{"id":2485574,"date":"2025-09-11T21:46:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T01:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/op-ed-call-this-weeks-murders-what-they-are-demonic\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T21:47:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T01:47:44","slug":"op-ed-call-this-weeks-murders-what-they-are-demonic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/op-ed-call-this-weeks-murders-what-they-are-demonic\/","title":{"rendered":"Op-Ed: Call This Week&#8217;s Murders What They Are &#8211; Demonic"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fop-ed-call-this-weeks-murders-what-they-are-demonic%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2485574&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-is-the-real-threat-to-our-constitutional-republic\/\" title=\"Kamala Harris Is The Real Threat To Our Constitutional Republic\">article expresses concern<\/a> about the tendency to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >quickly show empathy<\/a> for perpetrators of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-lawmakers-push-to-loosen-gun-restrictions-in-several-states\/\" title=\"GOP lawmakers push to loosen gun restrictions in several states\">violent crimes<\/a> before properly mourning the victims. It argues against softening the language around such acts,suggesting that some behaviors are not merely wrong but evil,influenced by demonic forces. The author calls for recognizing a clear moral distinction between good and evil and cautions against seeking personal vengeance, emphasizing that justice and punishment are responsibilities delegated to governing authorities, as supported by biblical teachings. The piece encourages developing the political will to uphold righteousness and insists on the necessity of honest language to describe the nature of some criminals, rejecting euphemisms like &#8220;mental health issues&#8221; when dealing with truly malevolent acts.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>I can already see it coming. The rush to empathy for killers begins before shocked Americans like me can even take time to pray for the families of the victims.<\/p>\n<p>Everybody&rsquo;s gonna tell me not to &ldquo;demonize&rdquo; the left. And yes, let us not demonize those who bear the image of God, but neither let us humanize the demonic.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/schumer-says-dc-crime-critics-full-45-murders-police-still-havent-solved-year-alone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">murders<\/a> we have witnessed this week leave us grasping for phrases. Some reach for words like &ldquo;monster&rdquo; or &ldquo;animal.&rdquo; Others will say &ldquo;emotionally disturbed&rdquo; or &ldquo;radicalized.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Our culture can&rsquo;t summon the nerve to use the word &ldquo;demonic.&rdquo; People who cannot identify the work of Satan find themselves at an intellectual impasse. How can a human commit these monstrous acts?<\/p>\n<p>Our Puritan forefathers had a helpful category for these kinds of things: They called them <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/evil-gofundme-surfaces-weekend-video-iryna-zarutska-murder-goes-viral-no-depths-people-wont-sink\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">evil.<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>They called them the work of Satan. Humans under the influence of the one who comes only to kill, steal, and destroy will become murderers, thieves, and rioters.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, people are concerned &mdash; rightly so &mdash;&nbsp; that the right is going to terrorize the left to exact revenge. This must not happen.<\/p>\n<p>God&rsquo;s word <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Romans%2012%3A19&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">commands<\/a>, &ldquo;Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, &ldquo;Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.&rdquo; A Christian who takes vengeance is a trespasser and thief, taking what belongs to God.<\/p>\n<p>But then God delegates his authority and his wrath to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/french-government-collapses-prime-minister-ousted\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">government<\/a> which bears the responsibility to carry out the wrath of God.<\/p>\n<p>An important part of the reason I pay my taxes every April is for the government to terrorize evil-doers and do what individuals are not permitted to do.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Romans 13<\/p>\n<p>3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,<br \/> 4 for he is God&rsquo;s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God&rsquo;s wrath on the wrongdoer.<br \/> 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God&rsquo;s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.<br \/> 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I d these thoughts this morning with a group of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/protestant-pastor-arrested-sudan-middle-funeral\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pastor<\/a> friends around the country. One asked, &ldquo;What&rsquo;s the application?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>God&rsquo;s people should prepare to objectify right and wrong as good and evil. There is an old war between God and Satan for the praise and participation of mankind, the pinnacle of God&rsquo;s creation. You may not be interested in this war, but this war is interested in you. The workers of evil are not simply doing subjectively wrong things; they are objectively on the wrong side.<\/li>\n<li>We&rsquo;re going to have to develop political will to do what is good. We bear no shame when politics and governance execute goodness and righteousness, even partially or imperfectly. We must not be embarrassed when it happens through one party over another. For too long, those who see the difference between good and evil have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/suicidal-girl-wasnt-bullied-immigration-status-instead-sexually-molested-say-friends\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bullied<\/a> by the blind.<\/li>\n<li>I&rsquo;m at a loss for words here, but we need better language than &ldquo;mental health issues.&rdquo; Some folks are straight-up demon-possessed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><i><b>The views expressed in this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tone-shift-media-fawn-over-bidens-fireplace-sleeping-habits-trashed-trump-for-every-little-thing\/\" title=\"TONE SHIFT: Media Fawn Over Biden\u2019s Fireplace, Sleeping Habits, Trashed Trump For Every Little Thing\">opinion article<\/a> are those of their author and are not necessarily either d or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/submitop-ed\/\">here<\/a>.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s a paraphrased version of the main text you provided (excluding the code and form elements):<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>I can already predict what will happen next. People will quickly start showing sympathy for the killers before those of us who are shocked even have a chance to pray for the victims&#8217; families. Many will urge me not to &#8220;demonize&#8221; the political left. While it&#8217;s important not to demonize those made in God&#8217;s image, we also must not humanize evil actions. The violent acts we&#8217;ve seen this week leave us struggling for words-some call them &#8220;monsters&#8221; or &#8220;animals,&#8221; others say they are &#8220;emotionally disturbed&#8221; or &#8220;radicalized.&#8221; Our society lacks the courage to call these acts what they truly are: demonic. Those unwilling to recognize Satan&#8217;s influence reach an intellectual dead end when trying to understand how humans can commit such horrors. Our Puritan ancestors had a clear term for this: evil.<\/p>\n<p>They understood that people influenced by Satan-the one who comes only to kill, steal, and destroy-become murderers, thieves, and rioters.<\/p>\n<p>There is also a real concern that right-wing groups might retaliate against the left in revenge-driven violence-and this must be prevented.<\/p>\n<p>God commands us: &#8220;Beloved, never take revenge; leave room for God&#8217;s wrath.&#8221; Christians who seek vengeance overstep their bounds because vengeance belongs only to God. However, God entrusts governments with authority and responsibility to enact justice on wrongdoers.<\/p>\n<p>This is why I pay taxes-to support government efforts against evildoers that individuals cannot carry out themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Romans 13 teaches that rulers exist not as threats to good behavior but as punishments for wrongdoing; they serve as God&#8217;s agents of justice.<\/p>\n<p>I shared these reflections recently with fellow pastors across the country when someone asked about practical application:<\/p>\n<p>God&#8217;s people need to clearly distinguish right from wrong-as good versus evil-in objective terms. There is an ongoing spiritual battle between God and Satan over humanity&#8217;s allegiance-the highest point of creation. Whether you care about this conflict or not, it concerns you deeply.<\/p>\n<p>Those committing evil aren&#8217;t just making subjective mistakes; they stand objectively on the wrong side.<\/p>\n<p>We must build political resolve to pursue goodness through governance without shame-even if done imperfectly or by one party over another.<\/p>\n<p>For too long, those recognizing moral truth have been silenced by skeptics blinded by relativism.<\/p>\n<p>Frankly, we need stronger language than vague terms like &#8220;mental health issues.&#8221; Some individuals are plainly under demonic influence.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>If you want me to condense further or focus on specific parts just let me know!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2485575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Good-vs-Evil.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6672,50403,63060,9032,15322],"class_list":["post-2485574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-commentary","tag-crime-2","tag-demonic-2","tag-murders","tag-op-ed"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Good-vs-Evil.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2485574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2485574"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2485574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2485578,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2485574\/revisions\/2485578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2485575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2485574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2485574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2485574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}