Presidential candidate Marco Rubio spoke at a Rally last week in Iowa where he proclaimed that events like 9/11 and the Paris Massacre were all a part of God’s plan.

Rubio is certainly not the first evangelical to invoke God’s plan as a way of explaining tragedy. When many people question their faith based on the idea that a loving God would not allow such suffering and pain in the world, many like Rubio instead go in the opposite direction and argue that God orchestrated terrible events like 9/11 in some sort of fatherly goal of protecting humanity from some worse fate (that he would also orchestrate).

Rubio then went on to compare human tragedy to a child receiving a vaccination, at which point he effectively insulted the memory of anyone who has died in these catastrophes.

Watch.

Sydney Robinson is a political writer for the Ring of Fire Network. She has also appeared in political news videos for Ring of Fire. Sydney has a degree in English Literature from the University of West Florida, and has an active interest in politics, social justice, and environmental issues. She would love to hear from you on Twitter @SydneyMkay or via email at srobinson@ringoffireradio.com