August 17, 2008
Muslim Monopoly of
Evil?
Was I the only one who noticed? The media has been
gushing over John McCain's excellent showing at the Saddleback forum last
night. His answers were brief, to the point, sharp, clear
― and decidedly simplistic. He got more applause
than did Barack Obama. He
presented himself as the "Pro-Life" candidate. He took every
opportunity to tell war stories and remind people that he performed
heroically as a prisoner of war forty years ago.
But . . .
When asked about the existence of Evil and
the appropriate response to it, Barack Obama gave some examples of Evil,
including genocide and child abuse. He said that we must confront it,
leaving the actual defeat of Evil to God, which, truth to tell,
appears to be scripturally accurate. He concluded with a caution
to maintain humility when confronting Evil: arrogance in confronting Evil
generates more Evil.
John McCain, on the other hand, said simply
that the appropriate response to Evil is: "Defeat it." The Senior
Senator from Arizona then went on to rail against al-Qaida and claim that
Iraq, Afghanistan and anywhere that al-Qaida may exist comprise the
battlefield against Evil. He cited "radical Islamic extremism" as the
transcendent challenge we face. This was John McCain's portrayal of
Evil.
Which suggests that, in John McCain's world view, all
perpetrators of Evil are Muslim. He did not go so far as to say that
all Muslims are evil; rather, he implied that the only Evil that we face
today comes from a segment of Islam.
Note to John McCain: please check out what your rival said
about humility.
