Defense Department cut roughly 180 religion codes from previous list, with mostly Christian denominations remaining

Mormon leaders, military veterans and elected officials reacted with anger to a new Department of Defense policy that does not consider The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be a Christian religion as part of a wider effort to cut down the U.S. military’s list of recognized faiths.

“The Pentagon’s decision to list The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints apart from other Christian faiths is wrong and needs to be corrected,” Republican Rep. Mike Kennedy, of heavily Mormon Utah, wrote on X on Sunday.

    • Zetta@mander.xyz
      31·
      14 hours ago

      One just has golden plates and the other doesn’t. Pretty much the same thing.

      • Leviathan@lemmy.world
        7·
        14 hours ago

        It really isn’t. The amount of control they exercise over their congregants and money they require to stay in good standing is astronomical compared to lost other christian denominations. Their propaganda, investment and political arms make them the biggest existential threat to North American democracy and culture as a centralized religious organization.

        Not to mention the basis of the faith is that Jesus came to America and your skin color determines if your ancestors were sinners. That’s cuckoo bananas even by christian standards.

        • ReluctantMuskrat@lemmy.world
          1·
          7 hours ago

          This could impact a lot of Trump votes if not corrected too. I don’t think even he’s so dumb to alienate such a large voter base.

        • Zetta@mander.xyz
          4·
          10 hours ago

          Yes well I was really just trying to be funny (poorly) I must admit, good points I’m glad you stated though.

        • binux@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          1·
          13 hours ago

          The amount of control they exercise over their congregants and money they require to stay in good standing is astronomical compared to lost other christian denominations.

          Wait til you hear about how greedy the Catholic Church was before & during the Reformation. New denomination, same religion. This is just how faiths inevitably evolve.

          Also Mormonism—though I hate using this aphorism because it’s not even true—is as American as apple pie, there’s really no threat to be spoken of here in the usual sense of the word. It’s existed for more or less 200 years now, subsisting along with every other facet of its surrounding culture. Mormonism is American society, it wouldn’t have become so widespread without it.