I recently read an article in "The American Conservative" called "Queerness: America’s Post-Christian Gnosticism." In this article, the author, Rod Dreher, makes the argument that "queerness" is modern-day Gnosticism. Now, I recognize that most of you probably have no idea what Gnosticism is. Gnosticism is a primarily first and second century (AD) heresy that claims that material existence is evil, and therefore the world was made by a lesser malevolent deity that isn't God. Not only that, they believe salvation to be given to people based on a special knowledge that only some receive. Those chosen by God. So, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's get into the article itself.
The first thing that alerted me to seeing that Rod either understands nothing of what he's talking about or is arguing in bad faith (I will assume in this article that he is arguing in good faith, and therefore I will argue as if he merely does not understand what he is talking about) is the fact that he has three quotes from this article from "First Things" titled "Under the Rainbow Banner." Frankly, it's a terrible article. It's anti-therapy, and the author, Darel E. Paul shows complete ignorance in discussing the LGBT community. I genuinely almost laughed at several points in his article, especially this sentence: "From a therapeutic perspective, the more fantastic a sexual identity, the more it expresses individuality and thus the more exemplary it is." It's genuinely laughable that someone would in all seriousness write this phrase down. No one outside of 15 year old LGBT Tumblr cringe-lords view queerness in this way. Being LGBT has NOTHING to do with "individuality." It's simply who we are. No one chose to be LGBT, it's just what we ended up being. This whole argument by Darel (and Rod in his article) rests upon the notion that people choose to be gay or trans. It's the only way you can come to the argument that being LGBT is about "individuality." So, we can safely say that Darel knows nothing of what he argues about if he's still peddling this view. Now, what about Rod himself? So, his article is based upon the same premise as Darel's article, that queerness is about "individuality," which as established before is a flawed premise. So, already his article's argument has holes. Not only this, but to pretend that this is all based off of some therapeutic value of "individuality" would be to completely ignore queer history in America. It is to pretend that the gay rights movement wasn't created due to queer backlash from oppression such as the lavender scare, conversion therapy, and laws outlawing homosexuality. It is ridiculous to look upon history and come up with the theory that "individuality" is why queerness is so prominent instead of queers overcoming oppression. That said, let's get into the meat and potatoes, whether queerness is "contemporary pop Gnosticism" or not. So, first, go back up and re-read the definition of Gnosticism. Then, come back down and read this section written by Rod in his article: "Queerness is not an aberration of this Grand March to self-liberation, but rather its fulfillment. It is the triumph of gnosticism: the idea that matter is a prison that willful spirit is meant to overcome. At this late stage of our civilization’s self-destruction, I feel that the most important task of us Christians is to keep this gnosticism out of the church. Given how the therapeutic ethos has conquered popular American Christianity, this is going to be a fierce battle." Rod's argument is incoherent, it is merely a word salad written in an attempt to appear intellectual. I will give him this, if he was trying to write an "argument" that could not be argued with, he did it perfectly. In no way does this help one understand how queerness could be modern-day Gnosticism. It's merely a weak statement pretending that therapy creates gnostics, and that bettering yourself is an idea that should be kept out of the American church. It's nonsensical and shows perfectly why conservatism is dying and the youth is fleeing from it. But, the ridicolousness gets only better: "Transgenderism is fullest expression of contemporary pop gnosticism. It is no coincidence that the Wachowskis, the sibling team behind The Matrix, the most gnostic film ever, both ended up as transgendered females. (See this short 2015 Sonny Bunch essay on the siblings’ obsession with the mutability of man, and their recurrent villainization of metaphysical order. This more recent Vox essay, written by a male-to-female transgender, goes much deeper into the trans philosophy at the heart of the Wachowskis’ work; the author says that The Matrix is “a story that is now widely read as an allegory about how immensely powerful it can be to discover one’s true self by getting online.”)" In other words, Rod is arguing that being trans requires you to act as if your assigned-gender-at-birth (from here on out will be referred to as "birth gender") isn't who you truly are, you view matter (a.k.a. your birth gender) as a prison and willfull spirit is meant to transcend it (transitioning). To have this view you must believe that transgenderism is a choice, and something that people become, not born as. Of course, modern science is showing that trans people are in fact born trans, and that being trans is not a choice or something you become. In addition, to have the views of Rod, you must believe that trans women aren't women and that trans men aren't men, which is dead wrong. Then, he goes on to imply that the Wachowski sisters are trans because they are fascinated by tearing down oppressive norms (I'm sorry, "metaphysical order"), instead of the other way around which is they're fascinated with tearing down oppressive norms because they are trans. Before I finish, if I may, I'd like to stay and demolish one more quote of his from the article: "Along those lines, it is interesting to think of how the word “Pride” has been transformed by the LGBT movement from a traditional vice into a virtue in our culture — but of course only when it refers to sexual aberration. I know where it comes from: in the old days, the dominant culture made gays feel shame for their desires; they flipped “shame” around. I get that. Still, there is a reason why Pride is a deadly sin. It is at the root of the primordial sin: asserting that one is one’s own God, not God. The Ur-sin of Lucifer is Pride. " There are three definitions of "pride," one being (definitions taken from the Oxford Dictionary): "a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired." The second definition, and the one condemned in the Bible being: "the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance." What is the definition of LGBT pride? "confidence and self-respect as expressed by members of a group, typically one that has been socially marginalized, on the basis of their shared identity, culture, and experience." It is nothing alike the type of pride condemned in the Bible as Rod would have you believe. In the end, this was an embarrassingly bad hit piece on the LGBT community. In his attempt to be original in his criticism, he went completely off the reservation and made himself to be a fool in the process. He has shown nothing but complete ignorance in regards to anything regarding queerness. He is merely talking out of his ass, hoping that anti-LGBT people who also know nothing about the LGBT community consider him to be an intellectual in regards to LGBT issues, more specifically, arguing against the LGBT community.
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9/24/2020 0 Comments Lessons From HomelessnessThings have been rough, not going to lie while being homeless. I was raised to be dependent on my parents for everything, I was, and am still not, even close to being ready to really fend for myself in the outside world, and yet, here I am being forced to do so, and learn quickly. It's been stressful in so many respects to say the least, and there is much stress to come. Even during this time, I have learned many things and seen God provide for me in ways that has helped alleviate much of my stress in addition to my own methods to trust in God to provide guidance, wisdom, and strength.
What are some of the lessons I have learned? The value of money for one. I cringe now thinking of the things I once wasted money on. Now, I'm much more strategic (admittedly, I should be even more so than I am, but I'm getting better) in how I spend my money. Are there a lot of things I would love to buy? Yep. Do I really want to buy "Super Mario 3D All-Stars" and pre-buy "Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity" for my Nintendo Switch to play? Yep. Are they immediate needs and can I live without them? Yep. They're merely wants to provide entertainment. What I need is food, gas, money for insurance, clothing, and to attempt to save up to buy a laptop. In addition to that, how much money really is. When you're broke and homeless, five dollars is worth A LOT. When I have five dollars, all I'm trying to do is figure out how far that five dollars can go, how I can make the most of it, while most would probably spend it on a Starbucks coffee without a second thought. Not only that, despite the fact that in American terms I have nothing, I still have more than almost 60% of the world population. Here in America, I'm basically as poor as one gets, with only having a few pairs of clothes, and my four Nintendo handhelds. Looking at it in terms of the whole world, I'm Scrooge McDuck, and honestly, that perspective has changed how I view my current situation greatly. I don't view myself as in need for the majority of the time, instead, I see how much I can still give to others. In fact it hurts being broke right now, because there is so much money I'd love to give to others, or things I would love to give to others. Then, there's how God has provided for me. This past Friday I got paid. Within five hours of waking up, I had spent literally almost every cent of it on gas, food, a used phone off of eBay (my current phone is dying super quickly), a phone charger for another lady at the shelter who has even less money than I do (as in, like, none at all the vast majority of the time), and a new car insurance policy. I still had need for money for gas for the next week, more food, a coat, a laptop, and a replacement birth certificate. God has already provided. My boss asked me to go back to my old hours which were Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday from 8am-12pm from what I'm currently working now which is Mon-Sat 8am-10am. It's a 40 minute round-trip from the shelter to work and back, so that eats up gas quick, so God provided for gas in that way, ensuring I won't (likely) need gas before I get paid again. Then, a friend stopped by on Sunday morning to give me a hoodie that could stand in as a coat until I could get one. Another friend took me shopping for a coat on Tuesday. While we couldn't find a coat, she bought me more food and a sweater and gave me a few of her sweaters. Another friend, for my birthday present, bought me a replacement birth certificate. Then, just this mornng (Thursday, September 24th), a co-worker who had just bought a new tablet and was looking to give someone her old tablet, decided to give me her old tablet to act as a stand-in until I can buy a laptop. God has provided for all my immediate needs, all within a week. He's so amazing, isn't He? Thank you Lord! Now, there are still many things that need to happen. I need to switch banks, get my own health insurance, get a new job or two, find housing, etc. But, I fully trust that God will guide me, give me wisdom, strength and courage during this time, and hopefully always so I can submit to His will. To God be the glory! 9/13/2020 0 Comments Crazy LoveLast night I finished the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. It's a book I had started before, years ago, but put down about 5 chapters in because it offended me too much. So, now I have finally finished it. It changed me. It really helped me view quite a few things differently. One of those things it helped me realize was how much God really does love me. Growing up in a abusive household, I have a very negative view of fathers, and that includes God in all honesty. It's been hard for me to accept that God could truly love me, because of the symbolism of God as our Heavenly Father, and that's because I've always known that my earthly father doesn't love me. So, that was always rough for me. This book made me realize how much God truly does love me, and helped me rip away that roadblock of my earthly father. I can for the first time truly say that I know that God loves me. I get it now. That has brought much healing.
Another thing is our weak American view of Christianity, and the heretical idea of "nominal Christianity." In addition to that, what it means to truly follow Christ. We are called to give up EVERYTHING for him. Everything. If we are not willing to do so, we are not followers of Christ, period, end of story. I grew up hearing how LGBT, but especially trans people are these awful, horrible sinners destroying society, that we're monsters, and that we should be killed. Accepting that I was trans meant two very major things: that I would be odds with my family, but also that I would begin to grow spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. In fact, even before transition, God made it clear that there could be no spiritual growth until I began transition, and I felt a wall between me and God, up until I took that first pill. Since then, I have grown greatly in my spiritual walk, God has been working on me in many ways, working on shedding my anger, learning to love others, love Him, and also, what it truly means to serve Him. It's been rough. In American terms, I have nothing (compared to the majority of the rest of the world, I'm Scrooge McDuck, but in American terms, I'm one of the poorest there is). I only have some clothing, my Nintendo handheld consoles, and my car. That's it. Every thing (outside of the car itself) can be shoved into my car's trunk. I have very little. I was forced to leave almost all of it behind. I also had to leave my parents, I had to completely cut off my mom's side of the family. It's been rough, very rough, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone, but at the same time, fulfilling. I have grown so much spiritually during this time, just in this past week plus, in ways I never could have while still living under an abusive household, and in a house that didn't allow me to live authentically. I have, pretty much given it all up in the eyes of most Americans, and yet, now that I have "nothing," all I see is how much more I have yet to give. I have so much more that I could still give up to serve God even more faithfully, and I am starting to give many of those things up. I know I'm probably making this sound easy, it's not, it's the toughest lesson I've ever learned, but, for the first time ever, I'm starting to experience joy. Living the simple life, and focusing on God to get me through this. Whenever I do get out of this shelter, I hope it's not in a good side of town, I hope it's not in a fancy apartment, I hope it's on a not-so-great side of town, I hope it's a not-so-great apartment that forces me to live minimally. I don't want things getting in the way of serving God. That's what I want to devote the rest of my life doing. One thing that will really determine that is my next job. I wanted to work at a certain place in my local library system that would keep me away from the public, is 32 hours a week, great benefits, etc. A rather cushy job, I wanted it to keep away from the public and hopefully at least a somewhat decent standard of living. Now, I'm scared that it will get in the way of serving God. If that job is what God has in store for me, than I will take it gladly, if not, then may he show me what job He has in store for me. I just want to focus on serving Him. My life has been rough, but now, I'm really beginning to recognize how it's been for the better. Living suicidally for six years due to gender dysphoria and living for almost 22 years in an abusive household among other hardships has forced me to rely on God, in ways that I probably never would have if I was cisgender and in a perfectly loving household and didn't have a broken body, etc. I now thank Him for these hardships, for allowing me to go through them, my current trials, and future ones, for they are what brings me closer to Him. Anyway, this is what I learned from listening to the audibook "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Please read it, seriously, please read it. |
AuthorHi! I'm Anna, a currently transitioning transgender woman! I started my blog "Ramblings of a Trans Woman" as therapy for gender and identity issues and abuse from my parents and church. Hopefully, someone else out there can get something from this. If you want to talk, just get in contact with me, there's plenty of ways how and we'll discuss the best way to talk! Archives
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