This Time It's Personal
A new low in mocking thoughts and prayers
I have written before about my distaste for the mocking of thoughts and prayers, and the singular focus on gun control in response to mass shootings.
Those pieces were written from the perspective of an uninvolved third party extending thoughts and prayers to the victims of these shootings, and I stand by every word of them.
But in this instance, my faith community was targeted. Somebody fired into a Catholic church filled with school children. While I am not directly victimized, I identify more directly with the victims of this event than I have with others.
And some prominent public figures (the mayor of the city impacted, the spokesperson for the previous president, the governor of the most populous state) think this is a great time to lecture me about the ineffectiveness of “thoughts and prayers.”
I consider these people about one tick above Westboro Baptist Church.
I am mourning a tragedy in my faith community, where someone shot children while praying, and you’re telling me that prayer is useless. Contempt may not be strong enough a word.
“But I’m only criticizing people who think prayer is a substitute for action!”
Two responses to this:
Literally nobody is claiming that prayer is a substitute for action. To take an obvious example, nobody would think that someone who has an opportunity to thwart the shooter would be better served praying. The priest celebrating the Mass ran toward the bullets. This is a strawman.
This mocking began on the literal day of the event. What exact “actions” were we supposed to have taken in that time?
“But this is a series of events and nothing has been done”
And we retreat further into the motte.
This is frustrating. I’m frustrated, too.
But I recognize that there is disagreement about the best actions to take to address this problem. I know, that to you, the next course of action is blindingly obvious, but it is not to everyone. The fact that your preferred policy has not been implemented does not mean that other people don’t care, or are happy with the situation.
You have to win the argument. And sneering at people’s manner of grieving is a counterproductive way to do that, and leads me that you care more about lashing out than solving problems.
I will also remind you that we currently have a president prone to impetuous actions that violate norms and stretch legality against those he perceives to be his legal enemies.
Those wishing for “action” rather than prayer and reflection in response to a transgender person opening fire on Catholic church full of schoolchildren may not be happy with the results.
If you want to continue mocking “thoughts and prayers,” I can’t stop you. And if you want to tell yourself a story about how you’re just criticizing those who don’t follow up their prayer with action, that’s between you and God (or your conscience).
But I’m not fooled by it.
I have heard many lamentations about our divided, dark times, with the implication that this all comes from Trump.
And, yes, Trump is bad. But stuff like this plays a role as well. And if you play along, you’re part of the problem.
And if you come to me claiming to be all about love and kindness, and you’ve joined in on this, I’m going to remember it.