3. “Did you hear…?”
Rumors are coming.
And conspiracy theories.
They always do, following incidents like this.
Followers of Jesus must always speak with grace and truth. Not innuendo and rumor.
Resist the urge to pass along any news that hasn’t been proven by reliable sources. There’s enough misinformation out there without Christians starting or sharing untruths.
4. “I don’t agree with their lifestyle (or politics, or religion, or…), but…”
When people are in pain, why even mention our differences?
I don’t care what side of the moral, religious, political, ethnic or sexual fence you’re on right now. Even if you’re not on my side.
In the face of massive loss due to horrifying evil, we need to concentrate on our common humanity.
5. “Everything happens for a reason”
No. It just doesn’t.
Evil has no reason. It is anti-reason. And anti-love.
And don’t spout any nonsense about evil balancing out the good. Evil balances nothing. It keeps everything off balance.
That’s why God hates it.
“Everything happens for a reason” is more pagan than Christian. It’s more about Karma than Christ.
Evil is not supposed to happen. It does. Obviously. But it shouldn’t.
In order to make sense of things, we’re tempted to offer easy answers. But when people are in pain, we need to resist the urge. Uncomfortable silence is better than false platitudes.
“I don’t know why this happened, but I’m crying with you” is a far better answer to someone who has lost a loved one than hackneyed tripe like “God must have wanted another angel.”
If you don’t know what to say, don’t say anything at all.
What to Do Instead of Talking
The biblical response to those in pain is simple, but profound.
Cry with those who cry.
So, to the families, friends and loved ones of those affected by this unspeakable evil…
There is no way for us to know what you’re going through. So we won’t pretend we do.
But we are crying with you.
**This post originally appeared on Christianity Today.
See more from Karl Vaters on his blog.
