Great Moments In The History of Rational, Scientific Thought

From Rational Mind:

Christians and other mystics sometimes argue that religion makes people moral. I disagree: morality is a practical science which can only be understood by rational consideration, not emotionalism (the epistemological method of faith).

Since rational moral claims need no mystical basis, it is only the irrational and immoral actions which require religious justification. To the extent that religious beliefs as such influence people’s actions, they can only influence them to do wrong – sometimes unspeakable and sometimes trivial, but still evil.

The prime candidate for the moral monopoly of religion in America is the domain of life and death. This is where the real evil of religious influence becomes evident. One particularly despicable influence of religion was out on display when John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential candidate. One of Governor’s Palin’s qualifications for the presidential ticket is that she gave birth to a baby with Down syndrome in April.

The fact that Palin’s baby has Down syndrome is certainly tragic. Down not only severely impacts the health and life-expectancy of the child, is also a tremendous burden on their caretakers...

... since January 2007, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recommended Down screening for all pregnant women, and so Governor Palin knew that her fetus had Down’s, and decided to continue her pregnancy anyway.

Furthermore, she has turned her decision into political leverage in the upcoming election as proof of her moral virtuousness...

Whereas previously, a Down’s child could be born without the prior knowledge of the mother, going forward, a parent with a Down’s child will likely (at least in the developed world) have made a conscious choice to have that child.

The child represents a sacrifice made by their parents for their faith. As the recommendations of ACOG are implemented nationwide, Down children (and eventually those with other genetic disorders) will increasingly become symbols of faith – a freak show meant to communicate the “family values” of their parents.

And, here's a post from another Rational Mind in the comments thread:

I don’t get the reaction of people to your comments. I don’t even see how people consider Down’s syndrome “children” to be human. I encountered one in the store today, and it was a drooling, loud, disgusting creature. My friend’s dog is better behaved than that creature was.

Just because something looks like a human doesn’t mean it is. What sets humans apart from other animals is our intelligence. Looking somewhat human but being massively retarded makes Downs syndrome creatures closer to cattle than people.

“When parents knowingly give birth to a child with severe disability or defect it is basically Münchhausen’s by proxy."