Pentagon’s Mormon Classification Reignites Old Theological Debate

The ongoing, much-needed, update to religious classifications at the Department of War to overhaul the chaplain corps, eliminating over 180 faux “religions” from the Pentagon’s list has, of course, created new controversy. The left is angry because “faiths” like Satanism, Wicca, Paganism, Druidism, Heathenism, Zoroastrianism, and followers of The Troth, were removed.

The Pentagon list now consists of a more appropriate 31 mainstream faiths, including most prominent Christian denominations, Judaism, and Islam. The truth is that most U.S. servicemen and women fall into just six major faith groups. And we only have so many chaplains to minister to them.

But then some on the right were offended because the new Pentagon list categorized Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) as a non-Christian denomination by not placing the term “Christian” next to it on the list.

And a couple of Mormon lawmakers, including staunch Trump supporter Sen. Mike Lee, didn’t like that, even though it is correct. Mormonism, despite the modern use of Jesus Christ in the official name, and strong push to be seen that way, is not traditionally accepted as a Christian faith.

Though Mormons consider themselves Christian, their beliefs deviate from traditional Christianity in many significant ways, which I will get to below.

Still, the pushback was fierce. As CNN reported:

“I think it’s very unfortunate that the Pentagon has chosen to identify basically every faith group in America that professes faith in Jesus Christ as Christian with one exception: that is those belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Lee said in a video posted online on Sunday. “I find this offensive, not just because that happens to be my faith and not just because it happens to be the faith of tens of thousands of US military personnel, but it’s also just repugnant to any sense of decency, any sense of our common heritage and our common belief that the government needs to not weigh in on doctrinal disputes between various religious denominations.”

Another Republican Utah lawmaker, Rep. Mike Kennedy, called the Pentagon’s list “wrong” and said it “needs to be corrected.”

Monday, the Pentagon released a second version of the list, which removed the “Christian” identifier from the various faiths and denominations.

“The Pentagon’s job is not to adjudicate theological debates, but instead to ensure sincerely held faith is respected and encouraged in our ranks,” a post by the Pentagon’s rapid response account on X said.

I believe the Pentagon did the right thing by simply not identifying any denomination as “Christian” and leaving it at that, resolving the problem quickly. But the truth is Mormonism, while perfectly respectable, wholesome, and welcome by most of us today, is not a traditional Christian faith in any way, shape, or form.

Most informed Christians (Catholics, Protestants, and Evangelicals) don’t consider Mormonism as Christian because its core beliefs about God, Jesus, and salvation differ dramatically from historic, biblical Christianity. Christianity teaches one eternal God in the Trinity, Jesus as eternally God, and salvation by grace.

Christianity also teaches that the Bible is the primary source of religious truth, though Catholicism emphasizes tradition, the Church and the Pope as authorities as well.

Mormonism teaches that there are many gods and that our God was once a man who “progressed” to become a God. God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are separate beings. God the Father and Jesus have glorified physical bodies (the Holy Spirit does not), and that humans can achieve exaltation and become like God.

It also teaches that extra scriptures first revealed to Joseph Smith as the “Book of Mormon” in 1823 by the angel Moroni, carry equal authority alongside the Bible. The book was supposedly inscribed on gold tablets and buried by ancient prophets in the Americas. The writings were later abridged by a prophet named Mormon and buried by his son Moroni.

Because these teachings contradict foundational Christian doctrine at its core and essence, many Christians see Mormonism as a different religion, not a Christian denomination.

Like Islam, Mormonism presents itself as a restoration or correction of earlier religious traditions and incorporates additional scripture and prophetic authority beyond the Bible. That comparison is one reason some Christian theologians view Mormonism as distinct from historic Christianity.

Both are also similar in that Joe Smith and Mohammed changed, modified and contradicted their “revelations” over their lifetimes. And both supported polygamy — men having many wives.

While Christians should be accepting of other faiths, we don’t need to accept them as Christian — if they really are not.

We should be able to point out where religious teachings and convictions are different — as in the case of Mormonism. Christians should also be free to discuss where other religious traditions differ significantly from Christian doctrine, including areas where their teachings reach different conclusions about the nature of God, Jesus, salvation and religious authority. Pretending those doctrinal differences do not exist does little to advance honest discussion about religion or theology.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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