An Open Letter to the New York Times Editorial Board: Maybe There Is a “Why” for ISIS and Evil?
From “The Fundamental Horror of ISIS” 10-2-14:
"Comparisons are meaningless at this level of evil, as are attempts to explain the horror by delving into the psychology or rationale of the perpetrators…as Roger Cohen, the New York Times columnist, wrote in a recent piece about ISIS, there is no “why” in the heart of darkness." (“Yet, in the end, there is no why to the barbarism of ISIS. There is no why in Raqqa. Evil may adduce reasons; they fall short.”–Cohen)—New York Times Editorial Board
Dear Editorial Board,
I commend your tacit admission that none of the usual subjects can explain the YouTubed beheadings, the systematic rape of women and cutting to pieces of children. Neither poor education, nor economics, nor a lack of enlightenment—none of it suffices. This is, as you put it in your editorial, “raw evil.”
I also applaud the fact that you have more or less admitted to the existence of an “evil empire,” something you sort of rolled your eyes at when Reagan said it of Soviet Russia. (I wonder if you would say it of Putin’s Russia today.)
But, when it comes to your claim that there is no “why” behind the “fundamental horror of ISIS,” with all due respect, I wish to disagree.
There is an explanation. This question that confounds you has an answer known by millions of children across America, including many attending our own Kidszone at our church.
They don’t know much about psychology or the historical/political/religious reasons “adduced by ISIS.” But they love Jesus. And they believe what he said about Satan:
“The devil was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).He is desperate to hide the truth. “When the Word is preached the devil comes along and takes the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12). And those who do believe, like Peter, Satan demands to have, to sift like wheat. (Luke 22:31)He inflicts disease and disability on us (Luke 13:16). He comes to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10) He sows bad seed, sons and daughters who are of him and whose will is to do their father’s desires (John 8:44).
The children in our Kidszone believe that Satan is real. They believe that behind unthinkable acts of evil is an unthinkably evil angelic being. Brilliant. Crafty. Deceiving. Manipulating. Powerful. Masquerading as an angel of light. Until he shows his true murderous heart. He enters people (like he entered Judas Iscariot) to annihilate what is good, true and beautiful.
This is the record of what Jesus said about him. And as CS Lewis said, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice.” That’s what the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day believed. They believed he was aligned with the “Prince of Demons.”
If your worldview has no answers for the why behind this kind of evil, then, and please forgive me for sounding presumptuous, which I truly don’t mean to be, but seriously, perhaps you’d want to question the fundamental assumptions of your worldview? We all want a worldview that is coherent, that accounts for and makes sense of the world as we find it, not as we wish it would be. If this evil exists it must be grounded in something. It didn’t just appear like a bolt out of the blue.
I cannot read about the evil of ISIS without thinking of the evil let loose in Rwanda. On a radio show I hosted we interviewed Peter Holmes, assistant to Emmanuel Kolini, the archbishop of Rwanda. When they interviewed the Hutus afterwards and asked them why they picked up their machetes and began chopping up their Tutsi friends and neighbors, many described their motivation this way:
"It was as if we were taken over by Satan. When Satan is using you, you lose your mind. We were not ourselves. Beginning with me. I don't think I was normal." "I don't know what came over me." Many went into "deep and profound shock and for years afterward they loathed the time they committed such atrocities." (Christ Walks Where Evil Reigned, p.98)
That witness is an alignment with what Jesus said. A powerful force from outside them seemed to enter into them, block their reason, unnaturally suppress their compassion and carry them along, not just to commit murder but terrific torture as well. You have pointed to Rwanda and claimed that there is no “why” for the genocide there either. So what do you do with these witnesses?
When we see the “fundamental horror” of such evil we long for justice. For someone to make it right. Does your worldview offer the hope of any final reckoning for evil?
Jesus said a few more things about the devil. And his children. He hears the cries of the raped women and murdered children. And he has a response:
As Jesus headed to the cross he acknowledged Satan as, “The ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father” (John 12:31). “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out” (John 14:30-31).
Our sin was poured out on Jesus on the cross, where Satan was judged and condemned as well. Jesus rose again to eternal life, but a time of horrific punishment awaits his enemies.
Jesus said the devil’s children will be gathered by God’s reaper angels and be burned in a fiery furnace, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41), where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 13:39-42).
For any who believe in him, confess their sin and receive his forgiveness, Jesus gives the gift of eternal life. He will wipe all the tears from their eyes and make all things new. He will make his home with them forever.
In these pages you ignore (and dismiss?)Jesus. Yet he offers a worldview, a story that accounts for the “why” of evil. And destroys and punishes evil. And promises an unimginably beautiful compensation and restoration to the victims of evil. A story so philosopically and theologically sophisticated that we can never fathom all its complexity and transcendence. Yet simple enough that the kids at Kidszone get it. That is why we love him.
In light of these realities maybe his words offer a wisdom that you have overlooked.
Sincerely,
Lael Arrington
Lael Arrington
Lael writes and speaks about faith and culture and how God renews our vision and desire for Him and his Kingdom. She earned a master's degree (MAT) in the history of ideas from the University of Texas at Dallas, and has taught Western culture and apologetics at secular and Christian schools and colleges. Her long-term experience with rheumatoid arthritis and being a pastor’s wife has deepened her desire to minister to the whole person—mind, heart, soul and spirit. Lael has co-hosted a talk radio program, The Things That Matter Most, on secular stations in Houston and Dallas about what we believe and why we believe it with guests as diverse as Dr. Deepak Chopra, atheist Sam Harris and VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer. (Programs are archived on the website.) Lael has authored four books, including a March 2011 soft paper edition of A Faith and Culture Devotional (now titled Faith and Culture: A Guide to a Culture Shaped by Faith), Godsight, and Worldproofing Your Kids. Lael’s writing has also been featured in Focus on the Family and World magazines, and she has appeared on many national radio and television programs. Lael and her husband, Jack, now make their home in South Carolina.
