House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., defended prayer as a response to crisis and tragedy, and said at the 64th National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday that he sees a “growing impatience with prayer in our culture.”
Ryan, who is Catholic, suggested social media and newspapers seem to reject prayer as a solution.
“When people say they’re praying for someone or something, the attitude in some quarters seems to be, ‘Don’t just pray; do something about it.'” Ryan said. “But the thing is, when you are praying, you are doing something about it.”
Last year, there was a backlash against people on Twitter who called for prayers for workers in a San Bernardino, Calif., office building who were shot by Islamic terrorists.
The next day, the New York Daily News ran the front page headline, “God isn’t fixing this,” and advocated instead for stricter gun control.
But Ryan defended those who offer prayer. He said prayer is essential, especially for people in grief or facing difficulties.
“It says a lot about our country that people of both parties, and all faiths, will drop everything and pray for their fellow Americans,” Ryan said. “What it says is, we believe in the dignity of the individual. And that is why prayer should always come first.”
