Rep. Ocasio-Cortez: "What Good Are Your Thoughts & Prayers" After a Tragedy?

[NeoGreen]

https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/03/15/rep-ocasio-cortez-what-good-are-your-thoughts-prayers-after-a-tragedy/

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez: “What Good Are Your Thoughts & Prayers” After a Tragedy?
By Sarahbeth Caplin, March 15, 2019

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t want to hear anyone’s #ThoughtsAndPrayers in light of the terrorist attack against Muslims in New Zealand.

At 1st I thought of saying, “Imagine being told your house of faith isn’t safe anymore.”
But I couldn’t say “imagine.”
Because of Charleston.
Pittsburgh.
Sutherland Springs.
What good are your thoughts & prayers when they don’t even keep the pews safe?pic.twitter.com/2mSw0azDN8
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 15, 2019

She later said she was specifically referring to people — like conservative politicians and pro-gun enthusiasts — who only offer thoughts and prayers in the wake of massacres while getting in the way of any actions that might prevent these tragedies in the future.

She’s right to say that a house of worship ought to be a safe space for the people inside. Everyone deserves a place to belong. Everyone should be able to feel protected when surrounded by their community members.

It’s also worth noting that more people were murdered yesterday in those mosques than New Zealand usually sees in the span of an entire year. The country’s gun laws were tightened in the 90s when the government literally bought back assault rifles, claiming that military-grade weapons had no place in the hands of civilians.

[edhopper]

1. Thank you

Representative, something we can get behind.
Thoughts and Prayers are as effective as Voodoo Dolls and Energy Crystals.

[Arkansas Granny]

2. I suppose she will get roasted for those comments. There's something about that young woman

that scares the wingnuts to death.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

3. IMO she's exactly right. They're utterly useless and meaningless.

[dubyadiprecession]

4. "Thoughts and prayers"

Is the same old verbal diarrhea spouted every time these tragedies happen.
We need manmade solutions to manmade problems.
We all know (whether you’re relious or not) that bad people are going to do horrible things to the innocent.
The mentally ill are still getting guns, and words aren’t doing enough to help the grieving families or stop future tragedies.

[raging moderate]

5. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez is actually quoting the Bible.

The Letter of James, Chapter 2, Verses 14-17: "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have any works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you say to them, "Go in peace; may you be warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself without good works is dead."

[Igel]

8. Same for denunciations of the killer.

Or saying, "Well, I really don't care."

They all rise to the same level of "nothing's done," whether expressions of good will and sympathy, encouragement, etc.

Which puts James' letter in context. Because elsewhere, encouragement itself is a good work; but if somebody's starving, it doesn't matter. So for the dead, it doesn't matter if we say, "I'll pray for you," "Your killer's a bad person," or "Really, he's killed? Why should I care? Maybe he's better off feeding some root system!"

If, however, you look to the living, will they each have the same result? If you have no way to help a person, is there a difference between telling a person "FOAD" and "you have my deepest sympathy"?

Faith alone isn't even up to the standard of encouragement.

[RestoreAmerica2020]

6. God to people: enough with the thoughts and prayers--asking for a little

..cooperation here! Video at link: I sent you a row boat.

[Ps. Example of action/cooperation rather than just prayers: BREAKING: Prime Minister @jacindaardern says Cabinet has made "in principle" decisions on gun laws, which will be made public by next Monday - so there will be gun reforms within 10 days of the Christchurch terrorist attack.]


https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DOcDlFlOvmCE&ved=2ahUKEwin18jHlozhAhWDCTQIHbIgDbgQwqsBMAF6BAgBEAU&usg=AOvVaw3jIIZnasv5_tatpMfTKE4i

[msongs]

7. your god either caused or failed to prevent the tragedy. why pray to it? nt