The Abolition of Gender

The Abolition of Gender Are you numb from the moral foolishness that seems to be permeating our society from every angle? Do you feel the world is going stark raving mad when yet another idiotic immoral idea is turned into public policy? How rapidly we are descending into absolute confusion regarding all matters associated with gender and sexuality! One year ago, in June of 2015, I was stunned and deeply disappointed when homosexual marriage was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. And now, a mere twelve short months later, those that hate God and biblical morality have pushed the battle front further yet, eroding more moral ground. Now we are having a national debate about what constitutes gender! Public schools across the land are being forced to accommodate “transgender” students. I place the word “transgender” in quotation marks because its apparent definition—being able to change one’s gender—is itself a biblical impossibility that bears no connection to the tangible world in which we live. Please be forewarned: the forces arrayed against biblical Christianity want more than accommodation for homosexual and transgenders; they want more than respect for homosexuals and transgenders; they want gender to become an antiquated concept that is abolished from our notice and from even our thoughts. That’s right, they want to eliminate the very notion of male and female! You may be deem such a development to be absurd! You are right, but that does not mean that those who are pushing this agenda agree with you, nor do they think it is unobtainable. Indeed, if you presume it cannot happen, consider how a vast majority of Americans once believed that racial distinctions were an absolutely fixed reality some fifty years ago—and now a majority do not! Those that believed in racial distinction were right then, they still are right now, but being right that does not mean a given truth will be translated into public policy. It is the agenda of the LGBT crowd to do the same with gender as has been done regarding race. Just as a majority of Americans now pay no attention to racial distinctions, so the anti-Christian forces hope that one day most Americans will pay no attention to gender distinctions. The goal of this chapter is to present the biblical precepts that form the foundation for a Christian outlook on this topic. It is regrettable that such a subject has to be addressed, but such are the times in which we live. This is a topic you will encounter with increasing frequency in the future, so you had better get your biblical presuppositions in order and be prepared! So, let us consider some basic—very basic—Bible concepts that will add clarity to this realm of moral anarchy. First, God made people male and female. Genesis 1:27 reads, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God made he him; male and female created he them.” When asked about his views on divorce, Jesus began with this reminder: “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female?” (Matthew 19:4). It surely should be obvious that there are only two genders! There are no other options and there is no gender continuum in which a person is part male and part female! Even in ancient times when men were castrated to produce a eunuch, there was no pretense that such a person was now a female; they were still a male, but one intentionally damaged so that some of the male functions could not be fulfilled. Today, surgeons remove or shape body parts to create an outward form of gender that is different from the original, but they cannot build the inner organs and other biological and emotional intricacies that form the true gender identity. Only God has that ability! The gender assigned at conception is the true fact of the matter until death. For example, it is a true statement that Bruce Jenner is now, and always has been, male. A very confused male, perhaps a mutilated male, but male nonetheless. He can call himself Caitlyn, he can wear a dress and high heels, he can dabble in many other perversions, but he will never be a female. The true root of his problem is spiritual. His spiritual void has grown to capture and twist his mind. Now, in his confused condition, his spiritual emptiness seeks to reach out beyond his mind and also destroy the body God gave him. And he was indeed given a fine masculine frame--excellent enough to develop its potential into the greatest male athlete in the world in the 1976 Olympic games. His confusion is thus quite profound. Sadly, the same is true for every other “transgender.” Without a spiritual transformation, they are without hope. Second, homosexual attraction is unnatural and sinful. Homosexual behavior is more than sinful; under biblical law it is a civil crime. Indeed, homosexual behavior is such a grave criminal act that it is punishable by death. “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them” (Leviticus 20:13). This is not simply a Mosaic statute that has no relevance in later times, for Paul the Apostle confirms this as a rule of life: “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet . . . Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death . . .” (Romans 1:26-27,32). America is steadily becoming comfortable with the sin of homosexuality, but as that comfort grows, God is becoming increasingly uncomfortable and angry with America! When will the point be reached that we will be destroyed as was Sodom? Third, cross-dressing is forbidden in Scripture. Do not wear ladies clothes if you are a man or men’s clothes if you are a lady. “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God” (Deuteronomy 22:5). This is clear, is it not? Every society has norms that create a distinction between male and female garments. In Bible times, the robes were cut different and had different accentuating features that showed, even at a distance, whether the person approaching was male or female. Some modern American dress styles retain small but important and easily identifiable distinctions regarding gender. Others do not, but are designed to be unisex. It is a sad testimony to our society that we have transvestites, “transgenders,” and others of that ilk popping up that want to style their hair, use make-up, and don garb that makes them look the opposite of what God made them! It is a perversion! The point is simple —men are not to pretend to be women through the disguising of their garments and women are not to do the reverse. Do not pose as the opposite gender! 4. The Bible castigates men who cultivate effeminate mannerisms. God designed males to fulfill certain responsibilities; such duties require a package of masculine habits, mannerisms, and a masculine frame of mind. These involve strength of body, an action- oriented mindset, and an assertive persona. Movement of hands, stride of walk, and other types of body language reveal this masculinity. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Saint Paul lists the sins that prevent a person from inheriting the kingdom of God. Among this list are the “effeminate.” An effeminate male is one who has developed female habits, mannerisms, and body language rather than the masculine qualities he should possess. In short, an effeminate man moves like a female. Now of course this does not mean that every male should try to swagger like John Wayne or be eager to pick a fistfight, but it does mean that the masculine qualities of firmness, discipline, courage, assertiveness, and so forth should be somewhat reflected in a man’s overall persona. 5. Clear gender distinctions are to be maintained within the social order. Clothing, activities, work habits, and a general set of responsibilities are to reflect this. Sadly, much of modern American society is collapsing on this point. Saint Paul tell us this is wrong in 1 Corinthians 11:14: “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair it is a shame unto him?” The United States military has become a testing ground to see how far and how fast the distinctions between men and women can be eroded. With the powerful push to place women—not simply in active duty—not simply in a theatre of war—but in forward combat positions, we are attempting to dissolve one of the few remaining “male only” zones that is left. For decades women have been pushed to join the once male-only corporate business world, into once male- only factories and industrial worksites, into once male-only colleges, into once male-only seminaries, and into the maelstrom of once male-only politics. We have reached a point where there is very little left of gender distinction in the social order! While feminists rejoice at this new condition, they should not, for both men and ladies are worse for these changes. The mad rush to transgender foolishness is a logical development in our social order since the distinctions between genders have been largely dismantled in modern America. Question: Can the brain of one gender be trapped in the body of another gender? No. A person’s brain is a single organ that is one among many other organs that comprise a whole body. All of these organs—the heart, liver, lungs, skeleton, etc.— work together in an exceedingly intricate manner to make a smooth functioning and healthy person. Many organs are slightly different between men and ladies. For example, an average male heart is larger that an average female heart. The bones of an average male are thicker than an average female’s. The muscles of an average male contain more white fibers while a female’s contain more red fibers. The brains of men and women also have slight differences that are designed to appropriately complement the differences in other parts of the body. Much of the reason that every organ, including the brain, will tend toward masculine qualities in men and toward feminine qualities in women is because the development of all the organs, including the brain, is determined by hormonal secretions. In particular, testosterone in men and estrogen in women are present in varying amounts throughout a person’s life, beginning just days after conception. These hormones cause all of the body, including the brain, to develop along one of only two gender directions. Therefore, it is both silly and physiologically impossible to suggest that the brain of a male is trapped inside a female body or vice- versa. Question: Don’t hermaphrodites prove that male and female are somewhat arbitrary distinctions? No. A hermaphrodite is a person who possesses both male and female reproduction organs at birth. Transgender advocates assert that hermaphrodites prove that there is no clear line between male and female. Let us consider why they are wrong. First, hermaphrodites are exceedingly rare. LBGT advocates claim one in 2,000 births are hermaphrodites, but the frequency is far less. They routinely inflate the frequency of various sexual misfits in society in their effort to try and normalize their perversions. There is no single source of undisputed fact on this question, but other estimates range from one in 12,000 to one in 60,000 births are hermaphrodites. The point is, hermaphrodites from birth are very seldom seen. Second, hermaphrodites are a congenital defect, like a baby born with a hole in his heart or born with club foot. Like these problems, it is surgically correctable. The primary cause of a hermaphrodite is when non-identical twins of opposite genders are conceived, but both do not reach full development because one is literally absorbed into the other during gestation. This seemingly unbelievable phenomenon can result in many physical oddities in the sole surviving twin, one of which is two sets of genitalia. However, in almost all cases, one set of reproduction organs is fully developed while the other is seriously underdeveloped and useless. Doctors surgically remove the useless, underdeveloped sexual organs shortly after birth, and the child goes on to live a normal life. Question: Is it not true that there is a long history of Christian monks castrating themselves to be more holy? Why then should Christians object to non-Christian men having a sex-change operation? There is not a long history of such occurrences in monastic orders; there are only exceedingly rare, very isolated men voluntarily doing so against the advice of their contemporaries and contrary to the teachings of Scripture. The scholar Origen is probably the most famous of men who chose self-mutilation in an attempt to subdue all sexual desires. He lived in the fourth century, almost two thousand years ago. Since that era, there have been a paltry few who followed his example. There are several reasons this has never been popular in Christian monasticism. First, while it does eliminate sexual function, it does not eliminate sexual desire—the mind is still fully inclined to drift into “adultery of the heart” if prone to do so. Second, men who were physically damaged in a significant way, including their private parts, were forbidden to serve as priests under Mosaic Law: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; no man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God” (Leviticus 21:16-21). Notice that this list includes the man who has had “his stones broken,” that is, has suffered mutilation of his sexual organs. This biblical principle dampened what enthusiasm might have existed for self-castration in Christendom. Third, even on the exceedingly rare occasions monks did take this step, please note they did so for the purpose of diminishing all sexual passions. “Transgenders” who do so in our time are seeking to pursue an unnatural sexual passion. Question: In Matthew 19:12 Jesus speaks of “eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb.” Isn’t this just a biblical expression for transgenders? No. The context of Matthew 19 is a discussion of marriage and proper grounds for divorce. Upon learning from Jesus that marriage is meant to be permanent and divorce difficult to obtain, Jesus’ disciples reacted with the statement, “If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry” (Matthew 19:10). Jesus’ response was, in paraphrase, something like, “Never marrying is a fine plan if you can manage to remain celibate, but most men find this too difficult.” What he actually stated was this: “All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it” (Matthew 19:11-12). Jesus stated there are three categories of men who can live without any compelling urge for sexual activity: those whose natural sexual desire is minimal, those whose desire cannot be acted upon since they have lost the capability through castration, and those who suppress the desire so they can be free from the responsibilities of marriage to better serve God’s greater purposes for their life. In all cases, these eunuchs are celibate men. This is not the case with most transgenders; they remain highly sexualized creatures. Indeed, for many of them the entire point of altering their gender is to better capitalize on sexual opportunities that appeal to them. Matthew 19:12 is not discussing transgenders in any way. In summary, if you are a genuine biblical Christian, please gear up your mind for yet another assault on the moral standards of Scripture. If you are not, please consider opening the pages of the Bible and thoughtfully, humbly read what God has to say. Consider the stories of patriarchs and prophets of long ago, study the words of Jesus, Saint Paul, and the other New Testament writers. Allow the pure teachings of Scripture to bathe your mind with its light and truth to guide you in this world of moral confusion. Let us not participate in any way in the movement to abolish gender.