Pentagon updates religious categories after pushback from Utah lawmakers
John Curtis objected to the initial faith categories and thanked the Pentagon for changing them.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYKSL is an established regional news outlet with an identified reporter and local reporting. The short article relies mainly on the Pentagon’s statement and lawmakers’ public comments, with limited independent context.
- Source type — Established local news outlet with a regional reporting focus.
- Author attribution — A reporter is named in the byline.
- Editorial standards — The outlet is a recognized newsroom, though the article provides little detail about its standards or corrections practice.
- Source selection — The article quotes the Pentagon and named lawmakers but offers little independent verification or outside perspective.
The article gives the basic sequence of the Pentagon’s revision and includes the department’s explanation and comments from several Utah lawmakers. It offers little independent context and no direct comment from the church or an outside expert.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article includes the Pentagon’s rationale and the Utah lawmakers’ reactions, but does not include the church’s perspective, an outside expert, or a substantive counterview.
- Counterarguments presented — The department explains its approach, but no opposing or alternative interpretation is offered.
- Source diversity — The sources are the Pentagon and Utah lawmakers; no church representative or independent expert is quoted.
- Opinion vs reporting — The piece is presented as straight news rather than opinion.
- Loaded language — The article’s language is generally restrained, with sharper wording contained in attributed statements.
The article presents the Pentagon’s explanation and lawmakers’ reactions in straightforward reporting without discernible partisan framing.
- Language tone — Mostly factual and attributed language.
- Framing — Frames the revision as following lawmakers’ pushback without adding an overt editorial judgment.
- Source selection — Includes the department’s explanation and responses from lawmakers who welcomed the change.
The Pentagon revised its military chaplain faith codes after Utah lawmakers objected that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was not classified as Christian. The revised list also removed Christian labels from other faith groups.
The Pentagon updated its list of faith codes on Monday after a simplified list released the previous week left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints outside the Christian category while classifying other Christian denominations as Christian. The department said the earlier list included redundant labeling and that its goal was to simplify the system while respecting service members’ sincerely held beliefs.
Utah lawmakers had criticized the initial categories. Senators John Curtis and Mike Lee welcomed the change, while Representative Burgess Owens thanked the Pentagon and Representative Mike Kennedy said he was glad the issue had been corrected. The updated list did not explicitly identify the Latter-day Saint church as Christian.
Community verdict
12 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →Utah senator who objected to the initial faith codes and welcomed the revision
Utah senator who criticized the initial faith codes and welcomed the revision
Lee's version of this story ↗Secretary of Defense thanked by Mike Lee for the correction
Utah representative who thanked the Pentagon for the change
Utah representative who welcomed the correction
Part of a bigger story
3 OUTLETSThe Pentagon’s initial chaplain faith categories listed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints separately from Christian categories, prompting John Curtis and other Utah lawmakers to object. The Pentagon later revised the categories. Center outlets pair Curtis’s objections with the Pentagon’s explanation of the categories; later coverage also notes that revisions changed labels for other faith groups.
- ARTICLES
- 5
- OUTLETS
- 3
- AVG CRED
- 78
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