Picking And Choosing

[Dianne H]

After being a Christian for 38 years and battling being transgender for 52 I have noticed many things. Some of them are wonderful and others are heartbreaking.

We have churches on every corner and yet all manner of sin abounds. We have ministers who speak whatever fills pulpits and wallets and few who preach and teach what leads unto eternal life.

Ephesians 4: 4, 5
[4] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
[5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

As Christians we should all believe the same thing, speak the same thing and try to live the same thing. Instead, everyone speaks different things, believes different things and lives different ways.

1 Corinthians 1: 8-13
[8] Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[9] God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

[10] Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

[11] For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
[12] Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
[13] Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

Verse 10 bears witness unto the fact that we should all be of one mind and spirit with no divisions.

As in verse 12, one is Baptist, another is Pentecostal, one is Catholic and another Protestant or Presbyterian or whatever. These divisions are an abomination in the eyes of God.

Romans 16: 17
[17] Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Proverbs 6: 16-19
[16] These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
[17] A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
[18] An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
[19] A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

It's amazing that Christians can say one thing is an abomination and yet commit other things which are an abomination. The sad thing is that this happens because the body of Christ is so split up, wrongly taught and divided up that people no longer know what to believe.

One reads the works of a popular evangelist or televangelist and another studies doctrinal books of denominations. This one says this and that one says that. Few agree and most end up searching out scriptures for comfort and many don't even care if they pick and choose to do so.

The body of Christ believes that seminary or some Christian college gives the answer and truth in doctrine. Still, most end up teaching and preaching that which fills the pews and wallets.

Nowhere in scripture do we see where Jesus used man's education. In each case we see the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of God which taught and led and overcame.

The Holy Ghost will not preach or teach that which exalts man, fills pews or fills bank accounts. It will not bear witness unto doctrines of man as even Jesus said, howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Vain, or profitless unto the soul of the hearer, but only profitable unto the ego or bank account of the minister.

If we are honest we see that Peter and John were esteemed ignorant and unlearned men. Paul said mind not high things but condescend unto men of low estate. The Apostles were fishermen and such. Not college educated men or sons of televangelists born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

John the Baptist preached repent. So did Jesus, Peter and Paul.  Yet these words are called hate today by this body of people so split up and confused. If we don't tell people that which will make them feel good their poor little heart is broken and we are haters and uncaring.

The Holy Ghost will always glorify Jesus and lead into all truth. It will not justify evil of any manner. It will lead unto that which delights in, a just weight and an equal balance. Faith balanced with works, love balanced with fear, and the acceptance of mercy balanced with obedience unto the whole word of God, not just the part we like.

As I have posted elsewhere there is a sin unto death and a sin not unto death. The sin unto death is willful sin after knowing the truth. A sin not unto death is sin which cannot be avoided.

When a person is proud or causes division knowing better it is an abomination. For a man to wear a woman's garment is an abomination.

If they do this because they can not help it, it is not a sin unto death or an abomination.  If they know the truth and fight to remain in the grace of God and they find that being transgender or transsexual is beyond their control they are no worse than a person who may cause a division unintentionally or hasn't the strength to stop.

I watch transgender people lose their faith and trust in Christ and know how they feel. It's bad enough being transgender when you care about the Lord without having people clobber you and causing you to give up while they commit things the word of God says are an abomination and couldn't care less.

When you see a MTF transgender person the Lord considers saved it is a shame to see them fall away because some straight or cisgender people think their abominations don't matter. It's heartbreaking to watch those who could have eternal life leave the faith because of the words of others.

Does being transgender align with the word of God?

No, it doesn't; but neither does being proud of heart, those who make or worship a molten image, those who have an out of balance faith and other things. In other words, neither does about 99 percent of Christianity. As Jesus said, few would find the way.

I don't know how long I'll be here so all I can say is that I hope nobody gives up. I've been fighting this for all these years and I have no regrets. I have been blessed in my life, even though being transgender. I came here because the Lord showed me some people who he wants to stay in the faith. And, if he says they're saved, I know that it's not my place to say they are not. He's the righteous judge and to me they're saved and sisters in the Lord.

Some may transition and other may choose not to. That is between them and God. The main thing is that they trust Jesus and do that which is acceptable in his sight. If they cannot abstain from transitioning who is man to tell them they are going to hell? As Paul said, why should they be judged of another man's conscience?

It's a shame that man chose to replace the Holy Ghost with man's education. An education is fine but even Paul who was wiser than any of us in the law and prophets persecuted Jesus when he persecuted the church in err.

I would hope that Christians who are struggling with being transgender or transsexual would seek the baptism of the Holy Ghost as it will show you the truth which this divided church won't. And please don't rely on your own understanding. It is even written lean not unto your own understanding. Paul made it clear the word of God is spiritually discerned.

In closing, I hope nobody gives up. If you are a Christian seek the Lord with all of your heart and trust in his mercy. As Paul said, don't let any man steal your crown.

May God bless.

[Lady Sarah]

I found that (in order to keep my faith), I need to not attend church. While there are many preachers that give good messages, there are snakes in the pews that like to prey on anyone they view as different. They like to single out that prey, ask questions about that which is none of their business, and gossip about it.

In reference to trans individuals, I have found no evidence that it is a sin. In my former life, I lived in absolute misery. I have read the Bible from cover to cover, and often asked the Lord for guidance. When that guidance came, it was obvious that I needed to do something with myself, and seek transition. It was very difficult to do the Lord's work when the flesh was weak, as well as the mind. Only after transition, have I found the strength to be a valued member of society. With that, I have found the strength to not lose sight of what is important ... serving the Lord. In this, I have not forgotten what it was like to be homeless, and to do without shelter or food. Perhaps the biggest thing people actually see, is the fact that I volunteer my time at the food pantry, helping those that need it.  In line with scripture, nobody in need is turned away.

It would appear that the most important thing missed in your lovely message was that we are to love everybody as a brother or sister, and to help those who are downtrodden, as Christ has done here on Earth. To me, any church that turns away anyone, is not a Church of the Lord. Anyone in a church that treats others poorly, is not really a Christian. To be a Christian, means to follow the teachings of Christ ... not some preacher that could pass for the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan.

[Dianne H]

Sarah,
I'm sorry if I wasn't clear enough but that was the idea of the whole thing.
There are too many who commit sin and abomination and either overlook it or justify it and then clobber the gay and transgender people. Hence, no love.
Once again, I'm sorry if I wasn't clear.
Have a blessed day.

[SaraDanielle]

Dianne,

A lot of interesting thoughts in your post.  I appreciate the time that you've wrestled with this, that clearly comes out in your thoughts.  I'm really new to it - but I focused on your comments not to lean on our own understanding.

I know that's something I'm guilty of frequently. 

I have this feeling, that God is leading me away from this search, but I think feelings are even more corruptible than reason.  So in the end we are left with talking to other people that we trust maybe? People that we know God is working in??  And of course that's super scary...

Looking forward to reading more.

[Roll]

A lot of what you say here is why I choose to label myself a "Christian Deist", in that I separate myself from organized dogma (often not even based in biblical teachings) but still believe in God and the teachings of Christ. I also use the label as a way to illustrate that my belief in God is from a place of both faith and logic. (I'm big on teleological arguments and the like, and have had fun over the years backing strident atheists whose only reason for being such is that their favorite musician said to into a logical corner This is where the Deist label comes in handy, as the arguments often don't provide logical reasoning for the God, simply a God.)

I hate that I constantly find myself at odds with so much hypocrisy from people around me who profess their faith loudly in words, but fail to do so in even the most basic of actions. This hypocrisy has driven so many people away from God that are often the very people who may need the solace that lies within faith the most. (And I don't mean that regarding transgender issues, but simply anyone who struggled with just plain existential-level despair. Far too often have I seen people fall into nihilism without meaning, when I believe that meaning is there if they would learn to look past the noise from the pulpit.)

I do add a bit of my own philosophy into the mix when regarding the transgender issue though, most notably in response to the common refrain of "God doesn't make mistakes". Which is true, but He also loves a good trial by fire, so who are they to say being transgender is a mistake at all? Perhaps it is just the path laid out by God in order to test our courage and faith, exactly as he intends.

[RobynD]

Something that i make abundantly clear to those that wish to engage me on this subject is that to be a Christian and not believe in bible inerrancy is absolutely ok. You say you are a Christian, other Christians don't get to approve or disapprove your spiritual identity. Franky, those that would seek to move you toward some form of fundamentalism that denies your identity is abusing you as a friend, family member etc.

Based on what? Scripture that was written thousands of years ago, had to be approved in various church conventions, was translated many times? The books are awesome and show man's relationship to an awesome God, but for me that is it To debate this scripture vs that etc just seems so unproductive to me. The Bible itself does not say it is inerrant. It says it is useful for life, yes but not inerrant and certainly not comprehensive of all of life's knowledge and wisdom.

As to the role of the spirit in our lives and in our convictions? That is clearly a tenant of a belief in Christ. However that whole concept is largely outside of scripture.

[Lady Sarah]

It would be wise to consider the fact that kings and cannons over the ages decided what they wanted their subjects to be taught from the Bible. Anything that they found to be offensive was removed. They wanted to ensure the loyalty of their subjects, and wanted to make sure those subjects would not have a religious reason to not do what they were told. In a sense, the same thing is going on in today's churches. You are told to skip large segments of scripture the minister does not want you to read. This all relates back to OP: picking and choosing.

[Roll]

I have an uncle who converted to become an Episcopalian minister (I forget from what, probably baptist, this was way before I was born) after studying the available original texts and doing his own translations. I then recently learned that the Episcopalian church is pro-LGBT (and my uncle is super progressive), so I now wonder if there is a common thread there between what he found and the stances of the Episcopalian church on these and other issues that he was drawn to it. (Though having said that, I'm not one for the pomp and circumstance so could never go that route. )

[RobynD]

For what its worth every Anglican and Episcopal (same thing) person i have ever talked to has been pro LGTB or at least tolerant. The Church of England has been supportive of us for some time and i know there are regressives within their ranks trying to turn things back, but they won't in my estimate.

Also Episcopal ministers tend to be less about a literal translation of scripture than many denominations, they look at the "big picture" (again at least the ones i have known and seen online etc.)