Prayers are simply thoughts that include the delusion of a conversation with a supreme being. We should give the same amount of respect towards the requests of said supreme being as we have proof thereof. So, when they tell you thoughts and prayers unless they're just paying lip service, they are literally having that conversation with themselves which would equate to a thought. So prayers are always thoughts, however, thoughts aren't always prayers.

One is a known platitude. The other is a hypocritical substitute for actual action.

Thank you and good morning are statements of manners and etiquette towards actual people. Prayers is about asking a narcissist to do something for another person.

Atheists are talking to real beings ‘Thoughts and prayers’ head straight to the land of makebelieve

arguing that "thoughts and prayers" is useless is not solely an atheist thing. it's a gun control thing. plenty of theists think that something more active and activist needs to be done about gun violence than offering thoughts and prayers, regardless of whether one thinks there is a god to whom to pray. and how do thank you and good morning relate to thoughts and prayers anyway? this is a totally false conflation. when you say good morning to someone, you are greeting that person, which shows friendliness. no one says "good morning" as an antidote or even a casual response to someone's having been shot in a school. thank you expresses gratitude to an individual, a real, live person who might actually appreciate being appreciated. it is also not a response to someone's having been mowed down at a concert. at any rate, arguing against thoughts and prayers, specifically as an antidote to gun violence, has nothing to do with atheism, much less with defending an atheist position. i didn't even know i HAD a position. i just happen to be aware that there aren't any gods.

g

Firstly, WHY should an Atheist need to defend his/her stance in the first place?
Secondly, NEVER once in all history has there been proven empirically that thought and prayer has actually resulted in anything actually happening as a result of such 'activities/actions.
Thirdly, and in my opinion, the 'offering up' of prayers, especially, is merely a way of saying " Well, since I am uninclined to do anything either physical or meaningful I shall do something that WILL make me feel, none-the-less, better about myself anyway."