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| Caitlyn Jenner |
I consider myself a person of faith raised up in the Baptist Christian religion. I respect the differences of religious belief, but draw the line when folks exploit these beliefs to harm their fellow man by lies and stigmatization, particularly my lgbt brothers and sisters.
I especially don't like it when Christians point to several "clobber verses" in the Bible as a way to demonize lgbts without taking into account what these verses are actually saying or what was happening at the time these verses were written.
With that in mind, I have to comment on this situation with Caitlyn Jenner in my own way. I don't think I have to recount the situation. She has found happiness finally being who she is.
However, there are some who call her transition an affront to God and they use those same Biblical verses to do so. They claim that Caitlyn is saying that "God is a liar" because supposedly God made male and female. Of course they say the same thing about the lgbt community in general. Rather than go into a long expository, I think I will give my opinion on whether or not God approves of Caitlyn, myself, and other members of the lgbt community by citing a chapter in the book of Job which I think says it all.
These are the words of God as he is talking to a pious man, Job, concerning questions and conclusions Job has made on His behalf.
Job 38 chapter:
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
2 “Who is this who darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
3 Now prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
By words without knowledge?
3 Now prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
9 When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
10 When I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
11 When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves must stop!’
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
9 When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
10 When I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
11 When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves must stop!’
12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.
15 From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the upraised arm is broken.
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.
15 From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the upraised arm is broken.
16 “Have you entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you may take it to its territory,
That you may know the paths to its home?
21 Do you know it, because you were born then,
Or because the number of your days is great?
And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you may take it to its territory,
That you may know the paths to its home?
21 Do you know it, because you were born then,
Or because the number of your days is great?
22 “Have you entered the treasury of snow,
Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
23 Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?
24 By what way is light diffused,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
23 Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?
24 By what way is light diffused,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
25 “Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water,
Or a path for the thunderbolt,
26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,
A wilderness in which there is no man;
27 To satisfy the desolate waste,
And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
28 Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
30 The waters harden like stone,
And the surface of the deep is frozen.
Or a path for the thunderbolt,
26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,
A wilderness in which there is no man;
27 To satisfy the desolate waste,
And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
28 Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
30 The waters harden like stone,
And the surface of the deep is frozen.
31 “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth[a] in its season?
Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
Or loose the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth[a] in its season?
Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That an abundance of water may cover you?
35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,
And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
36 Who has put wisdom in the mind?[b]
Or who has given understanding to the heart?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
38 When the dust hardens in clumps,
And the clods cling together?
That an abundance of water may cover you?
35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,
And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
36 Who has put wisdom in the mind?[b]
Or who has given understanding to the heart?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
38 When the dust hardens in clumps,
And the clods cling together?
39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they crouch in their dens,
Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
41 Who provides food for the raven,
When its young ones cry to God,
And wander about for lack of food?
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they crouch in their dens,
Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
41 Who provides food for the raven,
When its young ones cry to God,
And wander about for lack of food?
What does this mean? For those who haven't figured it out, it means it is not our place to pass judgement on what or who makes God a liar because we don't know as much as God and no matter how many times we read the Bible and translate it, we can never comprehend the mind of God. We may make educated (or uneducated) guesses. BUT we have to acknowledge the fact that they are merely guesses.
In the end, only God can say what is or what isn't and His works are too wonderful and complicated to comport with our inferior minds. What if God created lgbts exactly to be the way we are based upon what He sees as a part of his plan for the world? What would be wrong with merely comprehending this point of view?
Therefore, let us do less judging on verses that we may misread, less glossing over incidents which contradict our supposed knowledge of God, less time using religion like a clique, and more time loving each other for who we are, not for who we THINK God wants us to be.
Editor's note - Originally the post inaccurately described Job as a Christian.
Editor's note - Originally the post inaccurately described Job as a Christian.
4 comments:
Edit suggestion: Job - not Christian.
Thank you for the catch and the EXCELLENT POINT about folks assuming certain things about the Bible which aren't true.
Thank you for this.
I had never read it, and I believe it makes your point perfectly.
It really puts things into perspective, or at least it should for anyone who claims to believe...
Jen
You know I'm not a christian, but I thought I'd share my views on our place. I believe people like ourselves, those within the LGBT community are here, in part, as a kind of social test. How society treats us defines what kind of society we live in. Those people on the edge of society, the people who are very different in a way that challenges people's ides of what is normal or natural rely on society's acceptability and capacity to respect diversity to survive. Especially in a society that proclaims, "all men are created equal." Who we are challenges if they really mean, "all men" So far they really don't. So far, we fail. We fail a little less badly than other parts of the world, but we still fail.
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