Saturday, June 13, 2009

Who made Matt Barber and the Liberty Counsel God's spokespeople?

What's the deal with the religious right today:

A Christian college in India allows applicants to indicate whether they are male, female, or transgender when they enroll.

Matt Barber, cultural affairs director at Liberty Counsel, says Madras Christian College administrators must have misread the book of Genesis, believing God created male, female, and transgender.

"You know, this is just ridiculous and insane," he contends. "It's really sad that a Christian college is joining in and entertaining this leftist, secular, humanist delusion that is transgenderism."


Now I have no idea what the truth is behind this situation. If Madras Christian College is doing this then I applaude the institute.

But what gets me is the audacity of Barber. What is it his business what this college does? It's not that he doesn't have a right to voice an opinion because that's not the point.

Sometimes it's not enough to have the right to voice an opinion. With rights come responsiblities and a degree of discernment. Everyone is always talking about their rights to voice an opinion but very few want to talk about their responsibility as to when they should voice that opinion. And sometimes a big part of that responsibility is knowing when to talk and knowing when to hush because the situation has nothing to do with you.

Neither Barber nor the Liberty Counsel contributes to this college. Neither he nor anyone working at the Liberty Counsel have children who attend this college.

So why is it Barber's business to make an officially public comment about something that has nothing to do with him other than the fact that he considers himself a Christian.

You see this is a problem with Christianity and religion in general that has plagued us through the ages. People take it upon themselves to be God's spokesperson when they would be best served to let God handle the things.

Whatever Madras College did is betweeen it and God, no one else. In the end, it is only He who should determine just who or who isn't following His word.

And He doesn't need any help from Barber or anyone else.





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6 comments:

PersonalFailure said...

The reason the college does this is because India formally recognizes three sexes: male, female and what they call "eunech". The college is probably required by law to do this.

Buffy said...

I find myself quoting Susan B. Anthony frequently of late:

"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires. "

Bill S said...

Susan B. nailed it, Buffy.
Is there any Christian position on intersexed persons?
I've never heard of one.

Stephanie said...

Matt Barber's got to earn his keep.

As far as I know, India -- as a whole -- does not "recognize" transgenders (hijras or eunuchs)as a "third sex."

(And, India still criminalizes homosexuality via Section 377 of its Penal Code, by the way.)

Earlier this year, Tamil Nadu became the only Indian state to recognize transgenders as a separate sex.

Madras Christian College is located in Tamil Nadu.

Unknown said...

“Matt Barber, cultural affairs director at Liberty Counsel, says Madras Christian College administrators must have misread the book of Genesis, believing God created male, female, and transgender.”

I’ll give you “misread the book of Genesis,” Mr. Barber:

First, there’s the issue of “Be fruitful and multiply.” How do you think Adam and Eve’s grandchildren came into being?

Second, is the issue of God trying to find a “comparable helper” for Adam by bringing all the animals to him. Not finding a “comparable helper” with the animals, God then decided to create Eve.

Third, there’s the issue of God making them male and female simultaneously in Genesis 1, and Adam first and then Eve, in Genesis 2.

And then there’s the issue of God making man after the plants and animals in Genesis 1, and before the plants and animals in Genesis 2.

So, we have incest, the approval of bestiality, and two gross inconsistencies in timing.

As far as “misread[ing] the book of Genesis” goes, Mr. Barber, you have quite a lot on your plate that needs resolving before insisting that others adhere to the Genesis account of creation.
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And to Bill S, there’s an FOTF CitizenLink article on intersexed persons, here. There was another article that I’m pretty sure was one of their’s, which I can’t find now, that suggested intersexed babies should be assigned a sex at birth and then raised as that gender.

Bill S said...

It's not much of an answer, considering how long-winded it is. It doesn't address what options they have-it just equates them with eunechs, which doesn't make any sense. It's like they're saying, "We're not sure, but just to be on the safe side, let's go with 'lonely and miserable', because they're freaks, and that's how freaks should be treated."