tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686990025648266590.post3804475334910205711..comments2023-02-13T10:15:34.697-05:00Comments on Psalms Modern: In the Image of God, Male and FemalePresbyterian Welcomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17497186196631209374noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686990025648266590.post-32068625674642142022009-03-05T19:00:00.000-05:002009-03-05T19:00:00.000-05:00I am happy to see Christains in the GLBT community...I am happy to see Christains in the GLBT community moving forward in this conversation. I, as a white male that is ordained clergy long for the day when more voices are welcomed at the table and listened to as true believers. I love Jenny for her courage and her willingness to follow Jesus even theough the church is so afaird of this issue. D. Bonhoeffer claimed that we must listen with the ears of God befroe we can speak the word of God. The church should be doing some holy listening wehn it comes to racism, sexism and homophobia, jenny thank you for you voice, may god grant the church ears to hear,ronAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686990025648266590.post-72778159534445309492008-10-05T05:17:00.000-04:002008-10-05T05:17:00.000-04:00Interesting way to look at the Creation account! ...Interesting way to look at the Creation account! Allow me to introduce myself before I induce a little more theory into the Creation of man and woman.<BR/><BR/>My name is Chloƫ. I was raised in a Southern Baptist family, and I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior when I was 13. I am also transexual, and have been transitioning for over a year now on HRT and undergoing the RLT. I've uttered the exact same "transexual prayer" countless times: God, please make me normal. God, please make me a girl. Why won't you answer my prayers, God? So on and so forth.<BR/><BR/>On to my point:<BR/><BR/>"Male AND female created He THEM"<BR/><BR/>In Hebrew:<BR/><BR/>"Zachar UNeqivah bara OTAM"<BR/><BR/>What is important to note is that God did not create Adam and Eve until AFTER He created MANKIND (ha'adam). So when God created MANKIND (ha'adam), as it says: He created THEM male AND female. <BR/><BR/>And in the following chapter, God puts Adam in a deep sleep, and removes one of Adam's SIDES (not ribs) to create woman. I believe the word "rib" was mistranslated from the Hebrew word "t'selot" because every other place in the Old Testament which uses the word "t'selot" refers to a SIDE, not a RIB. So, logically...<BR/><BR/>What if God created MANKIND originally as a creature which was both male AND female, just as the Bible says, and later separated man into two different SIDES? What if MANKIND was originally created as a true intersexed individual? That would most certainly make a lot of sense in terms of God removing Adam's SIDE, instead of such an unimportant body part, like an extra rib, don't you think?<BR/><BR/>IMHO, it makes men and women appear to be equally created in God's image. Just my two cents, and not to be taken as truth, but it certainly clears things up quite a bit. ;-)<BR/><BR/>Great blog, Jenny!<BR/><BR/>God bless,<BR/>ChloƫChloehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00636596960584395350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686990025648266590.post-79156008027739659192008-05-22T21:05:00.000-04:002008-05-22T21:05:00.000-04:00When I embraced my transness, all the tension and ...When I embraced my transness, all the tension and confusion disappeared. God loves me as His child. Thank you for your story, Jenny. I am a happy and content transgender and crossdresser.<BR/><BR/>Genevievegenevievehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07041499205158357183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686990025648266590.post-81265325944456074492008-05-22T11:33:00.000-04:002008-05-22T11:33:00.000-04:00Dear Jenny,Anonymous replied so well that I can on...Dear Jenny,<BR/><BR/>Anonymous replied so well that I can only echo her comments.<BR/><BR/>Genesis 1:27 has also bothered me. However, I am concerned over what it doesn't say or rather what it leaves out.<BR/><BR/>If the Divine only created humans as "male and females", who created intersexed folks? That is to say, who created what is know in the medical community as "true hermaphrodites" (those born with the physical attributes of both male and female) and "pseudo-hermaphrodites" (those with the physical attributes of one sex and the chromosomesal attribute of the other) and all the various intersex people with various chromosomal makeups?<BR/><BR/>In many earlier cultures, those born to the first category were often abandoned in the wilderness. This included the Hebrews (Judaism). Other cultures and religions accepted them as gifted by the Divine.<BR/><BR/>I've heard some really wild explanation. One Southern Baptist minister went so far as to posit the idea that satan was responsible for the creation of intersexed people. A ridiculous position given that the Bible states satan as incapable of creating anything physical, being restricted to illusion and temptation.<BR/><BR/>In the end I reached the conclusion that we are children of the Divine, no matter how we are born (intersexed, non-intersexed, hetero-normative or gay or bisexual). The Divine's creation is diverse and wonderful. However, it is mankind that divides it into categories and human vanity that seeks to place one or another as better or higher that others. It is a part of mankind that seeks to divide and thus ignore the diversity of the Divine's reality in an attempt to control others and <BR/>place themselves above those they deem less than equal.<BR/><BR/>In either Matthew or Mark (I forget which and am too lazy at the moment to check) Jesus commented that there are two commandments. He said that the greatest of these is that we love God with our whole bodies, minds and spirits. He said that the second is liken to the first in that we love our neighbors as we love God. (I'm paraphrasing rather than quoting.) That is all we can do. Once that is realized, everything else is inconsequential. <BR/>Or rather everything falls into place under those two commandments.<BR/><BR/>Also, Paul in either Galatians or Ephesians wrote that all the old law and proscriptions in the Old Testament were null and void through the birth, life, sacrifice on the cross and ressurection and assumption of the Christ.<BR/><BR/>Best of luck and may the hand of the Divine always guide you.<BR/><BR/>Peace,<BR/>GwenMissyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02374421394385303903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686990025648266590.post-85714633131049268292008-05-19T14:07:00.000-04:002008-05-19T14:07:00.000-04:00Jenny!Good for you! I am a transsexual woman and ...Jenny!<BR/><BR/>Good for you! I am a transsexual woman and I also have struggled with my relationship with God.<BR/><BR/>I have not been called as you have been, but I could no more turn away from God any more than I could turn off my transsexual brain.<BR/><BR/>Bless you for your struggle. And becoming an image of hope that others can look up to. So many, myself included, think that they were unworthy because of their condition. It was only after I accepted my true nature that I felt *closer* to God. I stopped denying who I was and accepted myself as a woman. A woman who is loved by God. I feel that love now, every minute of every day.<BR/><BR/>I could never come to a complete understanding of Genesis 1:27 as it applied to me. So I simply accept that I am a child of God and go from there.<BR/><BR/>Best of luck in your pursuit! You will be in my prayers.<BR/><BR/>Thank you!<BR/><BR/>-SandyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com