There has been a trend in recent years to attack those who offer thoughts and prayers when tragedies strike. It’s particularly rampant on social media where virtue signaling is an art and everyone loves to call for others to act even if they’re not acting themselves.
The terrorist attack at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, has left dozens dead and the entire world in a state of shock. Regardless of religious beliefs, we should be appalled by all forms of terrorism. Those of us who believe in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ often turn to prayer at times like these, knowing two things for certain: 1) Prayer is powerful at helping in any situation, even times of strife like these, and 2) There’s little else we can do from this side of the Pacific Ocean.
Nevertheless, we still saw a flurry of attacks on those offering thoughts and prayers. One in particular came from our least favorite new Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

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

To answer directly:

Actually, prayers are exactly what's needed in times like these. And before. And after. Perhaps if more people were in faithful prayer and not hyperventilating over the virtue signaling they love to hear from politicians like you, we could achieve more as a people. https://t.co/DU6ZGAVffO

— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) March 15, 2019

Tragedies require action. In this case, it is apparently the actions of white supremacists wishing to remove Muslims from the area that prompted these heinous attacks. They were not on terror watch lists. There was no apparent warning. We’ll learn in coming days if there were signs that could have been seen by those close to the terrorists that should have been reported, but for now we are working under the assumption that these attacks could not have been prevented.
There’s a problem with events like these, and it doesn’t matter what reason, race, religion, or ideology characterizes the terrorists. They invariably lead to restrictions that affect the masses. Whether that manifests as calls for more gun laws, increased surveillance, more watch lists, more aggressive actions against those on the watch lists, or a combination of these things, there will definitely be something that comes from it. As humans, we want actions to prevent catastrophes and when they’re at the top of mind following an event, we want them faster. This is when big mistakes can be made, such as the Patriot Act.
But I digress…
We must do what we can to subdue the hatred that drives terrorist attacks, but we must also be cognizant that these events will happen no matter what actions we take. This is why prayer shouldn’t be dismissed, especially at times like these.

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