So far as I know, there were no mass shootings yesterday in Great Britain as the coronation unfolded in London. Nor in Ireland, nor in any of the other nearby nations of western Europe.
But on this side of the Atlantic, down in Texas, a gunman pulled into the parking lot of an outlet mall north of Dallas and killed eight before being shot to death himself.
Those who keep track of such things say that there have been about 200 mass shootings, with fatalities, in the United States so far this year.
So thoughts and prayers are flying thick and fast across America this Sunday morning.
There are a couple of theories about why these thoughts and prayers have proved pointless in the past and will continue to do so. Experience suggests to many that we're dealing with mythology --- tales of gods whose times have passed who have (and have had) no power other than that mistakenly attributed to them.
Others suggest it's more a matter of misunderstanding how a god might operate should he, she, it or they exist. Isaiah 1:15 has something to say about that:
"When you stretch out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood."
Take your pick.
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