Brussels ISIS bombing aftermath: Will church be next? Can people 'destroy evil'?

The Brussels bombing on Tuesday has put churches and governments on high alert. The terror that the Islamic State wishes to spread has seeped into society and a vicar has expressed his fear that the church might be the next target.

"There's an element of fear [that] people who you wouldn't want to know that you're gathering would turn up and target those of us who are gathered," Rev. Dr. Andrew Gardener, leader of St. Andrew's Church of Scotland in Brussels, told Premier. "Easter as you know is a prime point in celebration in the Christian calendar and our Easter celebrations will be sobering this Sunday."

IS has claimed responsibiity for the coordinated attack, one of many that have caused not only devastation to infastructure but also grief among the injured, the families of those who died and the rest of the world. And the group has promised to bring more atrocities.

"We promise to the states that are allied against the Islamic State that they will face dark days in return for their aggression against our state," the group said in a statement reported by Mail Online. "And what will await you will become harder and more bitter through the grace of Allah."

In the point of view of Auxiliary Bishop Jean Kockerols of Mechelen-Brussels, Good Friday, the day when Christians commemorate Jesus' crucifixion, has come early this year because of "these totally absurd actions." He told the Catholic News Agency that while it's a normal first reaction to condemn the acts, Christians' reactions should be of compassion.

"The reaction of Christians ought to be first of all one of compassion with those affected, with those who are grieving," he said. "I am thinking of the victims and their families, we are together in prayer, in friendship."

Many government leaders have expressed their disgust toward the attacks and, as Christian Today points out, many of them have branded the deed as "evil" and this evil has to be "destroyed." Contributing writer Andy Walton, however, says that "destroying evil" is a feat impossible to achieve, citing an essay titled "The truth about evil" written by philosopher John Gray published in 2014, which he believes recognizes the problem.

Gray wrote, "Dealing with evil requires an acceptance that it never goes away."

Walton believes that what people ought to do is build societies where outbreaks of evil is not as widespread nor as effective and let God take care of the rest.