Our Father …
Summary: The world’s attacks on manhood, as defined by the Bible, have taken their toll. The cure is being immersed in God’s Word and filled with His Spirit.
“Father”…
… is a word that has been under siege most of my life. As I write these words, I find I am conflicted about what I should and shouldn’t put into words. It is a form of writer’s block. It is also a form of what is called “cognitive dissonance.”
Cognitive dissonance is a psychology term a Wikipedia article describes as “the perception of contradictory information, and the mental toll of it.”
Well said.
On its face, the biology of creating a baby is fairly simple. As Rich pointed out yesterday, “any fool can have a baby.” To be more specific, any fool with male genitalia can impregnate any other like-minded individual with female genitalia. The reason for my absurd sentence construction is that for years we have been exposed to people with loud mouths and aggressive voices telling us that women are the same as men (Google “men and women are the same” if you want examples).
Today we are told that men can get pregnant and women can literally become men and vice versa. All you need are some puberty blockers, hormone treatments (one article claimed there are no hormone differences between men and women!), and finally “sex reassignment surgery” which cuts off the bits and pieces that you were born with and don’t want, and “constructs” a cosmetic facsimile of the sex you want to be.
Okay.
Then how come suicide rates for people who have sex reassignment surgery are twenty times higher than the population at large (1)?
I don’t mean to get too sidetracked here, but I want to state three things:
One: Being constantly bombarded with claims about human sexuality that run counter to reality is mentally unbalancing.
Two: I have been exposed to such claims most of my life.
If you think I have been unbalanced by said exposure to such claims, you would be right. This brings me to my third point:
Three: I will offer my opinions here in a way that I hope is loving and respectful. I understand that the world’s confusing claims about human sexuality have been very effective in creating division among us. I don’t want to add to that division.
That said, to address the Lord’s Prayer fairly, I have to address fatherhood in a way that conforms to the realities of life that I have experienced and believe to be true. If you have a different experience, please don’t assume that I am attacking you. I am not. I am simply sharing one man’s opinion.
As we continue this discussion, I will proceed on these premises:
- There are only two sexes. (Genesis 1:27)
- While we can project gender characteristics to inanimate objects (e.g. – calling a boat “she”), we cannot change a person’s gender by projecting a gender characteristic on that person different from the gender they were born with.
- God created us male and female for a reason.
- Patriarchy is not a bad thing.
- Equality of opportunity is not the same as equality of outcomes.
When the Declaration of Independence says “all men are created equal” (“men” meaning both “men” [male] and wo-“men” [female]) the intent is that we are equal before God. Equal does not mean the same. The Declaration explains that we are equal in having the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. This pursuit will often look different for men and women, just as it is different between one man and another.
Thank you for letting me get that off my chest.
Application: The more grounded you are in God’s Word, the less the world’s cognitive dissonance will affect you.
Food for Thought: How does the so-called freedom to change gender roles impact our society?
(1). https://www.heritage.org/gender/commentary/sex-reassignment-doesnt-work-here-the-evidence
At the very core of the idea that we can change our gender is to say two things: that God makes mistakes and we are equal with God.
That He is imperfect and thus needs a person to “fix” the mistake. As a society, if we accept the idea that God is imperfect, that He makes mistakes, how can we trust that He is in control? If He is not in control, then who or what is?
Also, we, as a society, place ourselves equal with God. That His Will is just as good as ours. That we have the option to decide if His creation meets our needs or wants.
1 Timothy 4:4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Chris,
Well said!
“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…” (Genesis 3:5)
Satan’s original lie was exactly that: He claimed that we can be like God!
Us poor gullible humans took the bait and believed him. It hasn’t worked out very well, has it?
I agree with Chris’s well stated comments.
I also think that we harm people if we refuse to share God’s truth. The suicide rates you allude to in your devotion speak to a confused and hurting culture that has been sucked in by Satan’s lies.
Embracing the enemy’s lies will lead to further confusion and destruction. His “freedom” claims lead to real imprisonment. John 8:32 – 36; John 10: 10; 1 Peter 5: 8 – 9.
Rich,
We do harm people when we don’t share Jesus with them. I am reminded of Matthew 5:14-16,
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.“
10-27-2022, Matt. 6:9, How does the so-called freedom to change gender roles impact our society?
Romans 1:18-32, Gives us a vivid picture of what we see in progress today. Our God has given all mankind the freedom of choice, however He makes it very clear, sinful conduct will separate men from true life, His presence in their lives.
Read Romans 1:18-32 for a clear picture given to us from God.
God has and does, give them over to a depraved mind. For the sake of the coming salvation of His remnant, to whom He will minister to through us.
Romans 6:23
Ron,
As you point out, the key issue here is eternal life vs eternal separation from God. It is not our place to pass judgment, but to guide others into God’s kingdom with love. (Matt 22:37-40)
Matthew 24:4-8
And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
That’s why the Lord is holding off His return:
It seems to me we could be witnessing, living through the birth pains spoken of in the bible. They will become more intense and frequent as we get closer to the end. This election will change a lot on the surface, however be prepared for the next birth pain coming.
It has screwed everything up,.. I feel sorry for the kids these days that have to grow up in this era. My granddaughter in Texas has considered herself as binary. She doesn’t identify as a male or female. Hmm, okay. Then I am reminded about Jesus sitting with all the sinners, not sure if people back then were like they are now, still sinful I’m sure either way.
I tell the crew that temptation is all around us everywhere we go, and we ask to not be led into temptation. I tell them it’s when we cross the line of temptation that it becomes the sin. We should know the consequences of crossing the line, and if we don’t that’s when we get corrected and disciplined.
I meet alot of people out on my estimates that I feel have crossed the line of temptation and committed the sin. A lot of married men with other men, and vise versus with the women. I even met one of those coconut’s that don’t identify as a male or female, and get this it’s name is Coconut.
Jeff, I am grateful you will be referring to the ever only and only ever will be the two sexes here, male and female. Bring it on!
John,
I appreciate your comments and your ministry to your crew and your customers.
So many comments in my head, well see how many make it on here.
1- “equal does not mean the same” just as the surface area of a triangle can be equal to the surface area of a square. They don’t become the same shape just because one aspect is equal.
2- I grew up in the Christian dance world. This is different than the rest of the dance world, however books on technique and the certified training still are not. Often times I ‘scoff’ at Balanchine. He made the method of technique that is most prevalent in the US. There are many things I could say about why his method of unhealthy, but let’s stick to this one for today. Men and women should look the same on stage….. The newest and least healthy method of them all has that as a foundation. I own a technique book that is good, if you skip the first chapter with the exact measurements each part of a dancers body should be based on his method.
3- “Our Father” that statement holds so many implications. God is relating himself to males, he is relating himself to his people in a more loving/nurturing/disciplining way than anyone would have dared to think. (I could probably think of better words for this, but hopefully you are seeing what I’m getting at.) I remember hearing from a pastor a strange airplane conversation about God being a woman. He didn’t turn the idea down, but ran with it. Not the expected response. You can run with the thought think things through, but ultimately God consistently spoke of Himself in masculine terms. You will never get around it. Perhaps it’s because of the association of authority, perhaps it’s because of the culture He was speaking into and the matter of respect, perhaps it’s because of strength and protection that is most definitely a make characteristic, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. We can really only guess, but again, why argue with God? We should also recognize that this phrase forces us to share Him. He’s not just my God, or my Father, He is our God – shared personal connection, He is our Father – uniting us into one family.
4- more to your question: it damages it; it psychologically deteriorates; it emotionally unhinged it; it makes everything uncertain; it heaps on diseases; it sterilizes and ultimately kills off the human race; it throws morals out the window; it endangers women and children
My two cents
A –
Wow.
Way more than 2 cents!!
Thank you! 🙂
All good points.