DOD Faith List Cuts are Latest Escalation in Trump Administration’s Christian Nationalist Crusade

Interfaith Alliance, a leading national advocate for religious freedom and multi-faith democracy, today condemned the Department of Defense’s (DOD) decision to reduce the number of recognized religious faiths and belief systems in military records from 211 to 31.

The revised list removes or collapses roughly 180 faiths and belief systems — including atheists, humanists, and Unitarian Universalists — while leaving a long list of Christian denominations recognized. 

The move is the latest escalation in a broader Christian nationalist campaign at DOD under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In March, Hegseth announced chaplain reforms that included cutting religious affiliation codes and replacing chaplains’ rank insignia on work uniforms with religious symbols. Earlier this year, Hegseth also hosted Christian worship services at the Pentagon, including one led by Doug Wilson, a self-described Christian nationalist pastor.

Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance and a Baptist minister, released the following statement:

“Stripping away status from many religious traditions escalates the Trump administration’s 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.

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.

If the Trump administration truly wanted to strengthen our military, it would protect the rights and freedoms of every service member. Instead, it is using DOD as another front in its campaign to impose authoritarian theocracy on all Americans.

Interfaith Alliance will continue to fight this extremism and defend a democracy where every one of us enjoys the freedom to express our faith, or lack of faith, without checking a box imposed by Christian nationalists. Secretary Hegseth must immediately reverse this decision and restore full recognition for the diverse faiths, beliefs and traditions of all who serve.”

The faith list cuts follow Hegseth’s December announcement that he intended to “make the Chaplain Corps great again,” while criticizing what he described as “new age” concepts and “secular humanism” in the military’s approach to spiritual fitness.

‍Rev. Raushenbush is available for further comment – reach out to Ben DePasquale at [email protected] to arrange an interview.

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Interfaith Alliance and Interfaith Alliance Foundation are a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. We mobilize powerful coalitions to challenge Christian nationalism and religious extremism, while fostering a better understanding of the healthy boundaries between religion and government. We advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America where the freedoms of belief and religious practice are protected, and where all persons are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive. For more information, visit interfaithalliance.org.