"It is important to take stock of the root causes of this cultural shift towards death: A rejection of the Creator God of the Bible. Evolutionary theory has played a significant role in accelerating this cultural shift towards death and hopelessness through the advance of secular materialism and devaluation of the sanctity of human life.
Around 10 years after the deadly September 11 attacks, evolutionary psychologist Dr. Rick O’Gorman wrote a book chapter titled “The evolutionary logic of terrorism: Understanding why terrorism is an inevitable human strategy in conflict”. This work offered great insights into the evolutionary perspective on terrorism (including suicide terrorism), which was even touted as an “inevitable likelihood” and as an “evolutionarily rational” act. In Dr. O’Gorman’s words:
“If we examine the conflict techniques of humans in societies more akin to those in which we have evolved for most of our species’ existence (usually termed ‘hunter-gatherer’ societies and chiefly those we find that there are no consistent rules for violent conflict 
… Indeed, if there is a consistent rule, it is that stacking the odds in your own favor is paramount. Commonly, for example, aggressors will outnumber victims, often with several attackers against one victim … Interestingly, we can see similar intent in one of our closest biological relatives, the chimpanzee…” (pp. 62-63)
“While the types of actions by chimps and hunter-gatherers are not identical to modern terrorism, they share a similar intent, along with modern guerrilla warfare, of ensuring that the advantage lies with the attacker before engaging in conflict…” (p. 63)
“Terrorists may be considered evolutionary altruists, sacrificing themselves for a cause in much the same way as soldiers do. The psychological mechanisms behind terrorism, particularly suicide terrorism, may be driven by a desire to punish perceived wrongdoers. …moral communities have shared norms about behaviour and mechanisms for imposing costs on violators or providing benefits to cooperators. When communities perceive wrongdoing, they may resort to severe penalties. “ (p. 70)
“An evolutionary approach to understanding terrorism contributes to a deeper understanding of the psychological motivations behind terrorist acts. It suggests that terrorists are not simply madmen or lunatics, but that their motivations can be evolutionarily rational, even if not beneficial to individuals. ….” (p. 72).
Despite the author’s intent to provide insights into conflict resolution, equating human conflict with animalistic instincts effectively rationalizes violence as a natural evolutionary outcome.
Such a perspective significantly diminishes the theological conviction previously held by much of society that human life, made in the image of God, holds inherent sanctity.
CEH
CEH
