CNN's Chris Cuomo mocked those who offer thoughts and prayers in the wake of a mass shooting, sarcastically taunting anyone who thinks faith in God is the answer to such a human tragedy.
“The only consensus there is, is in a canard and here it is. First, I would like to offer my 'thoughts and prayers,' because that’s what you do when you offer 'thoughts and prayers,'" he said, sneering. "You mock those who lost loved ones, because if you gave it any thought at all, you would never walk away from any of these without figuring out a better way to deal with them."
“And prayer? You think leaving it to God is the answer? We pray for strength, we pray for wisdom, for resolve, but we clearly don’t want to act on any of those here,” he continued. “So what are you praying for?”
“What would it take? how about a stadium full of children of the most influential people in our society all holding puppies? What if they were all shot and killed? Would we act?”
Cuomo's snide comments drew quite a bit of kickback online, including from Ryan Petty, the father of Parkland shooting victim Alaina Petty.
Hi @ChrisCuomo, thoughts & prayers sustained my family and helped us pull through the most dark and difficult time in our lives. It’s not just the ‘thoughts & prayers’ offered, it’s the compassion that follows. https://t.co/LaviisQodC
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) November 9, 2018
This is embarrassing for CNN. https://t.co/guWNsGPrKs
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) November 9, 2018
My prayers are between God and me. And I remain unconcerned what Chris Cuomo or any other man of God’s green earth thinks about them. https://t.co/0CEv8EOccv
— Doctor Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) November 9, 2018
This is disgraceful. Chris Cuomo is embarrassing himself here. https://t.co/tdidCmNhiJ
— Brad Polumbo (@brad_polumbo) November 9, 2018