About this episode

The episode discusses the classification of Mormons as Christians and the implications of a recent Pentagon decision on this debate.

For Christians and non-Christians alike, Mormons remain a bit of an enigma – especially in the UK. In the US however there are almost 7 million and they punch above their weight in terms of political influence; notable members of congress include former senator, and one-time presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. This influence meant that a row erupted in the past fortnight when the Pentagon released its updated list of religious affiliations and listed the Church of Latter-Day Saints independently from other Christian denominations, implying members were not Christian. This move was quickly denounced, with Mike Lee – a Mormon and Republican Senator – leading the charge, calling the move ‘outrageous’, the Pentagon subsequently backtracked. Yet, many other Christian denominations have long felt that Mormons are not Christians as they have their own supplemental scripture and hold different views over the Trinity and the afterlife.  Mark Tooley, a methodist and friend of  Holy Smoke , joins Damian Thompson to discuss the row. Are Mormons Christian? Who gets to decide whether a person is Christian or not? And can the government and state ever have a role in this debate…

People in this episode

Host: Damian Thompson

Guest: Mark Tooley

Topics covered

• Mormonism
• Christianity
• religious identity
• political influence
• denominational differences

Keywords

• Mormons
• Christian
• Pentagon
• Mitt Romney
• religious affiliations
• Trinity
• afterlife

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Church of Latter-Day Saints, Pentagon, Holy Smoke, The Spectator

Places: UK, US

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• Was America meant to be a Christian nation? · July 3, 2026 · 27 min
• The Pope & the SSPX: is this a permanent schism? · July 2, 2026 · 28 min
• Pope Leo, Max Weber & the dark side of charisma · June 26, 2026 · 30 min

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