Best-selling author Stephen King, known for horror classics such as "The Shining" and "Carrie," recently discussed the existence of evil and his faith in God, calling it "a source of strength."
King's comments were made during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine while discussing his new book, Revival, which tells the story of a Methodist minister who loses his faith.
The "Salem's Lot" author said he had "gone back and forth" over the years about whether or not there's an "outside evil" and "a force in the world that really wants to destroy us, from the inside out, individually and collectively".
King, who was raised Methodist, added that he wonders how much of it is from the inside and influenced by genetics and environment and said he suspects that "evil is inside us."
"The older I get, the less I think there's some sort of outside devilish influence; it comes from people. And unless we're able to address that issue, sooner or later, we'll...kill ourselves," he said.
The author uses the United State's response to ISIS overtaking the Middle East as evidence of this kind of evil.
"What's the solution? The only solution we see with ISIS is to bomb...[them] so that they just can't roll over the world," he said.
In regards to his own life, King told the magazine that while he views "organized religion" as a "very dangerous tool that's been misused by a lot of people," he cannot deny the existence of a God.
The author credits that belief for helping him overcome a serious addiction to alcohol and drugs--vices "heavily used" for about a decade.
"[A belief in God] makes things better," he told Rolling Stone.
You have a meditation point, a source of strength. I choose to believe that God exists, and therefore I can say, 'God, I can't do this by myself. Help me not to take a drink today. Help me not to take a drug today.' And that works fine for me."
"Revival" will hit bookshelves on November 11.
