By Dr. Alex McFarland for TOWNHALL
History is, at its core, a story of conflict between good and evil. Ancient peoples understood this instinctively — whether confronting invading armies, pagan deities or the devil himself, they recognized that some forces are not merely misguided; they are malevolent. Today, the world faces radical, apocalyptic Islam, particularly its Shiite form. It is not only hostile to Christianity but to every non-Muslim faith and to pluralistic civilization as a concept. President Trump rightly called it evil.
Why is it so hard for modern people to admit that evil exists? We are comfortable attributing wrongdoing to greed or political grievance. But when perpetrators show limitless bloodlust, no remorse and no material incentive, “follow the money” fails. What remains is the category our ancestors used without hesitation: evil.
Ronald Reagan rightly called the Soviet Union an “evil empire.” Likewise, Trump similarly identifies Iran’s ruling regime. The current expression of radical Shia Islam is driven by hatred, apocalyptic theology, and a willingness to destroy even fellow Muslims, as we saw this week. You do not negotiate with evil. You do not appease it with land, money or promises. The West and Israel tried all of that — and the threat has only grown.
It’s not ideological, or even theological; it’s tangible evil whether we wish to admit it or not. Sherlock Holmes’ fictional maxim applies: “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” Evil is real; even science hints at realities beyond our perception.
