Question

[gennee]

One question I ask is how does my being transgender infringe on other's religious freedom? Ever since the 'religion freedom' bills coming up, I wondered this for a while. I don't stop others from going to church or worshiping God in what manner they see fit. I don't tell others how to live their lives or believe the way I do.

From my perspective, folks are using religion to mask their own biases against TGLBQ people. If I'm correct, trashing others because they don't think, act, speak, or live the way they do is a sin which God has dealt with throughout scripture. I never chose to be transgender; it was the way that I was created. Partiality toward anyone (James 2:9) is a sin.

What I find reprehensible is someone is told that they cannot be Christian and LGBT. That judging and tantamount to the Pharisees who used many things to keep certain groups of people out. There are times that I wish that I could speak from a pulpit and share that God loves the gay, lesbian, bi, transgender, queer, and gender non conforming. It's not up to me change someone viewpoint but to share that God's love is unconditional and all encompassing. I wonder what those who believe that we aren't worthy would say if they discovered that the person they have known all their lives is gay or transgender or lesbian?

[Guest Raya]

Well, gennee, since I joined the choir at church Sunday,you are preaching to the choir with me. Religious freedom and civil rights should go hand in hand, but bigots are afraid to hold hands.

I was dogma bound myself for far too long. It was hurtful to me personally, but I'd like to believe I wasn't hateful to the various "others" who did not share my beliefs.

Hiding hatred behind faith is truly taking Gods name in vain. Who would Jesus hate?

[gennee]

Well, gennee, since I joined the choir at church Sunday,you are preaching to the choir with me. Religious freedom and civil rights should go hand in hand, but bigots are afraid to hold hands.

I was dogma bound myself for far too long. It was hurtful to me personally, but I'd like to believe I wasn't hateful to the various "others" who did not share my beliefs.

Hiding hatred behind faith is truly taking Gods name in vain. Who would Jesus hate?

I certainly agree with on the last sentence, Tracy.

[Guest Kenna Dixon]

I've been thinking lately about the phrase "God doesn't make mistakes." I see it used to bolster the argument that we are somehow wrong for trying to defy the gender binary.

But it would never enter these people's minds that transgender individuals, therefore, are also God's perfect creations and should not be expected to change in order to meet others' standards for what is "normal".

[Guest Mickey]

Any time somebody tries to tell me a "The Bible says..." I tell them that they best learn what they're talking about before actually trying to talk about it. See the original scriptures weren't anti LGBT at all. It was in the translating of the king James version that they anti LGBT slant came in. And all other versions we have now are just retranslated from the king James version. A flawed version of the original scriptures. If you study and find what some of the original Hebrew words used in different verses, they give a whole new meaning to some of the Bible stories that we grew up learning. Joseph didn't ask his father Israel for a "coat of many colors". Joseph asked for a princess dress, and his father bought it for his favorite child. And the majority of the time that you see the word eunuch in the Bible, it was mistranslated from the word saris. Saris was a MtF trans person back in ancient Israel.

[VickySGV]

Too many people attempt to make their Deity in their personal physical and mental image. This is the big problem! Their Deity can do and has done ONLY what these people can imagine in simple comfort. I am not the simple creation that is easy to deal with if you are spiritually lazy or timid. My being with people troubles their "simple faith" that they know the answers to life and introduces them to a bigger and wider scale of creation. Note how quickly "creation science" sweeps the mystifying elements of the whole universe under the rug. The fact that one tiny string of protein that has an extra molecule in it, and changes a brain from testosterone reception to testosterone rejection is too mind boggling for many people, but may well be the answer to my life as a Trans* person. They see "difference" as punishment or demon infestation and not as glorification of a more beautiful "reality" of Creation and the forces behind it. My creation as I am makes a dwarf of their position in the creative order (not that my place is terribly big), they are no longer special giant masters of all who know all, they are just participants in something too big for their comfort and comprehension. My delight in my sense of discovery about things too tiny for them to imagine and wonder at the greatness, and unknowability of the furthest reaches of the universe is what really frightens them. I admit to things I will never know and am happy, and they are scared to even live with a little uncertainty.

[gennee]

I've been thinking lately about the phrase "God doesn't make mistakes." I see it used to bolster the argument that we are somehow wrong for trying to defy the gender binary.

But it would never enter these people's minds that transgender individuals, therefore, are also God's perfect creations and should not be expected to change in order to meet others' standards for what is "normal".

I certainly agree with the last paragraph, Kenna

[gennee]

Any time somebody tries to tell me a "The Bible says..." I tell them that they best learn what they're talking about before actually trying to talk about it. See the original scriptures weren't anti LGBT at all. It was in the translating of the king James version that they anti LGBT slant came in. And all other versions we have now are just retranslated from the king James version. A flawed version of the original scriptures. If you study and find what some of the original Hebrew words used in different verses, they give a whole new meaning to some of the Bible stories that we grew up learning. Joseph didn't ask his father Israel for a "coat of many colors". Joseph asked for a princess dress, and his father bought it for his favorite child. And the majority of the time that you see the word eunuch in the Bible, it was mistranslated from the word saris. Saris was a MtF trans person back in ancient Israel.

I made a copy of the attachment. I did some studies of Hebrew texts when I did a project on cross dressing. There was no mention of it. Neither was there any mention of homosexuality. It was most likely common in those cultures.

[Guest Mickey]

Gennee, Might I suggest that you search out the original word, that was translated in one place in scripture as "princess dress", and in the only other place that Hebrew word was used, it was translated as a "coat of many colors". It gives a whole new meaning to the story of Joseph.

[gennee]

I will do so, Carla.