Posted by deirdrehbrt on February 27, 2006, at 20:27:09
In reply to Re: Lynn, An answer. Long. » deirdrehbrt, posted by rayww on February 26, 2006, at 8:24:31
Ok.... Maybe I'll try to give Babble one more shot. E-mails and chats with other babblers seem to show some people actually like me here.
Anyway, in answer to your last post, I'd like to make one first thing a little more clear. I'm NOT gettign carried away with Battlestar Gallictica. To me, it's good science fiction. That the show was done by Glen Larson, who happens to be a member of the Church, and that he managed to fit some of the theology into the program was an interesting aside. I though, that being a member of the Church, you may be interested. That's all there is to the TV show.
As far as being an alcoholic, this does not mean that I drink. I do not. I choose not to every day. I know quite well where drinking will lead me. The last time I drank, I awoke in intensive care. I do not wish to do that again. I don't believe drinking to be evil. I do believe being out of control to be contrary to that which deity would have for us. I am overcoming a genetic physical addiction to a substance. For me, drinking is no longer an option.
Regarding moral standards, every faith has them to some extent. That's part of what defines a faith.
My question to you though would be this: When faith and science conflict, where does one turn? Some turn to their precepts, and some turn to science. It happened with Galileo. Science discovered that the world wasn't the center of the universe. Indeed, it's not the center of the solar system, and the solar system is not the center of the galaxy, and so on. The Catholic church did not agree with this knowledge, and Galileo was branded a heretic.
Some believe that the world was literally created in six 24 hour periods. Some believe that God created woman inferior to men. That's all OK. Belief in faith is one thing. When, however, science contradicts faith, a choice must be made. One must choose to continue to believe in the precepts of his or her faith, or to believe science. In some cases, religion will come to integrate the science into it's beliefs and find reconciliation. This is the wisdom of God in action.
In my case, being transgendered, I tried turning to faith. Faith left me wanting. I had tried counseling with church counselors. I delved deeply into prayer and study of scripture. It didn't work.
A point of information is needed before I proceed. There are different kinds of transsexual people that go beyond the Male to Female and Female to Male categories. Some people classified as transsexual are not actually transsexual. There are some, who may be homosexual. Some of these people, finding they have a strong attraction for the same sex, but feeling this is very wrong can begin to feel instead that they are actually not their birth sex. This is a psychological method for coping with information about themselves that they cannot accept. There are others who come to a decision to alter their birth sex to further a drag-queen persona. There are other reasons also.
There are also many further types of trandgendered people. There are those born with x-y chromosomes who appear to be female. There are those with x-x chromosomes who appear to be male. Nature truly produces sex and gender along a continuum, with the heaviest distributions at either end. I think it unwise to either ignore, or to try to fit those in the middle into a category not of their choosing. Indeed there are statistics that rate the incidence of death among transsexual people as high as 50% by the age of 30, mostly due to suicide. I understand these feelings all too well.
In my case, these feelings began as soon as I noticed a difference between boy and girl. At 3 or 4 years of age. It has nothing to do with sexual preference or "having fun dressing up". It's who I am. I cannot act convincingly my birth sex. Indeed, in grade school, my peers shunned me because I could not convincingly be one of them.
I take some comfort in the fact that science is moving increasingly toward a better understanding of the genesis of this condition. Post-mortem examinations of the brains of people like me have shown physical differences. Genetic and in-vitro theories are showing promise. In the end though, all that I hope for in the understanding of the cause is some understanding from those who are now critics and antagonists.
On the other hand, your church is not mine. Your beliefs are not mine. While I respect yours, I have my own, and I too have deity to whom I am accountable. I need to honor that which I am. Too, I have to do so living in a world in which the continuum of gender is perceived not to exist. My ancestors called us berdache. We were those who could bridge the gap between male and female. We were considered sacred. Our present world has made that something bad, something to be hidden. Living between genders is not only unseemly, but it can be fatal. So, I must make a choice, and the one I have chosen is the one that is right for me.
I feel comfortable with my choice, and comfortable with deity. I am learning, slowly, to view this as one of those blessings that initially feels a curse. Deity found a way for me to deal with this without resorting to taking my own life. I am grateful.
I have no wish to change your views on this subject. The Church is quite clear, and the prophets have spoken on this subject. You, as a member ought to follow your church's teachings. I understand too, that you speak from a genuine concern regarding my spiritual condition. I admire that, and I thank you.
I ask from you that you recognize my choices, honor the fact that I believe they are right for me. We each have our own beliefs, and from our individual perspectives, each is as valid as the other. So, I respect your beliefs. I trust your motives. I wish you well.
Blessings,
--Dee
poster:deirdrehbrt
thread:611474
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20051105/msgs/614024.html