. Critics say the new list makes clear who gets granular options and who does not.

They point to the structure of the new categories: Christians get 21 subcategories to choose from. while Jews. Muslims. and other major religious groups are given only one option. Atheists. humanists. Wiccans. and pagans—along with other belief systems that Christian-right figures often portray as demonic—were erased entirely from the system.

One of the flashpoints that drew particular fury among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came down to how that religious group was handled within the Pentagon’s revised approach. Under the system. for all other followers of Jesus—from Quakers to Catholics—official designation as variations of “Christian” was available. But Mormons, in this account, were not.

For Mormon leaders, the frustration landed hard because it disrupted an assumption many had carried into the broader MAGA coalition: that alignment with the movement could translate into insider status within a “Christian nation.”

A parallel conflict was already in the public record. In May. at Rededicate 250. a Christian nationalist event backed by the Trump administration in Washington. D.C. organizers included token Catholics and one Jew among otherwise evangelical-led speakers—but. according to the account. no Mormons were invited.

The anger sharpened further because, in that speaker lineup culture, anti-Mormon rhetoric appears again and again. The article points to Trump ally and Southern Baptist megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, who it says has repeatedly called the Latter Day Saints a “cult.”

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. a practicing Mormon. became one of the best-known faces pushing back after Hegseth’s approach. the account says. During the weekend. Lee spent time on social media in what it describes as a social media meltdown aimed at fellow Republicans rather than his usual progressive targets.

Lee’s fellow Utah Republican and Mormon, Sen. John Curtis, also complained on X, writing that “Latter-day Saints are among the most patriotic, service-oriented individuals in our country.”

The point of the dispute. as critics frame it. is that patriotism and service do not protect believers when the underlying project is redefining who counts as fully within the national “in-group.” The argument is that Jews. atheists. Muslims. Buddhists. and other non-Christian minorities would all face the same logic—because the system’s purpose is to exclude non-Christians from full citizenship.

Hegseth’s critics say the “simplification” plan inadvertently revealed something else: how religious discrimination can expand once it begins. If policy bars non-Christians from full rights. they argue. the next step is likely to redraw borders inside Christianity itself—reclassifying large groups of Christians as outside the favored category. just so they can be marginalized later.

That fear is tied to the way evangelical leadership has pushed Christian nationalist politics, the account says. It argues white evangelicals are only about 13% of the population, meaning they need additional voters to reach power. In this telling. the movement relies on persuading many other Americans to assume they will be included in a “Christian” vision—even when that vision is shaped around demonizing atheists and religious minorities as outsiders.

Religious freedom activists, the piece says, argue that this shrinking circle is precisely what usually happens once leadership has enough leverage.

The article then points to a policy flashpoint in foreign affairs as an example of how different Christian traditions can clash in politics. It says Hegseth and evangelical allies including pastor Franklin Graham have pushed what it calls a “God of war. ” describing it as tied to a belief that “hates” non-believers. It contrasts that with Pope Leo XIV, who it says denounced war, especially unprovoked wars.

The piece also cites the religious background of Vice President JD Vance—calling him a Catholic convert—as someone who can try to paper over the conflict. But it argues that evangelicals would, in time, want Catholics pushed out once it becomes politically viable.

Right now, the account says, the defense secretary is backpedaling—but not in the way critics wanted. It says Hegseth is apparently removing the “Christian” designation from various religious groups entirely rather than allowing Mormons to call themselves Christians.

Mormon leadership, including Sen. Mike Lee, is described here as accepting that compromise and moving on—while still being left outside the “Christian” label.

For critics, that acceptance isn’t a resolution. It’s a sign that the deeper machinery remains intact: the insistence that the nation can be made “Christian” in a way that draws hard lines around theology—and turns those lines into law.

They return to the same founding principle as the closing warning. The article says the nation’s founders created religious freedom after witnessing how Europe was torn apart by wars fought between different flavors of Christianity. It suggests that. if today’s Christian-nationalist politics fully take hold. the process could spread beyond non-Christians to other Christians too—leaving those who assumed they were safe to discover the insider circle was always conditional.

The question left hanging is not whether the religious coding system can be simplified. It is what the new categories mean in practice, and who they will ultimately empower—or exclude.

Pete Hegseth Department of Defense religious coding military chaplains The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Mike Lee John Curtis Christian nationalism religious freedom Iran war United States foreign policy