There seems to be a backlash to this almost reflexive (and increasingly meaningless) response to mass shootings, best exemplified by the cover of today’s New York Daily News:
There has also been a backlash to the backlash. Christians got offended at what is being called “thoughts and prayers shaming”. The Weekly Standard offered a headline that blared,“Liberal Outrage Over Prayers for Shooting Victims.” And the American Conservative predictably complained that “We have reached the point in our culture in which leading voices on the Left feel compelled to shout from the rooftops condemnation on Christians for offering something as ordinary and decent as prayers for atrocity victims as a first response to news of the killings. Think about that for a moment. When the simple offering of prayers for the dead and wounded are grounds for spiteful attack, it is hard to avoid wondering just what commonalities bind us as Americans anymore.” And Fox & Friends First tweeted out “Prayer Shaming After Mass Shooting: While GOP Calls For Prayers, Mainstream Media Mocks Them.” Here’s Rand Paul:
This @NYDailyNews cover is deplorable. Genuine thoughts and prayers are not political fodder https://t.co/XPSQGA31Te pic.twitter.com/ftPSvON2SQ
— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) December 3, 2015
Uh no. What is being attacked is offering “thoughts and prayers” in the absence of action. Nothing wrong with “thoughts and prayers” itself, especially if….
Your “thoughts” should be about steps to take to stop this carnage. Your “prayers” should be for forgiveness if you do nothing – again. — Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) December 2, 2015
That’s a good point. I suspect that most of these politicians don’t actually pray at all. I wish they could be asked, what do you think about? What to you pray for? Peace for the family’s of the victims, certainly — but is that IT? What are you doing to make sure you aren’t thinking about and praying for FUTURE victims’ families? Today’s Internet belongs to Mary Beth Williams at Slate, if only for writing this:
It’s not prayer shaming to say that a lot of us — a lot of us who find comfort in prayer — are sick of the very people whose rhetoric and policies are helping perpetuate a culture of death hiding helplessly behind God whenever blood is shed. Which happens to occur quite often.
Related:
Does God hate @GovMikeHuckabee? Huck keeps praying for gun violence to end and God ignores him. #thoughtsandprayerspic.twitter.com/ukxhcmqeOX — Scott Wooledge (@Clarknt67) December 3, 2015
Also related: Look how the other New York tabloid changed its cover:
Before —
Later on —
Blatant bigotry aside, it’s also important to call out the Post’s inconsistent focus on religion in the aftermath of mass shootings in America. After last Friday’s Planned Parenthood shooting in Colorado, the paper not only failed to feature the story on its front page, its editors opted not to label the shooter a “Christian Killer” in any accompanying stories.
And THIS: