If only people who pray, would leave it at that, Reg, but they don't, because they can't. Prayer is just one manifestation of their faith, and their faith often dictates many things: opposition to competing faiths, fear of "the other", be they gay, women, apostates, or infidels, fear of change, fear of whatever. Their faith leads them to demand public policies that bend to their views (opposition to the aforementioned groups is but an example).

As to Jesus, in half his moods, he surely was not the non-violent peacenik whom many believe or wish him to be.

But I get your main point, Reg. It's so damn hypocritical to hear the all too predictable calls for prayer in the wake of shootings and other tragedies. If prayer was so effective, why wouldn't an all mighty deity take preemptive action and simply blow that hurricane out to sea, extinguish the California fires with a rainstorm, or give Steven Paddock an aneurysm before he began his shooting spree.

Peter T.