Pentagon Cuts List of Faiths Troops Can Choose From

The Department of Defense announced on Friday a significant reduction in the number of religious affiliations it officially recognizes. The new list of 31 is down from more than 200 previously recognized traditions that troops could choose from. The list no longer includes atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans, or Wiccans, the AP reports. "This decrease in religious affiliation codes is not designed to make any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religious belief, nor is it intended to provide a list of 'officially approved' religions," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement. The move is intended to help chaplains quickly assess the religious composition of their units to allocate resources, he added.

The list creates broad categories of some Christian traditions—Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist—without specifying denominations within those traditions, which can span the theological and ideological spectrum. Service members can choose to identify as "no religion,""other religions" or agnostic. Also included are Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, the Baha'i faith, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Unitarian Universalist Association, which was cut from the list, said in a statement, "This may make it more difficult for our uniformed UUs to access the spiritual care that they need." The denomination said it is working on a strategic response to support its adherents in the service.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the impending changes in December, saying the number of faith codes had become unmanageable. "Secretary Hegseth is not 'streamlining' anything. He is elevating one narrow religious worldview from the top of the chain of command," said the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, a Baptist minister and head of the progressive Interfaith Alliance. "The First Amendment does not allow the government to create a hierarchy of faiths, and it certainly does not allow the Pentagon to decide which beliefs are worthy of recognition." Nearly 70% of troops identify as Christian, a 2019 congressional report said. Almost a quarter of troops were listed as other, unclassified, or unknown. "As a member of a minority religion, I think it's really important that we be counted," said Irene Glasse, a pagan religious professional and Marine veteran. "It erases us, and so many of us have served so proudly, so well, and so honorably."