What we believe about the existence of good and evil – but perhaps especially evil – shapes the map of the world we hold in our heads. Conversation about good and evil becomes more difficult if – as our culture does – we replace the language of the spirit with that of therapy or the politics of power. Very few people in the West seem to believe in the existence of evil. Most believe that destructive behaviour is a justifiable response to trauma; an expression of victimhood.
Douglas Murray’s new book, On Democracies and Death Cults, starts with the conclusion that extremist Islamism is, or has become, a death cult. But his approach is contingent on a recognition of the reality of evil. Those for whom a theological world-view is accessible will find his argument persuasive.
