🌎 Resumen en español · traducción automática
El Pentágono revirtió el lunes una decisión del viernes que había removido decenas de denominaciones religiosas de una lista de fe reconocidas, tras críticas intensas de republicanos de Utah, particularmente del senador Mike Lee, quien protestó porque la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días no fue clasificada como denominación cristiana. Después de que Lee calificara la política como "ofensiva" y pidiera al secretario de Defensa que revirtiera la decisión, el Pentágono publicó una lista actualizada sin la palabra "cristiano" antes de ninguna denominación, argumentando que su función no es arbitrar debates teológicos sino respetar la fe en sus filas.
Traducción y resumen generados por IA a partir del artículo en inglés. Puede contener errores; consulte el texto original.
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon changed course Monday after its removal of dozens of religious denominations from a list of recognized faiths drew intense criticism over the weekend from Utah Republicans incensed by the failure to classify the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a Christian denomination.
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, a member of the church widely known as the Mormon church, said the policy for military chaplains announced Friday was “offensive” and demanded the Pentagon reverse course, which the department did Monday afternoon.
“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,” Lee, a Utah Republican, said in a video statement posted to social media Sunday night.
“So I’m respectfully imploring the people at the Pentagon to reconsider this, not just reconsider but undo it,” Lee continued. “Secretary Hegseth: Tear down that wall. This is not cool.”
Hours later, Lee wrote on social media that he personally spoke to President Donald Trump on the phone about the “Pentagon’s ‘Christian list’” and told people to “stay tuned.”
“I won’t speak for him, but I’m thrilled about where this is heading,” Lee wrote. “We’re most fortunate that President Trump (1) loves Latter-day Saints, and (2) is our commander in chief.”
A spokesperson with Lee’s office told States Newsroom Monday the senator received assurances from the administration that the issue will be resolved.
Just after noon Eastern time Monday, the Pentagon pointed States Newsroom to a social media post showing an updated list without the word “Christian” before any of the 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,” according to the post by an account with the handle “DOW Rapid Response,” using the acronym for the administration’s preferred but unofficial name, Department of War.
Sen. John Curtis, a Utah Republican, also spoke out on social media stating the church is “unequivocally Christian.”
“It is unacceptable for a government entity to characterize a faith in a manner that contradicts the religion’s own foundational tenets,” he wrote Saturday.
A concern from lawmakers is that service members who belong to the Latter-day Saints may not receive services from a Christian chaplain.
The issue places the Pentagon in the middle of a longtime theological dispute between Latter-day Saints, who believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ and consider themselves Christian, and some members of other Christian faiths who believe the Salt Lake City-based church should be viewed as outside of Christianity.
Latter-day Saint church leaders declined to comment Monday.
The White House pointed States Newsroom to the department’s Monday afternoon social media announcement.
Shorter list
Citing a two-page letter posted to social media Friday, Parnell said the department was making a “long overdue move” to reduce the military chaplains’ overall list of religious affiliations to 31, down from an “unmanageable” 200.
“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. Rather, it is designed to allow chaplains to quickly look at the religious composition of their units and determine how they structure resources to best provide for warfighters of all faith groups,” Parnell wrote.
The list includes 21 separate Christian denominations, but lists the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints separately.
‘Christian nationalist takeover’
Criticism of the new list reverberated beyond Latter-day Saints.
Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, a Baptist minister and president and CEO of the Interfaith Alliance advocacy group accused the administration Friday of pushing a “Christian nationalist takeover of the Department of Defense.”
“Religious freedom in the military must mean religious freedom for everyone who serves, not just those this administration finds politically useful,” Raushenbush said in a statement.
“Secretary Hegseth is not ‘streamlining’ anything. He is elevating one narrow religious worldview from the top of the chain of command. That is dangerous, discriminatory and fundamentally un-American. 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.”
Hegseth announced a restructuring of the military’s chaplain corps in March, which he said had been “infected with political correctness and secular humanism.”
Hegseth hosts a monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon.
