These parents are undoubtedly screwed up, but so are many parents. I have a bigger problem with the “hormonal treatments”. Who is administering those? That is where the arm of the law should fall… This allows the twisted thoughts of the mothers to translate into physical meddling that is not defensible.

As for having “given away the store” because we gave up our transcendence, speak for yourself! Or speak with other Christians. Letting go of the idea of the immeasurable value of the human soul, with all of its mysteries, is unthinkable. The value extends to all, even to the two warped mothers of the boy. How one acts on the information will be as varied as the actors themselves. To me this underscores that there are really only 2 ways to see humanity. Best to pick one side or the other; they are very different journeys.

I really do like your “black box” description. It is a very good illustrator for an idea that is hard to articulate.