Passive Prayer, Active Hypocrisy

I have not been able to post for a while for a variety of reasons. There's simply too much to digest right now related to the hurricane, but there's a question I wanted to record now while it's fresh in my mind: Why do public officials say "The victims are in our thoughts and prayers"?

If they are really praying, why not just say "I am praying for the victims"? Saying that someone is "in my prayers", or even worse, "my prayers are with them" is a way for politicians to invoke God without admitting that they pray. And most public figures don't even say "I", they say "we" and "our".

Elected officials should not be allowed to associate themselves with religion without actually admitting that they are religious -- it's hypocritical.

I am praying for the victims and their families, and I encourage everyone to do the same.