Franklin Graham, Mike Pence Push Back Against 'Prayer Shamers'

Evangelist Franklin Graham applauded Vice President Mike Pence for his response to recent criticism of those who offered prayers to the victims of the Texas church shooting. 

"I'm a believer and I believe in prayer," Pence said in an interview with Fox News.

"I know that at this moment of such heartbreak and loss in that community that what most Americans are most able to do is to pray for those families," he continued.

In response to the criticism of Americans, and lawmakers specifically, offering prayers, Pence said it, "takes nothing away from our determination ... to get to the bottom of what happened, to understand the why, to determine whether or not there were errors along the way."

In his Facebook post, Franklin Graham points out that some have gone so far as to mock the value of prayer.

Enough with the prayin'. Time to start legislatin'.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) November 5, 2017

House Speaker Paul Ryan was criticized for tweeting about prayer after the shooting.

Reports out of Texas are devastating. The people of Sutherland Springs need our prayers right now.

— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) November 5, 2017

Ryan also defended the power of prayer in the wake of the criticism. Telling Fox News that the victims of the Texas church attack, "need our prayers," because "prayer works."

"People who do not have faith, don't understand faith, I guess I'd have to say," Ryan continued.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA.) walked out of a moment of silence on the House floor Tuesday in protest.

In a video posted to his Facebook page after leaving the chambers he said, "My colleagues right now are doing a moment of silence in the House of Representatives chambers. I respect their right to do that and I myself have participated in many of them. But I can't do this again; I've been to too many moments of silences. In just my short period in congress three of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history have occurred. I will not be silent."