DEFEATING EVIL

Edmund Burke and Leo Tolstoy both have written, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." The message I send today is true, though you may not believe it belongs here.

In World War II, few Germans soldiers were actually Nazis; they were just controlled by them. The majority of German citizens were peaceful people and only after a bitterly lost war did they see the terror and horror that resulted from actions of their leaders. But for a time evil triumphed because good people did nothing about it.

Not unlike the Moslems of today. We are told over and again that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims want to live in peace. Although it may be true, it makes no difference to Islamic fascists. 

Islamic fanatics rule Islam today. They are the ones who preach bombing, beheading, and all kinds of murder in the name of Allah. They stone, hang or kill anyone who offends them, including their own. Worst of all, they teach their young to do the same. A majority of Moslems may be good people, but their inaction is helping Islamic fascism.

Fanatics can control people and foster hatred of other races and religions. From 1917 until the 1980s, most Russians were peaceful, yet Russian Communists were responsible for the deaths of 20 million people. During that time China's huge population was mostly peaceful, but Chinese Communists killed 50 million. Most Japanese in World War II were peaceful, yet millions died by actions of their fanatical leaders. Most Rwandans are peace loving, yet the guns and machetes of fanatics recently killed hundreds of thousands of the "wrong" race.

History is often so simple and blunt that we can miss its most basic lessons: 1) Masses can be led by a few evil people. Peace-loving majorities can be rendered irrelevant by an evil minority. 2) Peace-loving people can become the enemy if led by evil leaders. How many millions have died because the peaceful majority remained silent?

Fanatical fascism cannot be coddled; it must be met with force. We can do battle with it now, or we can do it later, but free people cannot avoid fighting it. There is no middle ground with evil; history has shown this over and over. To resist it takes force and strength.

The price of freedom is vigilence. We must ever be watchful of those who spread their beliefs by force. Our Lord Jesus is "The way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6), and He has told us, "The truth will set you free." (John 8:32) May we ever give thanks for those who are willing to give their lives that humanity may continue to live in freedom.

And may good people always do what is necessary!