Defeating Evil?

“Crocodiles are easy. They try to kill and eat you. People are harder. Sometimes they pretend to be your friend first.” 

-- Steve Irwin (1962-2006), zookeeper, conservationist, environmentalist

I grew up in a household which loved animals.  Mom always told me, "Be kind to animals."  But, what about those animals whose driving force is to kill?  You can only tame a tiger until it doesn't want to be tame anymore.  The handler usually discovers this bit of logic when they turn their back to the tiger.  Game over.  Tiger mauls the handler; handler loses their head, or an arm, or leg.  So we cage these man- killers or put them on preserves, but we put barriers or space between them and us.  What of the human "animal" which walks among us?  If they are part of "civilized" society, there are prisons to hold them.  If they have rabid killers, serial killers, with no conscience, who have chosen not to be a part of civilized society, they are cancer which must be excised and disposed of in a rapid and decisive manner, permanently, right?

My definition of "human-animal" is obvious to most people.  But, I define it as anyone who kills for no reason and anyone who kills for a reason which is simply is an excuse to kill.  A good example of both might be genocide.  Another example would be an individual, group, or government that defines a certain segment of society as "undesirable" and sets about to purge them from the world.  The Nazis tried this, as did Joseph Stalin and ISIS, the Khmer Rouge, and the government's "genocide against the Tutsi" in Rwanda (which led to the establishment of the International Criminal Court), and there have been numerous other examples of heinous crimes against humanity.

Because Hamas, desperate to win world sympathy by any means, has always been happy to use Palestinian innocents as human shields — the more casualties, the better... And in at least one school where weapons were stored, the report found, Hamas unlocked the gate “to allow children access to the schoolyard”... The Palestinian Authority has hinted at having Israel investigated by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. But the real crimes here were committed by Hamas — and its UN accomplices.

-- New York Post: UN report outlines how Hamas used kids as human shields 

We seem not to notice human-animals until we become aware of their true behavior.  We allow governments guilty of human rights offenses to sit on panels which judge other governments of human rights offenses.  We expect the United Nations to be the first line of defense against insanity when, in reality, the U.N. turns a blind eye to most crimes against humanity, and journalists seem to accept any U.N. decision as fait accompli.  But, then, it would seem even well-known "journalists" pay more attention to the squeakiest wheel instead of those victims trying to defend themselves against evil.

The other day someone told me we will never defeat ISIS (aka, ISIL), the terrorist heretics of peaceful Islam because their horrific acts of terror are driven by their misguided religious belief, and I agreed with their statement.  Ex-Fox News contributor and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Peters, once said of defeating ISIS, "And the reality is: That the way you deal with Islamic State - these blood-thirsty, blood-drunken terrorists - is to kill them, keep on killing them until you kill the last one, then you kill his pet goat! That's how you deal with them."  The sentiment is simplistic because it deals with a religious "jihad" where they willingly continue to heap bodies of their own followers atop the pyre of what they consider righteousness until they either win or are destroyed.  They do this because they have been brainwashed by insane imams, their religious leaders, to believe everything they do is viewed as acceptance and submission to what their imam interprets as the "will of Allah."  

Peters' sentiment is as bloodthirsty as the evil it seeks to destroy but, then, self-defense done right usually is, because any opportunity for terrorist "payback" needs to be removed from the equation.  His attitude is reminiscent of the character Col. Miles Quaritch, from the 2009 movie "Avatar":  "The hostiles believe that this mountain territory is protected by their... deity. And when we destroy it, we will blast a crater in their racial memory so deep, that they won't come within 1,000 klicks of this place ever again."  Unfortunately, in this story, humans are terrorist transgressors, not the aliens.

And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

-- Nehemiah 4:14

Christian's learn from Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" about a love for your enemies which seems to deal more with selfless restraint when it comes to trivial matters.  I'm not so sure the sermon addresses the threat of death and destruction upon your person or those innocents around you. An excerpt of the sermon from Matthew 5:39 reads, "But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."  And I agree with this, to a point.  Slap me once, shame on you.  Slap me twice, shame on me.  Try to slap me a third time and you will apologize for the first two and thank me for my restraint, and if your goal is to kill me you can explain your selfishness to God Almighty - in person.  But, that's just me.  Sooner or later you have to recognize real evil for what it is and defend yourself.

A controversial author and essayist, Salman Rushdie, wrote the following:

“The fundamentalist seeks to bring down a great deal more than buildings. Such people are against, to offer just a brief list, freedom of speech, a multi-party political system, universal adult suffrage, accountable government, Jews, homosexuals, women's rights, pluralism, secularism, short skirts, dancing, beardlessness, evolution theory, sex. There are tyrants, not Muslims.

The fundamentalist believes that we believe in nothing. In his world-view, he has his absolute certainties, while we are sunk in sybaritic indulgences. To prove him wrong, we must first know that he is wrong. We must agree on what matters: kissing in public places, bacon sandwiches, disagreement, cutting-edge fashion, literature, generosity, water, a more equitable distribution of the world's resources, movies, music, freedom of thought, beauty, love. These will be our weapons. Not by making war but by the unafraid way we choose to live shall we defeat them.

How to defeat terrorism? Don't be terrorized. Don't let fear rule your life. Even if you are scared.” 

And yet, meanwhile, more innocents will die as we sit back and do nothing, playing nice, patiently waiting to see if the terrorists do... what?  Decide not to destroy everyone and everything around them?  I applaud Salman Rushdie's innocence and naivete.  The terrorist will applaud him as well, just before they put him in a cage and burn him alive as a message to so many other naive people who refuse to buy into their heresy.

Like other terrorists, those which act alone or in small groups, religious heretics are capable of waging actual war on innocence, and it would seem they always have.  They proclaim belief in a God which demands their unwavering obedience and will excuse almost any horror done to further their goal.  Of course, the holy "word" of their God is uttered from the lips of the diety's representative here on earth, in this case, an imam, but it could be any religion's leader.  It would seem likely, as history bears out, all bad leaders will eventually succumb to their own ego.  And this may be the problem with the evil leaders because, when you cut off one evil head another evil head will rise to take its place.

The virgins waiting for misguided Islamic terrorists in heaven are the empty promise of insane imams to cowardly to kill innocence themselves as if dirtying their hands will prevent their own entry into heaven.  Once you are involved in the murder of innocence and use your religious belief as an excuse, your God ceases to exist, whether you order terror or are the instrument of it.  Perhaps it might benefit the blindly "faithful" to research the true promise of "72 virgins" in heaven before committing heresy.  One might start by reading the information provided at this link: Houri.  In this reference, it states, "The narration, which claims that everyone would have seventy-two wives has a weak chain of narrators."  Personally, I find it hard to believe any respectable God would reward the cowardly slayers of innocent women and children and using these innocents as shields to protect themselves and their equipment. 

“The only thing more dangerous than an idea is a belief. And by dangerous I don't mean thought-provoking. I mean: might get people killed.”

-- Sarah Vowell, historian, author, journalist, actress

How do you defeat an evil when the evil philosophy is rooted in a spiritual belief which offers so much to those who have nothing.  When even the most horrible of sins are overlooked, if not rewarded?  First thing you do is stop underestimating evil.  Evil doesn't need a religion, it simply needs a tool.  An individual will do.  Anyone with a weak mind which can be twisted will suffice, and if they can enlist followers the evil gets a bonus.

Orison Swett Marden, a Harvard educated scholar and author, and publisher as the founder of "Success Magazine" in 1897, in comparing obstacles to wild animals, had this to say of wild animals:  "They are cowards but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them... they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will slink out of sight."  Yes, indeed, and there the wild animal will remain until they see an opening; when no one is expecting their return.

It seems evil will exist as long as there are ignorant people willing to die for it.  When we think we have it defeated, it has only crawled back under a rock to lick its wounds and enlist more gullible fodder to throw onto some future field of battle.  Evil will always be with us, whether alone or in mass, religious or not.  The evil of terrorism feeds on societies lulled into a false sense of security.  We must always be cognizant of its continued existence and prepare ourselves to do battle when it returns.

“Fuel for religious violence comes from the creeds of the religious organizations that fundamentally depict that there is only one absolute and undeniable truth, and all others even mildly different truths are expendable.”

-- Abhijit Naskar, Neuroscientist

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.