DoD Officially Drops 180 Faiths from Military's Recognized Religion List • Hacker News Board

Re: DoD Officially Drops 180 Faiths from Military's Recognized Religion List

#41

Post by jltsiren » Sun, Jun 07, 2026, 4:33 AM UTC

zzo38computer wrote: post #34

jltsiren wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The choice with Mormons is technically correct. Those who use theological considerations to define Christianity generally don't accept Mormons as Christians. For example, the Catholic Church sees Mormonism a non-Christian religion, because it rejects the Nicene Creed. People who base Christianity on cultural identity are more likely to include Mormons in the definition.

It does seem to be common to make LDS not counted as Christianity, although the reason is unclear to me. Another comment mentions that the rejection of the Nicene Creed does not seem to be the distinction. I had thought that it is because they have the Book of Mormon, although that is unclear. Orthodox have additional books of the Bible that Catholics do not have, but are still Christian. (Although, I think the addit…

Look at the text of the Nicene Creed. There is a phrase that reads, depending on the translation, something like "one holy catholic apostolic church". That is the core of the issue.

All mainstream Christian denominations are branches of that original church. Some may see each other heretical, but they still acknowledge the common heritage. If you now have a religion that takes some aspects of Christianity, adds something of its own, and rejects the part all those schismatic branches agree on, it does not look like you are a branch of that "one holy catholic apostolic church".

The same applies to Jehovah's Witnesses.

Re: DoD Officially Drops 180 Faiths from Military's Recognized Religion List

#42

Post by Slothrop99 » Sun, Jun 07, 2026, 5:10 AM UTC

zzo38computer wrote: post #34

jltsiren wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The choice with Mormons is technically correct. Those who use theological considerations to define Christianity generally don't accept Mormons as Christians. For example, the Catholic Church sees Mormonism a non-Christian religion, because it rejects the Nicene Creed. People who base Christianity on cultural identity are more likely to include Mormons in the definition.

It does seem to be common to make LDS not counted as Christianity, although the reason is unclear to me. Another comment mentions that the rejection of the Nicene Creed does not seem to be the distinction. I had thought that it is because they have the Book of Mormon, although that is unclear. Orthodox have additional books of the Bible that Catholics do not have, but are still Christian. (Although, I think the addit…

> although the reason is unclear to me

Not at all complicated, you don't get to add another book to the bible and claim to be the same religion.

I grew up in a very liberal christian church. Their take on mormons was "really nice people .. still heretics". Obviously there are bigger problems out there.

Re: DoD Officially Drops 180 Faiths from Military's Recognized Religion List

#43

Post by asplake » Sun, Jun 07, 2026, 5:26 AM UTC

ajcp wrote: post #20

slg wrote: post #6

It's notable that the original list with the extra 180 religions was from Trump's first term, so this is another example of the doubling down on white Christian identity politics that has come to define Trump's second term. Also one small potentially controversial decision here that I find amusing in a narcissism of small differences kind of way, Mormons aren't considered Christian according to this list.

one core tenant of Christianity is that Christ the Messiah obviates prophecy. No denomination of Christianity (AFAIK) considers the LDS as true Christians...except for the LDS themselves

Not a core tenet [note 1] at all - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessationism_versus_continuati...

[note 1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/tenant-vs-tenet-diff...

Re: DoD Officially Drops 180 Faiths from Military's Recognized Religion List

#44

Post by zzo38computer » Sun, Jun 07, 2026, 5:47 AM UTC

thesuperbigfrog wrote: post #38

zzo38computer wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does seem to be common to make LDS not counted as Christianity, although the reason is unclear to me. Another comment mentions that the rejection of the Nicene Creed does not seem to be the distinction. I had thought that it is because they have the Book of Mormon, although that is unclear. Orthodox have additional books of the Bible that Catholics do not have, but are still Christian. (Although, I think the addit…

>> Something that I had heard is that it is because Mormons use a different baptism, which is not Trinitarian. However, it seems that it is Trinitarian, although this trinity is different from that of Christians (even though they still say "the Father", "the Son", and "the Holy Spirit"). I had not heard that so I looked it up: ----------- Catholic baptism: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and…

Yes, I had seemed to remember something different but I looked it up and yes it is still trinitarian, although apparently the working of the trinity is different (although this different working of the trinity is not apparent by the words of the baptism) which allegedly makes it not a valid Christian baptism (according to some Christians, including the Catholic church).

Re: DoD Officially Drops 180 Faiths from Military's Recognized Religion List

#45

Post by zzo38computer » Sun, Jun 07, 2026, 6:32 AM UTC

Slothrop99 wrote: post #42

zzo38computer wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does seem to be common to make LDS not counted as Christianity, although the reason is unclear to me. Another comment mentions that the rejection of the Nicene Creed does not seem to be the distinction. I had thought that it is because they have the Book of Mormon, although that is unclear. Orthodox have additional books of the Bible that Catholics do not have, but are still Christian. (Although, I think the addit…

> although the reason is unclear to me Not at all complicated, you don't get to add another book to the bible and claim to be the same religion. I grew up in a very liberal christian church. Their take on mormons was "really nice people .. still heretics". Obviously there are bigger problems out there.

As I understand, LDS did not add another book to the Bible; Book of Mormon is not a part of the Bible, although (as far as I know) still considered a scripture according to LDS.

(Nevertheless it is the reason I had thought of too (many years ago), although other people have cited different reasons.)

Re: DoD Officially Drops 180 Faiths from Military's Recognized Religion List

#46

Post by kelseyfrog » Sun, Jun 07, 2026, 6:38 AM UTC

Slothrop99 wrote: post #42

zzo38computer wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does seem to be common to make LDS not counted as Christianity, although the reason is unclear to me. Another comment mentions that the rejection of the Nicene Creed does not seem to be the distinction. I had thought that it is because they have the Book of Mormon, although that is unclear. Orthodox have additional books of the Bible that Catholics do not have, but are still Christian. (Although, I think the addit…

> although the reason is unclear to me Not at all complicated, you don't get to add another book to the bible and claim to be the same religion. I grew up in a very liberal christian church. Their take on mormons was "really nice people .. still heretics". Obviously there are bigger problems out there.

Curious if your stance extends to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Founded in 330AD, it predates all other canonization councils:

  The Council of Trent (1545–1563) - explicitly laid out the 73-book canon for the Catholic Church

  Council of Rome (382)

  Synod of Hippo (393)

  The two of the Councils of Carthage (397 and 419 respectively)

  Council of Florence (1431–1449)

Applying your standard literally, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Ethiopian Bible are the only true Christian religion and religious text because others have fewer or greater number of books.

Re: DoD Officially Drops 180 Faiths from Military's Recognized Religion List

#47

Post by zzo38computer » Sun, Jun 07, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC

jltsiren wrote: post #41

zzo38computer wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does seem to be common to make LDS not counted as Christianity, although the reason is unclear to me. Another comment mentions that the rejection of the Nicene Creed does not seem to be the distinction. I had thought that it is because they have the Book of Mormon, although that is unclear. Orthodox have additional books of the Bible that Catholics do not have, but are still Christian. (Although, I think the addit…

Look at the text of the Nicene Creed. There is a phrase that reads, depending on the translation, something like "one holy catholic apostolic church". That is the core of the issue. All mainstream Christian denominations are branches of that original church. Some may see each other heretical, but they still acknowledge the common heritage. If you now have a religion that takes some aspects of Christianity, adds somet…

Your reasoning makes sense. However, it is not quite that simple.

As another comment mentioned, "and yet Jehovah's Witnesses are denoted on the list as a Christian faith".

So are Quakers (also denoted on the list as Christian), which (as far as I can tell) have no creed ; and, furthermore, although the Religious Society of Friends is Christian, not all Quakers are necessarily Christian (there are people of other religions as well, as well as those of no religion).

This does not seem to be specific to the DoD list; I have seen this in other lists as well.

Re: DoD Officially Drops 180 Faiths from Military's Recognized Religion List

#48

Post by Slothrop99 » Sun, Jun 07, 2026, 7:12 AM UTC

zzo38computer wrote: post #45

Slothrop99 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> although the reason is unclear to me Not at all complicated, you don't get to add another book to the bible and claim to be the same religion. I grew up in a very liberal christian church. Their take on mormons was "really nice people .. still heretics". Obviously there are bigger problems out there.

As I understand, LDS did not add another book to the Bible; Book of Mormon is not a part of the Bible, although (as far as I know) still considered a scripture according to LDS. (Nevertheless it is the reason I had thought of too (many years ago), although other people have cited different reasons.)

Well, the New Testament (what Christians care about) is entirely set in the historical first century Roman Empire [0], all places are accurate and known to exist.

The Book of Mormon postulates some fantasy world perhaps not unlike Middle Earth? And also weird theological stuff from 19th century science-fiction? Sorry, that is a different religion.

[0] expect for the last book of revelations of the future.

Re: DoD Officially Drops 180 Faiths from Military's Recognized Religion List

#49

Post by Slothrop99 » Sun, Jun 07, 2026, 7:18 AM UTC

kelseyfrog wrote: post #46

Slothrop99 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> although the reason is unclear to me Not at all complicated, you don't get to add another book to the bible and claim to be the same religion. I grew up in a very liberal christian church. Their take on mormons was "really nice people .. still heretics". Obviously there are bigger problems out there.

Curious if your stance extends to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Founded in 330AD, it predates all other canonization councils: The Council of Trent (1545–1563) - explicitly laid out the 73-book canon for the Catholic Church Council of Rome (382) Synod of Hippo (393) The two of the Councils of Carthage (397 and 419 respectively) Council of Florence (1431–1449) Applying your standard literally, the Ethiopian…

Nah, from a more intellectual protestant tradition -- they were not fighting doctrine and I remember at least a couple of those from Sunday sermons.

None of that remotely resembles the Book of Mormon, so honestly you are just really shitty at whatever you are trying to do.

Re: DoD Officially Drops 180 Faiths from Military's Recognized Religion List

#50

Post by siliconpotato » Sun, Jun 07, 2026, 7:58 AM UTC

zzo38computer wrote: post #45

Slothrop99 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> although the reason is unclear to me Not at all complicated, you don't get to add another book to the bible and claim to be the same religion. I grew up in a very liberal christian church. Their take on mormons was "really nice people .. still heretics". Obviously there are bigger problems out there.

As I understand, LDS did not add another book to the Bible; Book of Mormon is not a part of the Bible, although (as far as I know) still considered a scripture according to LDS. (Nevertheless it is the reason I had thought of too (many years ago), although other people have cited different reasons.)

Joseph smith claims to have had a new revelation and the book of Mormon is "another gospel". It's fan fiction for Americans and claims that the church became corrupted and are restoring the true church with their non biblical ideas. As such, their ideas are sufficiently divergent from biblical doctrine they are considered not part of the Christian church.