Punishments of Bob Marshall’s god

I am so incredibly sick of religious extremist politicians using the pain and challenges of others to score points in the media with their extremist base. Check out this latest gem from Virginia State Delegate Bob Marshall:

(JHM, update 2023 December 31: I’ve found a working Washington Post link from 2010 February 25 that quotes Mr. Marshall:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/24/AR2010022405546.html?sub=AR

Incidentally, I found that link at the page referenced by this page [archive.org link to a still-working page]:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220412165852/https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1314562 )

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2010/02/quote-of-day-robert-marshall.html (link defunct)

For the sake of preserving the words (I don’t know how long the Washington Post link will stay valid), here’s what Representative Marshall allegedly said:

The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children. In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There’s a special punishment Christians would suggest.

Bob Marshall (allegedly)

I would ask Mr. Marshall, “What about the parents of challenged children who have never had abortions? Does your god just hate those people on principle?”

What about people who have had abortions and then had completely unaffected children? I wonder how long it would take to find such a family which holds no religious beliefs at all. Why isn’t Marshall’s god “punishing” those people?

Of course, there’s the even more basic insult of reducing a child to being nothing more than a means of punishment. Even Pat Robertson’s comments about Katrina and the disaster in Haiti didn’t quite go that far.

It would be horrible enough if Marshall actually believed it. I think many people do believe in this eye-for-an-eye kind of model where pain or tragedy or challenge in life is inevitably tied to some sin committed by the person affected (and, conversely, that good fortune in life is inevitably a reward for religious faith). I don’t think many of those people realize just how insulting to other people (both religious and not) that belief is when carried to its logical conclusions.

My real problem, though, is people like Marshall and Robertson, who spout these horribly offensive remarks while (I believe) knowing full well that they are simply pandering to the religious extreme of their supporters. I believe they’re doing it to “get a gig”, so speak, and I find it despicable.