Pentagon revises faith list after uproar over Latter-day Saints
What's new: The Defense Department dropped Christian labels from 20 traditions instead of reclassifying the Utah-based church.
A Pentagon overhaul of its religious-affiliation list for service members has reignited debate over whether The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should be classified as Christian. After criticism from Utah Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis, both Republicans and church members, the Defense Department changed course Monday by removing the Christian label from 20 other traditions, including Catholic, Lutheran and Pentecostal, rather than adding Latter-day Saints to that category. The department said the revised rubric is meant to help chaplains organize support and resources, not judge the legitimacy of any faith. The church, which says it has nearly 18 million members worldwide, describes itself as a Christian church but not Catholic or Protestant.