Pagp Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On July 5, 2026, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is encouraging its American members to participate in a special fast. For Latter-day Saints, the 250th anniversary commemorations are not merely a historic milestone for the country, but an opportunity to reflect on their faith’s relationship to the American experiment.

Of note, on Monday this week, the Pentagon updated its ‘revised religious affiliation list’ that it announced last week Friday — which didn’t list the LDS church under a subcategory for “Christian” denominations, after outrage from LDS lawmakers. The revamped list eliminated the Christian subcategory completely and instead listed denominations without the Christian moniker.

One of the LDS lawmakers, in a video post before the revamped version was announced by the Pentagon, stated that he found it “repugnant to any sense of decency, any sense of our common heritage and our common belief that the government needs to not weigh in on doctrinal disputes between various religious denominations.”

The Pentagon, on Monday, agreed saying, “the Pentagon’s job is not to adjudicate theological debates, but instead to ensure sincerely-held faith is respected and encouraged in our ranks.”