Christian and confused about gender

[Lisbeth]

I may be confused but a persons gender and religious convictions are seperate matters.

I really cannot agree with that, hon. Who you are as a person, including gender, is integral to who you are spiritually. My identity as a woman is part of my spiritual well-being.

[lisagurl]

My identity as a woman is part of my spiritual well-being

But your spirit is only part of your body and religion is a man made organization to control the masses.

[Michelle.]

As soon as you mention your faith, some will hijack the thread into a Christian bashing. Kristi

Or religion in general.

How about a refresher course...  https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,13517.0.html

Number 7 seems to be the one that is most often violated.

[Alyssa M.]

Thanks, Michelle.

Anima, I have felt very isolated because of my feeling that I wouldn't be accepted in my church. There are certainly a lot of people that are quite conservative in their beliefs, specifically about gender roles and sexuality. But my gender has become increasingly difficult for me to hide, making me start to feel alienated from my church, despite the fact that my troubles with gender were one of the things that led me to the church in the first place.

Over the last few months I have begun to talk with some of my closer friends in my church, and I have experienced nothing but warmth, even from some whom I expected to be less accepting. I found that by coming to people in the church with confidence and humility, by making it clear that this is an issue that I am struggling with and not one I am trying to preach to anyone else about or to debate, they respond with love to my need for spiritual support. Their only concern is that some other people might treat me disrespectfully -- but then the "other" people respond the same way, concerned about someone else's reaction.

How did I find such an accepting church? Well, there's no outward sign that it is so accepting. It doesn't advertize itself as "open and affirming," and while the denomination is liberal (Episcopal), there are many conservative churches in the denomination -- and mine is certainly more conservative than the average Episcopal church. There are no other LGBT members of my parish that I know of. (There were a handful, but they left during some political strife a few years ago -- not such a good sign!) It's not a very diverse church.

And yet: there is warmth and openness and kindness and caring toward each member of the church, no matter how odd or troubled, and to non-members as well. I've been to churches that minister openly to LGBT folk, but lacked kind of warmth. I feel better at a church that isn't comfortable with LGBT folk, but has a strong sense of love and service.

I am no longer afraid or alienated at my church, but feel loved and accepted.

[Lisbeth]

But your spirit is only part of your body

Again, something I can't agree with. I cannot see your spirit as something separate from your body, which the term "only part of" implies. It is neither glued on, as most people seem to think, nor a little you in your head. It is 100% you, and your body is 100% you, and there is no way to separate body and spirit, not even in death.

[heatherrose]

As she completes her third loop-the-loop during her first spontaneous "out of body experience".
She smiles to herself and her old paradigms melt away, as her statement,
"...and there is no way to separate body and spirit, not even in death."
wings it's way through her consciousness.

[Cindy]

I'm not a religous person and I am not going to hijack anything. I think if your belief gives you comfort and hope then that is a marvelous thing. It must be very difficult to be religous and know that bigotted or uneducated people in that belief will not accept you.

I always thought that the base of any religon was to accept others as one wants to be accepted. I have that as at the end of my posts.
I was told it was a quote from a Jewish Prophet some 4000 yrs ago. It was repeated in the Bible. It is central to the Moslem faith. It's ignored by most.

Cindy