Sacrifices on the Altar

For believers and cynical, manipulative creeps, "thoughts and prayers" has become the stock answer to any tragedy befalling Americans, especially school shootings. They don't want to discuss any actual solutions, but apparently think that thinking and praying will help avoid more children being slaughtered than the obvious answer, "let's do something about the guns."

Now, like any sensible person, I don't believe in any gods. But my non-faith was seriously tested this week when a deranged person attacked a group of schoolchildren at church, WHILE THEY WERE PRAYING. I was thinking that maybe there is a deity because this seems like some god-level trolling.

Shouldn't the "that hurricane was sent by god to punish the gays" crowd get the obvious message? Prayer doesn't prevent kids from being murdered at school or church. You really couldn't get a more on-the-nose example of how prayer DOESN'T work. But of course these people use the "thoughts and prayers" disingenuously and are completely unable to get the message. They'll continue to let kids get murdered because it owns the libs or something.

I'd appreciate the irony of the situation if it didn't involve horrors and death being inflicted on children.