The Pentagon needs to define America’s religious categories due to chaplains’ responsibility to handle the spiritual needs of troops as effectively as possible. READ: The Financial Dilemma That Wound Up Helping US Churches ThriveProblem is, Americans’ religious choices are pretty much uncountable. A case could be made for some consolidation from the Pentagon’s former 216, but such sudden and huge shrinkage is obviously debatable. Groups that consider themselves Christian but reject historic Christian beliefs are listed as “Christian” categories, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christian Science. The Council believes having so few recognized religions marginalizes “unique spiritual identities, leaving them unacknowledged and disrespected,” and distinctions on affiliation that seem “inconsequential” to outsiders can be “essential” to their followers.