The backlash towards those who want to pray on behalf of others experiencing misfortune is, pardon the term, horseshit. It’s become a common tactic for the Left as of late.
Not everyone can afford the time to do something. Not everyone can financially afford assistance. Not everyone is physically capable of doing something. Should those who cannot simply turn a blind eye? Should they all out ignore the situation? Of course not. They can offer condolence. They can offer empathy and sympathy. They can offer words and thoughts of encouragement. They can offer prayer.
Demeaning the good will of others is not only a type of bullying, but is often hypocritical because those complaining generally aren’t doing anything productive themselves. The argument is “well, there are other ways one can take action beyond thoughts and prayers”. I will grant that this is accurate much of the time. The problem with this rebuttal to “thoughts and prayers” is that most people are doing something.
The suggestion that thoughts and prayers aren’t good enough tends to be taken out of context. I say this because providing such sympathetic offerings don’t have to be followed up with an explanation as to what someone is doing in order to affect change.
I use the example of shootings – school shootings are a hot topic for this. There is a flood of empathy sent out. People feel terrible about the fact that the event took place. They are heartbroken over the loss of life and sympathize for those who have experienced loss. Then comes the “it’s not enough, we need action!” crap.
What fails to be realized by those whining about more action is that a surprising number of people who offer thoughts and prayers do indeed also take action. The issue is that the actions taken don’t tend to align with the actions that the whiners desire. Ultimately, though, that’s the whiners problem.
The bottom line is: get off your high horse. Letting people assist as best they can with the mourning process is amicable. Stop claiming people “aren’t doing enough” when there is no possible way to know for sure what exactly said people are or are not doing.
-Mike H