Trump Pentagon chief 'accidentally exposes' key MAGA talking point on religion

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drew strong criticism from Mormons and Utah lawmakers after releasing a new list of religious affiliations that didn't classify the Church of Latter-Day Saints (often described as the Mormon Church or LDS Church) as Christian. The Pentagon, Politico reported, walked back that part of its religious affiliation policy following the outcry from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-Utah), and others. But according to Salon's Amanda Marcotte, Hegseth's treatment of Mormons shatters MAGA Republicans' claim that they are promoting freedom of religion.

"In his eagerness to marginalize people of non-Christian faiths," Marcotte explains in Salon, "Hegseth accidentally exposed a major MAGA myth: that there's a coherent, much less peaceful, way to impose their theocratic views on the country. On the contrary, any effort to turn this into a 'Christian nation' is destined to reveal the deep divisions between Christian factions…. To recap, for those who missed the furor: the Department of Defense used to recognize 211 separate religious designations for service members, which help shape everything from chaplain services to what marker is put on a tombstone. Under the guise of 'streamlining' services, this number was reduced to 31. Anyone who looked at the new list, however, could see that Hegseth's unsubtle goal was signaling the superiority of Christians to everyone else."

Marcotte adds, "The new list gives Christians 21 subcategories to choose from, but Jews, Muslims and other major religious groups only get one option, ignoring the diversity within those faiths. Atheists, humanists, Wiccans, pagans and other belief systems that the Christian right believes are demonic, were erased entirely."

Hegseth, the Salon journalist laments, "has barely concealed his hostility to recognizing that anyone non-Christian could be a legitimate American, much less an honored military service member."

"What did seem to shock some people, however, was that Hegseth also kicked members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints out of his Christian tribe," Marcotte observes. "While all other followers of Jesus, from Quakers to Catholics, were officially designated as variations of 'Christian,' Mormons did not enjoy the Christian label. Mormon leaders should have seen this coming."

Marcotte adds, "White evangelicals don’t hide their belief that Mormons have no right to call themselves 'Christians.' In May at Rededicate 250, the Christian nationalist event backed by the Trump administration in Washington D.C., there were a couple token Catholics and one Jew among otherwise evangelical-led speaker list, but no Mormons were invited. On the contrary, many speakers are anti-Mormon, including Trump ally and Southern Baptist megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, who has repeatedly called the Latter-Day Saints a 'cult'…. So, there was a widespread anger when Hegseth reminded Mormons that they'll never be part of the evangelical-led Christian nationalist in-group."