Michael Knowles Just DEFENDED Latter-day Saints… (And Exposed the REAL Double Standard)

MICHAEL KNOWLES JUST DEFENDED LATTER-DAY SAINTS… AND EXPOSED THE REAL DOUBLE STANDARD ⚠️ In the middle of the Pentagon’s shocking “Christian religions list” controversy, something unexpected happened. Michael Knowles — a Catholic conservative commentator at the Daily Wire — stepped forward and defended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from an unfair and obvious double standard. He did not become Latter-day Saint. He did not accept Joseph Smith as a prophet. He did not accept the Book of Mormon. He did not change his view of the Trinity or the Nicene Creed. And that is exactly why this moment matters. Because Michael Knowles showed that you can disagree with Latter-day Saints and still recognize when we are being singled out unfairly. On June 5, 2026, the Department of Defense reduced its religious affiliation options for military service members from more than 200 designations down to only 31. The Pentagon said this was an administrative change meant to help chaplains serve members of the military more effectively. But there was a glaring problem. Many Christian groups were listed under the “Christian” label. But The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was placed outside that category. Naturally, faithful Latter-day Saints began asking: did the Pentagon just say the Church of Jesus Christ is not Christian? After Latter-day Saints spoke out, after senators and public figures raised the issue, and after President Trump reportedly became involved, the Pentagon changed course. But perhaps the damage was already done. For days, critics of the Church treated the list like proof. They said, “See? Even the Pentagon knows Mormons are not Christian.” That reaction revealed something deeper than a bureaucratic mistake. It revealed how quickly some people are willing to use government language to validate religious prejudice. And then Michael Knowles asked the question critics did not want to answer: If Trinitarian theology is the standard, why were Jehovah’s Witnesses listed as Christian? Why were Christian Scientists listed as Christian? Why were Pentecostals listed as Christian when some reject the traditional doctrine of the Trinity? Why were Quakers listed as Christian when not all Quakers have historically treated Trinitarian doctrine the same way? In this episode, we examine Michael Knowles’s defense of Latter-day Saints, the Pentagon list controversy, and the much deeper theological question behind it all: Is the Nicene Creed really the standard of Christianity? And just how “historic” is that standard? We will dive into the Arian controversy, the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, the later development of the creed, and the crucial distinction between being “not Nicene” and being “not Christian.” Latter-day Saints are not Nicene Christians. We are Restoration Christians. We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, the Redeemer of mankind, the resurrected Lord, and the head of His Church. We believe the Father and the Son are real, distinct, glorified beings. We believe the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. We believe priesthood authority was restored. We believe the heavens opened. So when critics say, “Mormons are not Christian,” they are not merely making an academic point. They are attempting to define millions of disciples of Jesus Christ outside the name of the Lord they worship. This episode is not about begging the world for approval. It is about telling the truth. It is about religious liberty. It is about the government having no authority to settle theological disputes. It is about understanding Nicaea well enough not to be intimidated by it. And it is about recognizing that Michael Knowles, even while disagreeing with our theology, was fair enough to point out the double standard. Credit where credit is due. But the deeper question remains: Who has authority to define Christianity — the creeds, the councils, the government, the commentators, or the living Christ? Watch until the end, because this controversy may matter far more than people realize, especially as the Church prepares for the July 5 worldwide fast for religious freedom. 🙏 👇 COMMENT BELOW: Was Michael Knowles right to defend Latter-day Saints? Is “not Nicene” more honest than “not Christian”? And did the Pentagon controversy expose something much bigger? 👍 Like this video 💬 Comment your thoughts 🔔 Subscribe to Rise Zion for more faith, prophecy, religious freedom, and Second Coming analysis #LatterDaySaints #MichaelKnowles #DailyWire #Pentagon #ReligiousFreedom #Christianity #Mormon #LDS #ChurchOfJesusChrist #RiseZion #NiceneCreed #CouncilOfNicaea #ArianControversy #Restoration #JosephSmith #BookOfMormon #JesusChrist #Trinity #Godhead #ChristianDebate #Trump #GlennBeck #FaithAndPolitics #SecondComing #ReligiousLiberty