, Columnist
Does Prayer Help Disaster Victims? Here's One Way to Measure It
People who pray in response to tragic events seem less inclined to take action to help, a new study suggests.
Thoughts, prayers and then what?
Photographer: Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images
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After a tragedy, it is common for people to send “thoughts and prayers.” Skeptics argue that it’s much better to do something more tangible – to send money, to volunteer, or to press for reforms that will reduce future tragedies.
In the context of gun control, the idea of thoughts and prayers has become a parody of ineffectual and even pathetic responses to horrific events. Some people decry thoughts and prayers as doing nothing – except to make bystanders feel better about themselves.