by
Vikki Skelton
Not all fundamentalists think it is a sin!
I came across this interesting link which is to a transcript from a 1995 airing of the 700 Club. It is interesting to note what Pat Robertson, considered by many to be a fundamentalist Christian or at least a major leader among the Christian community, has said concerning transsexualism.
The link is... Pat Robertson
It is interesting that he seems to have taken the time to learn more about the medical findings concerning transsexualism. He is not alone in the Christian community...there are many Christians, though not as influential as Pat Robertson, that do not see transsexualism as a sin and thus the changing of one's sex as a corrective surgery to be a sin.
What does this tell us? Not all Christians believe that changing one's sex is a sin. Not all Christians condemns us. We should remember not to lump all Christians into the same pool of bigotry. Why? Because not all claiming to be Christians are actually Christians according to the Bible. Just because they go to a church, can quote the bible, and etc. does not mean that they are a Christian. Also, when we lump Christians as a whole into the pool of bigotry then we also lump many Christians who are not only on your side, like Pat Robertson, but also many of us transsexuals, your brothers and sisters, that happen to be Christians into that pool as well.
Here are some thoughts that may do us well to remember the next time we want to condemn any group of people....
If we condemn those who condemn us then we are really no different than them?
If we hate those that hate us then we are no better than those who hate us.
If we are intolerant of those that are intolerant of us then we are just as intolerant as they are.
If we retaliate against those who attack us then we are no better than those who attack us. (I am not talking about defending one's self from a physical attack here).
The key to greater acceptance is not bitterness, rage, hate, insults, unforgiveness, intolerance, condemnation, forcing our views onto others, and so-forth. The key to greater acceptance by the Christian and other religious communities, even though we may not win the majority of them over, is to take a higher road...It means to...
Tolerate their beliefs as we expect them to tolerate ours!
Try to change one heart at a time through education, love, and doing good to those that not only love us and do good to us but also to those who do not.
In other words, build bridges and not walls.
It is easier to win one heart at a time to your way of thinking than it is to try and convert a mob or a group of people all at once. People being "forced" to accept something they do not want to accept, whether by law or not, is not really a victory for the heart has not been changed. Victory is when people seek to understand something they do not understand, whether they end up accepting it or not in the end. Victory is when someone comes to accept you as a person by choice and not by "force" even though they may not agree with your choice to change your sex. Victory is when we actually practice what we preach instead of expecting everyone else to practice what we preach. Victory is when a person says, "I will listen." Victory is when the heart is reached, a bridge is built, and a mind is opened to seek and understand.
So, let's be a group of people that builds bridges and not walls.
One way to do this is through opening doors of communication to understanding others and why they believe such and also trying to educate them on the matter in a non-threatening format and attitude. For instance, I have been communicating on and off with Focus on the Family about transsexualism. Will I change their view point as a whole on the matter of transsexualism? Maybe not as an organization, but the door of communication is open and it is civil and constructive to hopefully building a bridge. My purpose is not to convince as much as to help them think about it from various viewpoints.
Who knows...maybe one day someone in that organization, maybe someone in line to take a leadership role, may read something I write that will cause them to truly try to understand this whole issue and come to understand that this is not a sin issue but something completely different. Maybe someone with a member of their family or a friend that is dealing with this issue will read something I have sent to them and it will help them to be more loving and compassionate and understanding toward that person.
Remember, the goal is not to convince but to educate, to keep the doors of communication open, to challenge their "traditional" way of thinking in a positive constructive way, to help them see possible inconsistencies in their thinking on this matter in relation to the bible and what it says or does not say about transsexualism, and to understand them better.
Would this door have been open and remain open if I went in condemning them for their viewpoint? No. We tend to close up to communicating with someone when they condemn us, why should we expect any differently from us to them? They would refuse to listen if I did not approach this from a right and prayerful attitude. The same is true with anyone else.
So, again, let's always do our best to build bridges instead of walls...in the end we will reach many more people and effect greater change in the minds and hearts of those people.
