Job 2:1-6

[Del]

I would like to thank everyone who has answered. The responses have been very interesting and enlightening. I enjoyed reading each one.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Jew he became as a Jew and other scripture shows we should be with those who are bound or whatever as bound with them. I am not saying this to put anyone down. What I mean is that it is a shame that so many will not take the time to actually try to see what others see and feel what others feel. As Ezekiel said, I sat where they sat. Too many are just to quick to form an opinion or pass a judgment and most of the time a biased view is wrong. It is written of Christ that he was touched with our infirmities that he might be a merciful high priest before God on our behalf.

I personally would like to know what people think and how they feel when corresponding with them. To me that is more of what Jesus would do then just form an uniformed opinion.

May all have a blessed day.

[Jade_404]

Oh no! you dipped your religions into my scientific theory.

My theory is that science advancements allowed more babies to be born in the last 60 or so years, babies that would not have survived without the new medical science advance. From RH factors in blood to hormonal drugs, recreational drugs and other environmental factors many babies born in that last 100 years or so have been exposed to so many contaminants that may have altered these persons in ways science still does not understand. Religions have led people to believe that homosexuality or transgenderism is somehow against God or immoral in some way and even if scientific evidence were produced to show that these conditions were actually something a person was born with and had no choice over, most religious people would ignore or choose not to believe that scientific fact. Some fundamentally religious persons may even say that had scientists not tried to play God and influence and aid the birth of so many babies that we would not be filling the earth with abominations. Some very extreme Religious / Scientific people might even say these abominations should be destroyed in order to preserve pure humans. People comparable to Hitler. What we are talking about here is birth defects and most sensible people would show compassion rather than blaming someone who is afflicted or condemning them to hell. Too many people see it as a reason to harass or harm someone who is different from them, if anything this is where Satan would be playing a role. There are some that want to help, but do not understand the affliction and the attempted help can actually destroy people. Conversion therapies, prayer, electro shock treatments, and I am guessing even torture (shudder) have been used to "fix" people. Religion has not taught many of its followers compassion, instead it has taught them intolerance, hence all the fighting between different religious groups for thousands of years. I don't think any religion should be trying to fix these people, only accepting them , as they are, as God made them. I feel that a ton of religious people need to look inward and remember that God is the only judge. If they decide to judge a person they are just invalidating their entire religion. I like Science, I like Theology. Whenever someone I know who is religious starts saying so and so is bad, so and so is going to hell, this or that is the work of the devil,  well its just bla bla bla after that. Same way when someone starts spewing off incorrect information about known scientific facts, its all bla bla bla once they invalidate their knowledge of the subject matter. You see, I know God accepts me, I don't have to prove that to anyone. It is people that are not accepting, when will that change? Only when the majority of the religions stop casting judgement and accept us as we have accepted ourselves. We exist, and in a lot more numbers than in the distant past. Maybe back then we could be stifled but our numbers and our will are high now. There is no pushing it back into the closet.

To sum it up I think religions need to accept what science and God has created and stop trying to fix everything. Enjoy the variety and the beauty and be kind to everyone of Gods creatures.

-Jade

[AbbyKat]

Comparing Job's afflictions to gender dysphoria isn't totally insane at all when you think about it.

I imagine Christians attribute all manners of affliction and suffering to "Satan testing their faith" and (at least from my perspective) gender dysphoria ranks pretty high on the affliction and suffering scale.  If a Christian is born with no legs, she can say "well it's God testing me" and I think that can be a healthy attitude if not taken too far.  By "too far", I mean that person refusing to get prosthetic limbs lest she insult her god.  Likewise, a transgender person can receive medical treatment and keep faith during the entire transition while still feeling "tested".

As long as it doesn't keep a person from seeking the help and treatment they need, I see nothing wrong with viewing their condition (whatever that may be) as a test from their gods.

[Elsa Delyth]

But Job's afflictions had nothing to do with him, and were not a test for him, but a demonstration to Satan. Three of Job's friends suggested that it was a test for him, but God, eventually assured him that it wasn't.

Satan claimed that he could get Job to curse him, that he only loved him because his life was good, and he was happy. God meant to show Satan that this was not the case, that Job would not curse him even if his life was >-bleeped-<, so Satan preceded to make his life >-bleeped-<, and Job did not curse him. God was not testing his faith and devotion, he was already sure of it. It was Satan that wasn't, and didn't believe that it was true devotion. Job's misfortunes were a product of a demonstration to Satan, and not a test from God at all.