The Pentagon’s proposed changes to the faith codes for the U.S. military created backlash last month when a memo stating the number of religious affiliations would decrease from 211 to 31 categories became public through a military-centric news website.

Some viewed the reductions as insulting and further indication that the Trump administration seeks to move the nation from religious pluralism to monotheistic Christianity.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on social media the draft document has been misinterpreted, which has led to misunderstandings.

Under the preliminary plan, such spiritual groups as pagans, Wiccans, humanists, shamanists, atheists and others, including Unitarian Universalists who believe God is one being rather than a Trinity, hold universal salvation as a truth and follow no specific doctrine or creed, therefore members can identify as atheist, Christian, pagan or other descriptors of faith — would be dropped from being specifically named.

Along with criticism, the issue caused confusion, which Parnell sought to clarify on a post on X.

Rather than signifying the military giving approval for or recognition of certain religions and faith systems over others — as some have said the plan indicates — Parnell said consolidating the categories is a “long-overdue move” to simplify what had become an unwieldy list.

Removing some 180 classifications “is not designed to make any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religious belief, nor is it intended to provide a list of ‘officially approved’ religions,” Parnell wrote.

But that’s what it feels like, said Susan Bolduc, a member of the Colorado Springs Faith Table, a group of religious leaders who advocate for social justice and human dignity issues.

“To me, freedom of religion means that all religions are recognized in a democratic system,” Bolduc said. “This is what our founders were concerned with — they did not want the government to define which religion is acceptable and which religion isn’t. Everyone should be able to access religious spiritual counseling and advice.”

Such concerns will be addressed, according to military officials.

Shortening the categories will reinstate the Defense Department’s original intent of collecting data on faith backgrounds to “allow our chaplains and religious support personnel to provide the best spiritual care to our warfighters,” Parnell said.

The list was expanded to name 211 spiritual groups in 2017.

But the religious catalog “included redundant and unnecessary labeling, and the mistake has been fixed,” according to a Defense Department post on X.

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

Main religions are named, including various denominations of Protestant Christianity as well as nondenominational, Catholic, Judaism, orthodoxy, Baha’i, Buddhist, Islam, Hindu, Sikh, no religion and other religions.

“The reason they brought out faith codes was because people presented it as, ‘I want my own special designator.’ The way they’re reducing it, they’re doing what chaplains deal with anyway,” said the Rev. Raymond Pettitt, pastor of Outside the Gates Worship Center in Fountain, a Church of God affiliate. He’s also serving as an interim Methodist Church pastor in Fountain.

Pettitt spent eight years as an Army chaplain and now is a community chaplain and pastoral counselor at Mt. Carmel Veterans Services Center.

The revisions wouldn’t harm any faith group, slight any belief system, or alter the way anyone is treated, he said. “It’s just regulating it, but they’re not going to stop utilizing all faith groups. If you’re Christian, you still wear a cross; if you’re Muslim, you still wear the crescent.”

The basic duty of a chaplain, who is the spiritual leader of a battalion or regiment or squadron, is to keep people’s spirituality healthy, Pettitt said.

Chaplains use faith codes to connect anyone in the military with spiritual assistance to their particular persuasion.

Even if a specific denomination or spirituality does not have its own code, everyone still will receive whatever they need, Pettitt said, whether it’s just someone to listen or pray with and not necessarily related to a certain doctrine or dogma. However, the military does have designated faith-group leaders for denominations within Christianity, for example.

“We either perform or provide,” Pettitt said. “While a pastor is confined to the walls of their church, a chaplain has no church; when I walk out with 778 people in my battalion, I minister to all of them, no matter their faith or if they even have a faith.”

A growing number of military members self-identify as having no faith, he said. But many still appreciate an open ear and a shoulder squeeze when faced with the difficulties military service can entail.

“The spiritual part is what’s critical in my view,” Pettitt said. “When you start talking about moral injury or PTSD, or mental aspects, the spiritual aspect helps them to either become stronger or to be hindered in some way, so the chaplain is the one who walks alongside people during the midst of their struggle and says, ‘Now, how can we do this and keep our spiritual bearings right?’”

Parnell said on X that “chaplains play an instrumental role in providing spiritual care and facilitating the warfighters’ ability to freely exercise their religion of choice or no religion at all.”

When the new system takes effect, Parnell said it should “allow chaplains to quickly look at the religious composition of their units and determine how they structure resources to best provide for warfighters of all faith groups.”

Because the directive has not yet been made permanent, officials from local military installations said they would not comment on the matter.

A U.S. Air Force Academy spokesperson said once the initiative is enacted — the timeline of which is unknown — installations will comply and have a better grasp of any impacts.

In response to a request for comment, Peterson Space Force Base sent a statement that it “will comply with all Department of War policy updates and will implement new guidance as directed.”

Fort Carson directed inquiries to Army headquarters in Washington, D.C., which referred to the Pentagon’s communication on X.