Saturday on MSNBC’s “Hugh Hewitt,” Harvard professor Steven Pinker asked where was God during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL that left 17 dead.

Discussing his book, Pinker said, “It is not against religion. It is certainly against the belief that God interferes with the laws of the universe and that by praying to him we can make the world better. I think that is a dangerous belief because it’s not true. If we want to make the world better, we have to figure out how to do it ourselves. If we want to cure disease, we have to come up with antibiotics and vaccines and not prayer. If we want to stave off global warming, we can’t assume God won’t let bad things happen.”

He continued on tragedies like the Florida shooting, “Cast doubt on the idea that there is a benevolent shepherd who looks out for human welfare. What was the benevolent shepherd doing while the teenager was massacring his classmates?”

He added, “If you’re counting on God to make the world a better place you are probably going to make the world a worse place because he is not listening and we saw that yesterday.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN