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Posted on 06/09/2026 6:42:10 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The Pentagon revised a religious classification list after pushback from Utah lawmakers, but questions remain about why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was left off the list of Christian religions in the first place.
BYU religious historian Joseph Stuart said the answer lies in a debate that has been going on for nearly 200 years.
After Sen. Mike Lee shared a post online asking if anyone could explain why the Pentagon removed the LDS faith from its list of Christian religions, Stuart said, “The discussion that I would have hoped to have had is to say, ‘You and I are both Christians. We love our Savior Jesus Christ. But that does not mean that people from other Christian groups define us that way.’”
To Stuart, a historian of American religion at Brigham Young University, the Pentagon's initial change to its religious affiliation list does not come out of nowhere.
“Definitions of whether Latter-day Saints are Christians have been going on for a very long time,” he said.
Stuart, who does not speak for BYU or the church, said the debate dates back to the church's early history. While Latter-day Saints consider themselves Christian, many other Christian denominations have historically viewed the faith as separate, citing differences over church authority, scripture and other beliefs that he says fuel that divide.
When 2News asked what the debate really comes down to, Stuart said, “Christianity is often defined by whether or not a group follows a basic creed, like the Nicene Creed, which was developed approximately 1,500 years ago. It's also being readily identifiable as either someone who is descended from the Roman Catholic Church or someone who has followed Martin Luther's movement starting in the 16th century.”
Stuart said the disagreement is not really about whether Latter-day Saints believe in Jesus Christ. Instead, it often comes down to who has the power to define what falls under the Christian umbrella.
He points to other moments in American history, including Mitt Romney's presidential run, when questions about the church's place in Christianity moved into the political spotlight.
When 2News asked what the debate says about religion in America today, Stuart said, “I think what this debate tells us is that who is a Christian is still a very political topic. Whether one is accepted for their votes or for their theology, or for both, has a lot to do with the different goals that political actors have, for good or for bad.”
Jack, a longtime U.S. veteran who was raised in the LDS faith, also weighed in on the discussion.
“Chaplains are every bit as valuable as a medic to a soldier or Marine,” he said.
When 2News asked whether he still practices the LDS faith, Jack replied, “I'm a Christian.”
As someone who has utilized the military's chaplain services, Jack questioned why the classifications needed to be narrowed.
“If they want to narrow it down, you're going to have either Christian, Islam, Hindu or Jewish, and that's pretty much 99% of all the religions out there. Why narrow it down to certain ones?”
When 2News asked who should decide whether a faith is Christian, Jack said, “Not the government.”
The Pentagon has since changed its list, removing the broader Christian category and listing denominations individually, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Stuart, who is a member of the faith, called the move a step in the right direction.
2News reached out to the church for comment on the Pentagon's revision, but did not receive a response.
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And the church not practicing church discipline has allowed this to happen. If Jesus isn’t God, then it’s a wash: you might as well invite the Islam in as equals.
Oh....wait.....
The Pentagon is targeting Muslims with this list, they are targeting Christians.
Mormons claim that God was once a man, and that a man may become a god.
At one time, the Mormons claimed that it was the only true church.
The is nothing in Mormon theology that admits that Jesus is part of the Triune God; and, claim that the Book of Mormon is the only true and accurate scripture even though it has been changed over 4,000 times.
Mormons believe in God, but their conception differs from traditional Christianity. They worship a Godhead of three distinct, separate beings—God the Father (Elohim), Jesus Christ (Jehovah), and the Holy Ghost—who are united in purpose.
They believe God the Father and Jesus Christ have perfect, glorified bodies of flesh and bone, while the Holy Ghost is a spirit. They believe God is the literal Father of human spirits and that humans can grow to become like Him.
Distinct from Trinity: They do not subscribe to the traditional Nicene Creed, which views the Trinity as one substance; instead, they see them as three separate, unified beings.
They pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ.
Also, the Bible is one of their holy books that they can use while seeing it as useful but not totally accurate, their true holy book for their non-Christian religion is the Book of Mormon.
Anyone with any understanding of LDS theology understands what the issue is. They provide for many gods, and have a non-Trinitarian view of God. As they say themselves on that subject “Yet, Church teachings about the Godhead differ from those of traditional Christianity.” https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/the-godhead
...their true holy book for their non-Christian religion is the Book of Mormon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Actually they have 4 key books. The Book of Mormon is their story book, there is very little doctrine in it. “Doctrine and Covenants” and “The Pearl of Great Price” is where you find Mormon doctrine. They throw the Bible into the mix so they can claim to be Christian.
They would be wiser to be concerned about Muslims - in that every one in our military is a potential time bomb. There’s been several instances of them going off but lives will continue to be lost until “political correctness” is replaced with sensible policy.
You wouldn’t purposely invite homicidal maniacs to join your family.
Which church? Which church discipline.
I can't speak for the various denominations. I'm not a part of them. I can speak for the Catholic Church: We do not recognize mormonism as Christian; we view their baptism as invalid, on the grounds that they do not acknowledge three Persons in one God.
Pretty much all churches. There are very few that actually practice church discipline. LDS and JWs should have been marked a long time ago by a synod.
Distinct from Trinity: They do not subscribe to the traditional Nicene Creed, which views the Trinity as one substance; instead, they see them as three separate, unified beings.
—
They do not understand that the Trinity and the deity of Christ cannot be understood rationally. It’s a great mystery. For now we see through a glass darkly, then we will see him face to face. And we will receive a crown of righteousness, all who long for his appearing. See I Cor. 13:12, II Tim 4:7,8
there are good Catholics and Mormons and jews and even Muslims but that doesn't make their religions necessarily good.
Key term: Triune God
Everyone is a heretic, except for Lutherans.
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