Pentagon excludes 180 denominations from list of recognized religions
Pentagon. Photo: Anadolu Agency
The U.S. Department of Defense has officially removed 180 denominations from its list of recognized religions. According to an order by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the number of denominations that military personnel can indicate in their documents has been reduced from more than 200 to 31, reports the Fox News.
A memorandum from Deputy Defense Secretary Anthony Tata states that this decision should "streamline data collection" and help chaplains more effectively provide "targeted religious support." The updated list includes agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, as well as a number of Christian groups, including Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists.
Pete Hegseth justified the reform by stating that the old system had "ballooned" and become "unusable," as many codes were never used in practice. According to his data, the overwhelming majority of personnel identify themselves by just six main categories.
Parallel to this, the Pentagon has mandated that active chaplains replace military rank insignia with religious symbols. Hegseth stated that a chaplain is first and foremost a servant of God, and only then an officer, and their status should not depend on visible rank.
As the UOJ reported, a former Pentagon advisor accused Zelensky of destroying Christians.
Read also
TRC officers detain UOC priest with mobilization deferment in Zolotonosha
TRC officers are holding Archpriest Andrii Kononenko despite his official deferment from mobilization because he cares for a child with a disability.
OCU bishop made $300K, kept entire battalion off front lines – scholar
Religious scholar Nikolai Mitrokhin estimated how much “Bishop” Kyrylo earned by selling fraudulent OCU deacon ordinations to 291 men eligible for military service.
Albanian Church Primate calls for overcoming nationalism in Orthodoxy
Archbishop Joan addressed an international forum in France, speaking on conciliarity and the need to overcome nationalism within Orthodoxy.
Nizhyn Eparchy launches aid drive for shelling victims in Pryluky
UOC churches have set up donation boxes to help people affected by missile strikes on Pryluky and other parts of the region.
UOC chapel consecrated in Seliatyn, Bukovyna
A local family in Seliatyn built a chapel in gratitude to the Mother of God.
Metropolitan Onuphry leads patronal feast at St. Sergius Church in Kyiv
The Primate of the UOC celebrated the festal Divine Liturgy alongside fellow hierarchs at St. Sergius of Radonezh Church in Kyiv’s Solomianka District.