Military.com has learned that the Department of Defense, for the first time in almost 10 years, has dramatically reduced its number of recognized religious faiths and belief systems by approximately 180.

Days after announcing changes to the military’s list of religious affiliation categorizations, the Pentagon has reworked the list again following backlash.

NPR's stories on U.S. and world religion, spirituality, ethics, and moral issues affecting society and culture. Subscribe to NPR Religion RSS feeds.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Religious beliefs have been woven into the fabric of human existence for millennia, shaping cultures and guiding personal choices with both wisdom and, at times, misguided certainty.

Last week, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wasn’t on the Pentagon’s list of acknowledged Christian religions. On Monday, it was back (sort of).

A growing share of U.S. adults say religion is gaining influence, but most still want churches to stay out of politics, a 2026 survey finds.

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law shielding prospective foster parents or providers' "sincerely held moral and religious beliefs" concerning LGBTQ topics

Lately, organized religion has slowly been fading away. This change is happening because of cultural shifts and social dynamics that have changed how we connect with faith and belief. One big reason for this decline is that many young people look more to ...

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