Joshua Gill on February 14, 2018
Gun control advocates slammed offers of thoughts and prayers on Twitter mere minutes after news broke of a Florida school shooting on Ash Wednesday.
Critics took to Twitter to bash those offering thoughts and prayers moments after news broke that a gunman attacked students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and shot at least 14 victims on Wednesday afternoon, the first day of Lent.
A student identified only as Aidan who was trapped within the school during the shooting and posted pictures from the inside of his classroom. The student requested that those on the outside send their love and prayers to the victims’ families, but gun control advocates had none of it.
https://twitter.com/TheCaptainAidan/status/963876909628215296
Those who dared to offer thoughts and prayers for him and for those suffering loss on Wednesday met with a barrage of outrage from celebrities and other notable figures on social media. Some critics even accused those who offered thoughts and prayers of not only insulting those affected by school shootings, but also of being complicit in the shootings themselves.
Fuck GOP& their thoughts & prayers – those words are an insult & degradation to the dead- & a debasement & insult to both thought and prayer – what that really means is keep the money coming – https://t.co/UxxU6bvzSp
— John Cusack (@johncusack) February 14, 2018
Several critics specifically called out President Donald Trump and members of the GOP who offered words of comfort and prayers and accused them of doing nothing to help prevent school shootings since, in their view, gun control trumps divine aid. Many of them completely dismissed prayer as having no value on the first day of one of the holiest liturgical seasons in the Christian faith.
Yes, but we can all feel safer because Rubio's and Trump's thoughts and prayers are with the victims https://t.co/sAPcLPOBpa
— John Merrow (@John_Merrow) February 14, 2018
How are those WH “thoughts and prayers” working out? https://t.co/VXJI22AFpI
— Michael McKee (@mckonomy) February 14, 2018
https://twitter.com/jd_evermore/status/963891947059470336
https://twitter.com/ChristianCooper/status/963891663583182848
You take bushels of cash from the @NRA to make sure these watery #thoughtsandprayers are all you'll ever do, Portman. #GunControlNow
— Dennis Perkins Will Never Pay Apartheid Boy A Dime (@DennisPerkins5) February 14, 2018
I will take back everything bad I’ve ever said about Trump if he does something about the gun issue.
But hey thoughts and prayers seem to be crushing it soooo.
— Nathan Graham (@TheNathanGraham) February 14, 2018
On days like this, "thoughts and prayers" with no further action, may as well be bullets in the next mass shooting.#GunControlNow #NRA#Parkland #GOP
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) February 14, 2018
Thoughts and prayers have been as effective as Porto's defense tonight when it comes to preventing the next mass shooting in US- have we not had enough? Doing nothing at all can no longer be the answer
— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) February 14, 2018
Every time you send #thoughtsandprayers a child shoots another child in the face.
— mark hamilton (@MxHamx) February 14, 2018
Some critics also accused congressmen who offered thoughts and prayers of taking “blood money” from the NRA.
.@JimInhofe received $3,795 in expenditures from @NRA and continues to oppose any efforts to limit guns in America.
All he does is tweet his thoughts and prayers. https://t.co/QAQSeVwAIj
— igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) February 14, 2018
Hey @GOP @realDonaldTrump @HouseGOP take your impotent, mealy-mouthed 'thoughts and prayers,' and shove them right up your complicit asses. Stop taking @NRA bribes and DO YOUR FUCKING JOBS. You fill your pockets and children die. #GunControlNow #floridashooting
— Michael Grant – GONE TV trailer in bio (@MichaelGrantBks) February 14, 2018
Whether the critics intended to do so or not, they bashed the request of one of the very victims confronted with the horror of the school shooting and insulted the faith of millions of Christians who today entered a season of contemplating Christ’s sacrifice, many of whom beseeched God to grant peace and healing to the survivors of the tragedy and the families of the victims.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and those forever affected by todays tragedy@browardsheriff @CoralSpringsFL @CoralSpringsFD pic.twitter.com/mzdzPNq0os
— IMPD (@IMPDnews) February 14, 2018
https://twitter.com/Rep_Hunter/status/963902673392164864
The student who requested prayers via twitter thankfully survived the shooting unscathed, uplifted by all those who reached out to him with messages of prayer and encouragement.
Send tips to joshua@
