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“Our thoughts and prayers are with you.” This statement of sympathy was largely predictable, and in the aftermath of the tragic event has been increasingly questioned or ridiculed by cynics for its appropriateness. It’s become a staple in both condolence cards and tweets. People are offended by these seven condolences delivered in response to the heartbreaking news.
But that doesn’t stop these words from being true, and they’ve been used a lot lately in the wake of the tragic school shooting in Nashville. Louisville, Kentucky.
When did this become a petty statement, a standard expression of sympathy for those who have suffered some serious loss? Why does this phrase make some people angry or upset when it is used? Does it make a difference?
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Some point to the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Lyttelton, Colorado as the first time the phrase “thoughts and prayers” was circulated in the national media. Since then, public officials, first responders, community leaders, and media spokespersons have parroted these words when dealing with the families of victims of mass shootings, accidents, natural disasters, and military victims. I’ve been to
Neighbor Brian Menefee kneels in front of a memorial at the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville on Tuesday, April 11, 2023. Former National Bank employee Conor Sturgeon reportedly shot five people dead and wounded several others. The day before. (Alexander Kent of Fox News Digital)
In all fairness, most people who express their condolences through “thoughts and prayers” do so wholeheartedly with genuine concern and compassion for those who have suffered personal loss or the death of a loved one. sends a simple message of shared grief: “I feel your pain.” A sympathetic message of suffering that they are not alone. Devout people express their thoughts and prayers as a personal commitment to evoke God’s promise to “stay close to the broken-hearted and save the spirit-stricken.” (Psalm 34:18, ESV).
Unfortunately, the phrase “think and pray” has fallen victim to semantic saturation. This is a phenomenon where overusing or repeating a powerful word or phrase incessantly causes it to eventually lose its intended meaning. Of course, the repeated use of the “thoughts and prayers” response is a sad comment on a world that is constantly filled with news of the latest mass shootings, horrific crimes, or natural disasters.
Secular and cynical people are increasingly outraged by those who offer prayerful condolences to those personally affected by the tragedy.December 2, 2015, California A shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, State, left 14 people dead and others injured at a holiday party. Stunned and grief-stricken by the shooting, condolences flooded across the media, including an overwhelming response: “Our thoughts and prayers are with you.” One newspaper responded indignantly with the plain headline “God Hasn’t Fixed This”. “Prayer is not working!” the newspaper wrote.
American journalist Emma Greene New Yorker, responded by dubbing the headline as nothing less than “Prayer Shame”. Perhaps for those who do not believe in God or higher powers or spiritual forces of any kind, offering our “thoughts and prayers” in response to tragedy seems hollow and thoughtless. increase.
Some believe that such responses are nothing more than futile idioms, well-worn clichés that fail to offer the patient real comfort, or concrete plans of action to prevent such events in the future. .
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It is true that grieving people need more than our sympathetic and encouraging words. Condolences don’t stop there.First, we need to follow up dedication Pray with our prayers for those facing personal loss or the death of a loved one.
Religious people believe that their passionate and heartfelt prayers unleash tremendous power, moving God to surround those affected by tragedy with supernatural comfort, peace, and hope. increase.
In all fairness, most people who express their condolences through “thoughts and prayers” do so wholeheartedly with genuine concern and compassion for those who have suffered personal loss or the death of a loved one. sends a simple message of shared grief: “I feel your pain.”
Second, the delivery of “our thoughts and prayers” must move us to action on behalf of those in dire straits. Whether it is political activism, professional training in disaster response, or the development of best practices for creating safe public spaces, we must work together in prayer.
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Finally, our thoughts and prayers for others require follow-up support, such as providing meals, cards, letters, and community support to those enduring the painful grieving process.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the community who continue to grieve those involved in the recent massacre of three children and three adults at a Covenant school in Nashville, Tennessee. We must pray for the families affected by this mass shooting. Still, that does not preclude the urgent need for Americans to have meaningful debates and develop preventative action plans to push back the forces of evil in an imperfect world.
