pray_for_oklahomaThe Facebook messages have already started.  As Oklahoma digs out of the destruction caused by tornados, well-minded people have started reminding each other to “pray for Oklahoma”.  I can’t think of anything more useless.  Praying obviously had no effect on the path or strength of the tornados, and if they did, I’d still have a serious problem with the deity in charge of such things.  A much more useful idea, and one guaranteed to help, would be to donate to recognized charities responding to the area.  Cash donations are what serves those agencies best, allowing them to respond in the most efficient manner possible.

You can talk to yourself all you want (praying), but that won’t do anything but let you think you’ve done your part to help.  You haven’t.  If you really think “God” responds to your prayers, you still have, or more precisely “God” has, a lot of explaining to do about the whole process.

Don’t pray.  Act.