O P I N I O N
THE SOAPBOX
Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.
Here in Manchester, we understand something fundamental: faith is personal, but the consequences of war are not.
They are felt in our neighborhoods, in our schools, and in the lives of families who send loved ones into uniform. They are felt in the cost of living, in strained public resources, and in the quiet worry that comes when the world feels increasingly unstable.
That is why the language we use about war matters.
Recently, Americans have heard calls from national leaders to pray for victory in explicitly Christian terms—language that suggests U.S. military action carries divine favor. That should concern all of us.
The United States is not a religious state. It is a constitutional democracy made up of many faiths—and of those who follow none. Our military serves all of them. It does not act in the name of any one religion, nor should it ever be framed that way.
Because when war is wrapped in the language of divine purpose, something important is lost: accountability.
At the same time, a very different message has come from Rome.
Pope Leo XIV has called for a ceasefire, urging leaders to step back from violence and return to dialogue. He has spoken plainly about the human cost—about children, families, and communities caught in the devastation of war—and reminded the world that violence cannot deliver the peace people are hoping for.
That message resonates here.
Manchester is a city built on diversity—of faith, of culture, of experience. We don’t all worship the same way, but we share a common understanding that no one speaks for God in matters of war and peace. That is not how our democracy works, and it is not how we protect the freedom of belief that defines us.
The principle of separation of church and state is not abstract. It is practical. It ensures that decisions about war are made through evidence, debate, and accountability—not through claims of divine endorsement.
Faith still has a role—but it is not to justify.
It is to challenge.
It asks us to look honestly at the consequences of our actions.
It asks leaders to examine their conscience, not elevate their certainty.
And it reminds us that strength is not measured only by force, but by restraint.
We can support our troops while also asking hard questions about the decisions that place them in harm’s way.
We can stand for security while still insisting on humanity.
And we can recognize that calling for a ceasefire is not weakness—it is a recognition that the cost of continuing may be greater than the cost of stopping.
In Manchester, where we value independence, common sense, and responsibility, that should not be a controversial idea.
It should be common ground.
Because at the end of the day, faith should not be used to justify war.
It should be the voice that calls us back from it.
David Preece represents Manchester in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and is a longtime urban and regional planner who previously served as executive director of the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission.
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