A Matter of Gender Identity

It is tragic that society is so easily divided over issues that effect human lives so deeply. The recent political debate over religious discrimination and its consequence in school communities is painful for so many. Society in general can justifiably perceive the Christian faith as uncaring and so judgmental, yet so many who faithfully seek to live the life of Jesus are equally offended by the hard line the right-wing government proposed.

The church is clearly divided in its stance on gender identity. The division can be explained by the way people regard the scriptures of the Old and New Testament. For some the scripture must be interpreted literally, while others believe interpretation requires context, context of original writing and context for current interpretation in a way that honours its essential message in the current context. Both approaches will be regarded as sacred by their advocates. It is certainly fascinating the way people see things differently from one another.

Literalists regard the inspiration of God to have shaped the wording which is to stand eternally and to be read and interpreted literally in the new day. They can readily quote the references to form an argument. Should they disregard such passages it would be to be disobedient to God and the sacredness of the scripture. The challenge is that once one concept is rejected then the entire literal approach is challenged. Hence their strident advocacy of their opinion. A broader analysis of scripture will show that many past practices are no longer adhered to today. In such cases such examples are deemed merely incidental and cultural but not of eternal value. Sexuality is still one theme regarded by the literalist consistently through history as a core behaviour.

A contextual approach recognises that life, circumstances, society, knowledge, progressively changes. Numerous writers have traced the developing and evolving state of creation but also human consciousness, and hence regard that even scriptural documents have to be understood for their meaning for that period in which it was written, and relevant for each new era by being interpreted always appropriately for the emerging times and culture.

Sexuality is such a challenging topic in our era with the mammoth changes having taken place over the past century. Common intimate practice is displayed so differently from the passing eras of the early religious disciple. Knowledge of the human make-up, body and mind, biology and psychological are understood so differently as a result of the knowledge revolution, driven initially by the work of Freud and Jung or the great physicists and quantum theory of the last century. Ancient knowledge of the human being and the construct of its communities was so simply understood and practiced two to three thousand years ago. The context of our world is understood so differently and far more comprehensively. To honour the human experience today requires respect for current knowledge. In our multi-cultured world, historical records will indicate intimate relationships of love were far from one practice applies to all across the globe. Sociologically communities have evolved and changed dramatically.

If body, mind, soul and spirit were defined as clearly separate entities in times past, the quantum world has illustrated how this is not the most accurate picture for our current time. Matter is energy, emanating from the smallest quanta particle. Internationally renowned Microbiologist Dr Bruce Lipton has argued that the membrane of the cell carries memory. It suggests intelligence is an innate aspect of the cell. Such innateness of intelligence reflects the Asian notion of the absolute as the ‘eternal witness’. Christians might want to postulate such eternal witness as Logos/Word the foundation of consciousness the essence of spirit or being. In other words, the human is a complex inter-related experience. It is not four separate entities but a dynamic integrated unity of life. Mind shapes the evolving matter where the heart of identity is internal, not external.

To recognise how the understanding of the human being has developed over time is important. To divide the human person into four distinct entities, suggesting a clearcut division between each is an inaccurate understanding of life, and hence gender as contemporary humans have come to understand. Even within the physical world gender is not always clearly defined, with a not insignificant number of babies born with indeterminate genitalia. The case of guevedoces in some tribes of South America, where some males appear female until later in adolescence. Gender is not always clearly defined in the physical world so why do we assume it is in the psychological makeup of the mind.

Context is a vital part of understanding life and its sacred journey. A literalist can build their own life upon ancient concepts as did ancient people and the society of ancient times and may even grow and develop in their own life, but contributing to the contemporary world has lost its relevance.

God is the ever-creating reality who is the ever-present life force of creation present in its most meaningful way. With clearer understanding of the human experience of being, God is the essential being in that experience working through even the uniqueness of gender. God is working lovingly toward the greater fulfilment of creation.