I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; (1 Timothy 2:1)

While driving recently on Maitland Boulevard in central Florida, I came upon a billboard with a simple message: “Pray for Our Troops.”

Although I am often very critical of the actions of U.S. troops, I do believe—in spite of what people may think—in prayer for our troops. This is because, as evidenced above, the Bible exhorts us to pray for all men, which includes U.S. troops.

The problem is not the idea of praying for the troops, but the usual prayers that are offered on their behalf. When the typical church-going, prayer-saying American Christian sees such a billboard or is enjoined in church to pray for our troops, he generally thinks:

Pray that our troops be kept out of harm’s way.

Pray that our troops defeat our enemies.

Pray that our troops defend our freedoms.

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Pray that our troops find terrorists who want to do us harm.

Pray that our troops eliminate the threat of al Qaeda.

Pray that our troops rid the world of weapons of mass destruction.

Pray that our troops spread democracy and freedom.

Pray that our troops avenge 9/11.

Some Christians, if they were honest, would pray that our troops’ bombs, bullets, grenades, missiles, and mortars hit their targets. Or if they were really honest, a war prayer for the twenty-first century.

The problem with these prayers is that no thought is ever given to:

Where our troops go.

Why our troops go.

Whether our troops should go.

How long our troops should stay.

What our troops do when they are there.

How much it costs to keep our troops there.

How many innocent foreigners die because our troops went.

What physical and mental condition our troops will be in when they return.

Whether our troops are really defending our freedom.

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Whether our troops are actually a global force for good.

Whether whatever our troops accomplish is worth one drop of American blood.

None of these things matter. We are continually told to pray for the troops, thank the troops, and support the troops—and to do so unconditionally.

But because I have considered these questions about the activities of our troops, and pay attention to what really goes on in the military, I think we should instead:

Pray that our troops come home from overseas.

Pray that our troops stop fighting foreign wars.

Pray that our troops don’t kill foreign civilians.

Pray that our troops don’t rape foreign women.

Pray that our troops stop invading countries.

Pray that our troops stop occupying countries.

Pray that our troops get out of the military as soon as they can.

Pray that our troops don’t fire their weapons.

Pray that our troops don’t sexually assault military personnel.

Pray that our troops don’t frequent brothels.

Pray that our troops don’t commit suicide.

Pray that our troops don’t get addicted to drugs.

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Pray that our troops stop making drone strikes.

Pray that our troops stop making widows and orphans.

Pray that our troops are only used for genuinely defensive purposes.

Pray that our troops stop intervening in other countries.

Pray that our troops don’t die for a lie, like those who died fighting in Iraq.

Pray that our troops don’t die in vain, like those who died fighting in Afghanistan.

Pray that our troops think about the morality of their “service.”

Pray that our troops refuse to obey immoral orders.

Pray that our troops never become troops by saying no to the military recruiter.

One does not have to be religious to see that these prayers are noticeably different from the previous ones. Think about this the next time you see a billboard or church sign that says “Pray for Our Troops.”

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