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Policy
As a secondary science major, one of my favorite classes was embryology. While I must admit I wasn't always the most scholarly student in my younger years, I was captivated by biology. I can still remember being in awe of the idea of cell differentiation. Literally, moments after conception, the newly-created human life begins to go through a micro-transformation at every level as cells migrate and initiate the formation of various organs and body parts. The beginning moments of life are truly miraculous.
Under normal conditions, by the seventh week, the manifestation of a child's sex begins to reveal itself as distinctive physical characteristics that will biologically identify this child as a boy or a girl. Yet, while it may have taken seven weeks for us to observe this process visually taking place, the sex of this baby was determined at conception by the simple presence or absence of a "Y" chromosome. This is a biological fact, and every human body is tied to this reality.
Yet, elementary children somewhere today are listening intently as their teacher reads to them during story time. The book is about a biological boy who decided he was really a girl. Naturally, as the children listen, they become confused and begin to wonder how this can possibly be.
Just across the street, at the local middle school, a 13-year-old boy walks into the girl's locker room to change clothes for gym class. Several girls are unsettled at having a biological male that identifies as a girl watch as they undress. Yet, their teachers and principal have been very vocal and adamant that this is the new norm. The girls that innately know this is wrong are shamed for their "old-fashioned" beliefs.
Across town, the high school track-and-field state tournament comes to an end. As medals are presented for the girl's shot put, two biological teen boys step onto the first- and second-place platforms. How is the third-place finisher expected to feel, given she took first place last year when her fellow competitors were all biological females?
Still, another scenario is playing out at the local department store. As a young woman tries on a new outfit, she is shocked to see a man walk into the changing area next to her. When she complains to the clerk, she is simply told that the man identifies as a woman and to get with the times.
A classic story of old can hopefully open our eyes once again today: As the Emperor looked at the new "clothes" set before him, everyone knew that it was all a facade. Instead of a brilliant new fabric, the alleged weavers were selling him a lie. When he walked out in public, he wore no clothes. Yet the Emperor, his staff, and the other adults in the kingdom went along with the obviously concocted fabrication—even though they knew it wasn't true. For them, it was more important to appear wise. But, in so doing, they only proved to the world that they were really fools.
Now, simply confronting the biological reality of one's sex will not diminish the painful mental condition associated with gender dysphoria or those very rare cases in which there is a chromosomal disorder involved. As Christians, we must seek to apply the truth with compassion as we attempt to help people who are struggling with their God-given gender. Yet, here is the bottom line. We don't get to choose our sex, much like we don't get a chance to say who our birth parents are, and it is not loving to withhold the truth from someone who needs to hear it.
As we all know, much like the emperor's new clothes, just because someone believes or "identifies" as if something is real doesn't make it so. It will take a lot more than someone's mental state to change their DNA and every cell within their body.
Since the beginning of recorded time, gender has always been tied to one's biological makeup, as defined by the "X" and "Y" chromosomes. The veracity of this is rooted in science, and no amount of cultural or social pressure can change that. Just recently, in the news, the renowned biologist and atheist Richard Dawkins declared that there are only two sexes (male and female). He seemed dumbfounded as to how many people in our world today are embracing a lie.
Yet, culture has our children putting on "new clothes," and the repercussions are devastating as young children permanently mutilate their bodies and suffer emotional distress. Are we truly ready to reinvent the reality of basic biology and cause irreparable harm to our young children and teens? Will we be known as the generation that erased the true meaning of womanhood and manhood?
As the young child gazed upon the emperor, he was absolutely certain that his king had no clothes on. For parents, let us be "real" with our kids and protect both women and children from this latest, very dangerous cultural experiment. The physical laws of biology, not one's "identity," dictate a person's sex. God help us all if we allow our children to wear the culture's new clothes.
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27)
Under normal conditions, by the seventh week, the manifestation of a child's sex begins to reveal itself as distinctive physical characteristics that will biologically identify this child as a boy or a girl. Yet, while it may have taken seven weeks for us to observe this process visually taking place, the sex of this baby was determined at conception by the simple presence or absence of a "Y" chromosome. This is a biological fact, and every human body is tied to this reality.
Yet, elementary children somewhere today are listening intently as their teacher reads to them during story time. The book is about a biological boy who decided he was really a girl. Naturally, as the children listen, they become confused and begin to wonder how this can possibly be.
Just across the street, at the local middle school, a 13-year-old boy walks into the girl's locker room to change clothes for gym class. Several girls are unsettled at having a biological male that identifies as a girl watch as they undress. Yet, their teachers and principal have been very vocal and adamant that this is the new norm. The girls that innately know this is wrong are shamed for their "old-fashioned" beliefs.
Across town, the high school track-and-field state tournament comes to an end. As medals are presented for the girl's shot put, two biological teen boys step onto the first- and second-place platforms. How is the third-place finisher expected to feel, given she took first place last year when her fellow competitors were all biological females?
Still, another scenario is playing out at the local department store. As a young woman tries on a new outfit, she is shocked to see a man walk into the changing area next to her. When she complains to the clerk, she is simply told that the man identifies as a woman and to get with the times.
A classic story of old can hopefully open our eyes once again today: As the Emperor looked at the new "clothes" set before him, everyone knew that it was all a facade. Instead of a brilliant new fabric, the alleged weavers were selling him a lie. When he walked out in public, he wore no clothes. Yet the Emperor, his staff, and the other adults in the kingdom went along with the obviously concocted fabrication—even though they knew it wasn't true. For them, it was more important to appear wise. But, in so doing, they only proved to the world that they were really fools.
Now, simply confronting the biological reality of one's sex will not diminish the painful mental condition associated with gender dysphoria or those very rare cases in which there is a chromosomal disorder involved. As Christians, we must seek to apply the truth with compassion as we attempt to help people who are struggling with their God-given gender. Yet, here is the bottom line. We don't get to choose our sex, much like we don't get a chance to say who our birth parents are, and it is not loving to withhold the truth from someone who needs to hear it.
As we all know, much like the emperor's new clothes, just because someone believes or "identifies" as if something is real doesn't make it so. It will take a lot more than someone's mental state to change their DNA and every cell within their body.
Since the beginning of recorded time, gender has always been tied to one's biological makeup, as defined by the "X" and "Y" chromosomes. The veracity of this is rooted in science, and no amount of cultural or social pressure can change that. Just recently, in the news, the renowned biologist and atheist Richard Dawkins declared that there are only two sexes (male and female). He seemed dumbfounded as to how many people in our world today are embracing a lie.
Yet, culture has our children putting on "new clothes," and the repercussions are devastating as young children permanently mutilate their bodies and suffer emotional distress. Are we truly ready to reinvent the reality of basic biology and cause irreparable harm to our young children and teens? Will we be known as the generation that erased the true meaning of womanhood and manhood?
As the young child gazed upon the emperor, he was absolutely certain that his king had no clothes on. For parents, let us be "real" with our kids and protect both women and children from this latest, very dangerous cultural experiment. The physical laws of biology, not one's "identity," dictate a person's sex. God help us all if we allow our children to wear the culture's new clothes.
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27)
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