Paul Ryan Defends His Call For Prayers After Texas Mass Shooting: Prayer Works

[packman]

Source: Huffington Post

It’s disappointing, it’s sad, and this is what you’ll get from the far secular left. People who do not have faith don’t understand faith, I guess I’d have to say. And it is the right thing to do is to pray in moments like this, because you know what? Prayer works. And I know you believe that, and I believe that and when you hear the secular left doing this thing, it’s no wonder you have so much polarization and disunity in this country when people think like that


https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paul-ryan-mass-shooting-prayer_us_5a014f1fe4b07eb51181be67?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Read more: Link to source

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Note the slap at the left - We do not have faith and don't understand faith and shifting the polarization and disunity in the country to those who lack faith .

[snooper2]

1. I've been praying for Paul Ryan to get boils on his face

hasn't worked yet

[janterry]

2. Fine. Quit and become a minister.

Otherwise, do the job you are paid for and legislate.

[DetlefK]

3. Okay. Next time Conservatives speak out against abortion, tell them to go pray.

Pray the abortion away.

[Freethinker65]

23. Yep. They obviously have no faith

[ancianita]

4. If it worked we'd be the safest country on the planet.

[PatrickforO]

5. Sorry, Paul, but the criticism was not about the expression of faith.

It was about holding a sanctimonious public moment of 'prayerful silence' after the umphteenth mass shooting this year.

We want political action expanding background checks, not public prayers and no action.

[bitterross]

6. Actually, every study on the efficacy of prayer finds it does not work.

I know I'm using science here and that won't work for the GOP.

[Merlot]

27. prayer makes the person praying feel good

and that's all.

[VermontKevin]

35. How do they feel when their god doesn't listen?

[OriginalGeek]

39. we were told he always listens

but sometimes the answer is "no". Mysterious ways and whatnot. They still feel good because they tried.

[billh58]

7. Okay, I get it.

Only Republican prayers work after a mass shooting. According to the Gun Violence archive Republicans need to pray on a daily basis in order to keep up. It all works out, because Republicans spend a lot of time on their knees in front of their corporate masters and the NRA anyway. Might as well pray while they're down there.

[AJT]

8. Well, his prayers for destroying the "New Deal" and the "Great Society" are coming true.

Praise the Lord

[FiveGoodMen]

48. Those prayers are coming true in the sense that "God helps those who help themselves"

[logosoco]

9. So is this why he and his fellow Congress people could not create a health care system

for our citizens? Maybe they think everyone should just pray instead of going to the doctor or a hospital.

[delisen]

11. Incredible self-serving cynicism.

[Grins]

12. Well, then....

If "prayer works", then why were 46 in a church shot or killed?

Unless, of course, Congressman, you think those getting shot PRAYED to be shot.

For another nightmare on this level of stew-pud, P.M. Carpenter offers up Pastor Hans Fiene:

http://www.pmcarpenter.com/2017/11/this-one-you-wont-believe.html

A snip to make you gag: "When those saints of First Baptist Church were murdered...God wasn’t ignoring their prayers. He was answering them…."

[Kablooie]

15. No one prayed for them NOT to be shot ahead of time so God thought it would be OK.

[Kablooie]

13. So God only helps people who ask for help?

He knows what goes on and what everyone feels but refuses to do anything to help except for those who kowtow and beg him.

A wise and forgiving God.

[MGKrebs]

60. I've never understood how this is supposed to work.

So is God undecided? If enough people pray he will change his mind? What, "Oh, now I see. That was a mistake. Thank you human Christians for straightening me out"?

Or is it that he doesn't really care, and it's like a competition to see who can pray the most/best?

Really?

The idea of a non-sentient universal spirit that can be affected by our thoughts (prayers) makes more sense to me, and may actually have some connection to science.

[meow2u3]

14. Prayer without appropriate action is empty and hypocritcal

The far religious right is a prime example of empty prayer in (in)action.

[LeftInTX]

53. Ryan is Catholic and he knows this

Maybe he needs to go to confession.

[meow2u3]

59. IDK if confession will help him

Maybe Pope Francis ought to excommunicate him for his blatantly un-Catholic--to the point of crypto-Satanic (can you say Ayn Rand?)-- attitude towards the poor.

[LeftInTX]

61. That would be fun!!

[Qutzupalotl]

16. He also thinks trickle-down economics works.

And straw-man arguments. And sanctimonious deflection.

[turbinetree]

17. Hey Ryan, FUCK YOU and your self serving right wing party

you have no concept that the people that are getting murdered or committing murder, suicide are left wing or right wing---------what have you done to solve this problem---------------------fucking nothing-------------your a chickenshit hypocrite, and then have the audacity, and the mendacity to you lay it at the feet of the "secular left".


I don't know what fucking church you go too but whatever it is they have failed in there mission statement, and I don't want to know what the name of the church is, because if I wanted to go there I couldn't , because of you, they must teach MENDACITY

[SamKnause]

18. Put up or shut up.

Prove that prayer works.

Show me the studies.

Show me the research.

Show me the facts.

Show me the data.

Show me the proof.

Show me the peer reviewed studies.

You can't.

There isn't any proof that prayer works.

[Bleacher Creature]

58. Nor will there ever be such proof.

It's such an incredible racket. There's no way to prove or disprove any of it, and when you call them out on it, it gets turned back on the skeptic for having no faith.

[BlueIdaho]

19. You want to know what works better?

Smart gun laws.

[Plucketeer]

20. Faith my ass

Your constituents showed their "faith" when they marked your name on the ballot. Wouldn't it be interesting if we could ask some of them what their faith in you has afforded them.

I submit that we ought to have some religion-identifying smilies to use when appropriate...... OH! Wait! There IS such a smilie for Ryan and his partners in crime ->

[world wide wally]

21. Okay. I'll pray you lose your next election

And we'll see if prayer can overcome gerrymandering

[argyl]

22. His eye is on the sparrow.

Meanwhile, humans are being slaughtered by the dozens, the hundreds of thousands, and the millions.

[alterfurz]

24. "Other countries must have fewer mass shootings because...

...their conservative politicians offer thoughts and prayers more vigorously." -- @mattyglesias (2Dec2015)

[JDC]

26. exactly

[Orrex]

25. What if we pray that Paul Ryan gets struck by lightning 10 or 12 times?

[NRaleighLiberal]

28. Where's the data, Paul?

If prayer worked, trump would not be president and ryan would not be in office.

Here's what works - greed, grift, lobbying, lying, and hypocrisy. And that is pretty pathetic.

[pangaia]

29. This word 'faith,' the way it is so often used, gives me the creepie creeps....

faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith
faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith

See what I mean?

[FiveGoodMen]

49. Faith

Religious definition:

A promise to one's self and others to stick to a particular story regardless of what the evidence might say.

[pangaia]

57. Also, 99.999 % of the time - "Hoping like hell that something is true."

"Faith of consciousness is freedom.
Faith of feeling is slavery.
Faith of body is stupidity."

[Laurian]

30. I'm not a religious person, but I do recall the phrase,"God helps those who help themselves".

Something along those lines would be better than just waiting for mysterious devine intervention and explaining bad outcomes as god's will.

"Thoughts and Prayers" is a lazy, cowardly response. Try taking action.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

31. As if the left and right divide so neatly on secular vs religiosity. Does he include muslims in the

Does he include muslims in the right? They are not secular.

Does he believe islamic prayer works?

[reflection]

32. How the hell is it helping?

The only conclusion to be drawn from Ryan's insistence that it works is that he is praying for more shootings, because they are coming at us in a veritable flood, washing the bodies and the blood over this country.

[relayerbob]

40. Exactly my conclusion

[Initech]

33. And Jesus replied:

[lagomorph777]

34. If prayer works, why hasn't Ryan been struck by lightning?

'cause I sure as fuck have been praying for that.

[Sunlei]

36. PRAY Americas #1 in world suicide rate drops? because some mass murder before they suicide.

thoughts & prayers aren't enough 'help' for suicidal people

[Podkayne K]

37. AND THEY PRAYED AFTER:

Pulse Nightclub annihilation

San Bernadino murders

Roseberg Oregon slayings

Charleston, SC killings

Newtown, CN tragedy

Aurora CO exterminations

Blackburg VA butchering

Las Vegas slaughter

And all the other too numerous to mention carnage that has occurred in this country.

But hey, everyday the NRA and gun manufacturers pray: Lord, make me more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$. And sure'nuff they find:
Prayer Works.

[relayerbob]

38. Have any of you considered

that given the reduction of aid for mental health support, the removal of rules around guns and the continual "thoughts and prayers" seeming to be associated with an accelerating rate of combat, that these people are praying for an increase in shootings? I understand faith, and suspect they are praying to the wrong deity

[Nitram]

41. If "prayer works" then why didn't Gawd protect his true believers in that Texas church.

I mean, He could at the very least have saved the baby.

[Nitram]

72. I beg to diagree. "Yea though I walk through the Valley of Death..."

[blueinredohio]

42. We all know what Paul Ryan prays for he told us he's been doing it since college

[Faux pas]

43. Lol if praying really worked,

we would have had world peace centuries ago. Every time I see his lying scheming face I want to blow chunks. Fornicate you ryan and the caballo you rode in on.

[GeorgeGist]

44. He must be praying for more deaths.

[Doreen]

45. Hasn't fucking worked yet you piece of shit!!!

[Motley13]

46. Prayer works? tell that to the 26 dead & the 20 in hospitals

I'm sure it helps their families with their pain

[jiminvegas]

47. Let's just pray for peace

And use the $696,000,000,000 allocated for the military next year for healthcare, schools, infrastructure, etc...

[niyad]

50. hey, paulie boy, if prayer worked, NONE of you assholes would be in power now.

[LuckyLib]

54. +1,000!

[LeftInTX]

51. Message to Paul Ryan:

If prayer works, why don't you quit your job and go home and pray instead?

[Eyeball_Kid]

52. Hey Paul! How about etching the Lord's Prayer on the barrel of every gun produced?

That way, shooters can remember the prayer while they're blazing away. Why they can even pray for their victims WHILE THEY'RE GUNNING THEM DOWN!

Get to work, Paul, with enacting legislation REQUIRING that the Lord's Prayer be etched onto all guns produced.

There will be plenty of religion practiced in the US, since the US, with around 5% of the population, owns 42% of the world's firearms. There will be prayers aplenty!

[RKP5637]

55. If prayer worked, none of you guys would hold an office! n/t

[50 Shades Of Blue]

56. ::: Points Up ::: THIS!!!

[meadowlander]

62. Expect theyll work as well as the last 59 times this year

[NCjack]

63. If prayer works, then the prayers should proceed the massacre, not after. Ask that Gawd not let

the NRA kill anymore of our people.

[paleotn]

64. Prayer works? No it doesn't.

[Loyd]

65. Pauley, from one Irish-American to Another:

I'd call this blarney, but blarney doesn't abet the deaths of 10,000+ Americans every year.

[Blue_Tires]

66. Hey Paul...

Put a gun to your head, ask God to stop the bullet, and then pull the trigger and let me know how that works out for you...

[Blue Owl]

67. It works in the NRA's favor

n/t

[calimary]

70. How 'bout we pray for you to lose your next election, Paul?

THOSE thoughts and prayers I like!

[dflprincess]

71. He's so devoted to his faith

that Nuns on the Bus had to follow him around in 2012 trying to shame him to living up to what they taught in Catechism.

[Grammy23]

73. So which is it?

God has a plan already worked out so therefore he INTENDED for those innocents to be murdered where they sat, in church, worshipping their diety, who at that very moment was planning and allowing for their murderer to shoot them dead.

Or

Pray with all of your might to keep us safe from harm and pestilence and get murdered in the pew anyway.

No matter which you choose to believe, it still amounts to worshipping a diety who allows for a monstrous crime to take your life, even as you are actively worshipping said diety. Oh, yea. 🎼 🎵 Give me some of that Old time religion. 🎶 It’s good enough for me. 🎶

And before I get snarky remarks about my cynicism, just spare me. I spent the first 20 years of my life being steeped in the old time religion. Then spent a while being somewhat neutral about it. Then spent 20 more actively questioning it and trying to sort it all out. I came up with NOTHING To convince me that what I was taught was anything more than man’s attempt to explain the unexplainable and give some kind of explanation for life's BIG QUESTIONS. No logic to any of it. So while I appreciate the good religion does for some people, it boggles my mind how much of it just generates more questions in my mind. And confuses me more than it makes things clearer.