Are Transgender People Fixing God’s Mistakes?

God isn’t perfect. According to a tweet by a “transgender ally,” sometimes he makes mistakes we can fix. Listen to what she wrote:

Allegedly, God could have given you the wrong body, and fixing that mistake is just like getting glasses or braces. This thinking, however, is misguided for at least four reasons.

First, it presumes God makes mistakes. Not everything that exists was intentionally made that way by our Creator. Genesis explains that God made all things good. What Scripture also teaches, though, is that creation became tainted by sin, and God’s perfect design was broken. Babies are born with missing limbs, impaired immune systems, or Down syndrome. That’s not God’s intent, however. Humanity sinned and corrupted creation along with it. Birth defects—whether anatomical or physiological—are not God’s fault, but are ultimately the result of mankind’s sin.

Second, it wrongly compares the transgender desire to change one’s body to repairing a damaged organ. Every body part is designed to function a certain way. Eyes are meant to see, and teeth are meant to grind food. Getting glasses (or LASIK surgery), for example, is meant to restore the eyes to their original purpose, which is to see clearly.

My son, for example, was born with a droopy eyelid that impaired his ability to see. A doctor surgically “lifted” his eyelid so it wouldn’t obscure his vision and his eye could function properly. This wasn’t an attempt to “change the outside to match the inside.” It was simply a surgery to correct an eyelid deformity and restore an organ to its original design.

Transgender ideation, however, isn’t concerned with correcting a malfunctioning organ. Rather, the transgender person often wants to alter normally functioning body systems (e.g., through hormones) or amputate healthy and fully functioning sex organs.

Third, it wrongly presumes one’s internal perception is accurate. The tweet claims transgender people merely want to change their body to match how they feel inside. But why assume a person’s thinking about their body is always correct? There are many conditions where a person’s internal state doesn’t match their body and it’s their perception—not their body—that is mistaken.

Some people, for example, wrongly perceive their body to be fat even when they are thin. There is a mismatch between their mind and body, but it’s their “inside” that’s mistaken. Why automatically presume the internal perception of someone who identifies as transgender is correct? It’s possible they should alter their mind to match their body and not vice versa.

Fourth, the tweet begs the question. This is perhaps the most serious problem. Begging the question (or circular reasoning) is a logical error in which you presume something is true instead of proving it to be true. In this case, the conclusion the author wants you to believe is that it’s normal for a transgender person to change their body to match their “inside.” What evidence does she provide for such a claim? None. She offers some illustrations (correcting vision with glasses or bad teeth with braces) to describe what she means.

But illustrations are not arguments, and they don’t prove anything. Illustrations illustrate. They make an idea more clear by describing it in a different way. Her claim is that altering your sex organs to make them match how you feel inside is similar to wearing glasses or getting braces (a dubious claim indeed). Even if wearing glasses were analogous to amputating a healthy sex organ (which I don’t grant), all the author has done is provide an illustration to attempt to more clearly describe what she is talking about. But whether it’s right to cosmetically alter your body and/or sex organs to match how you feel is precisely what needs to be proven. This tweet, however, simply assumes that claim is true and provides poor analogies to illustrate it. The author does nothing to provide a reason why such a claim is true in the first place.

These four missteps in thinking are evidence that people aren’t thinking clearly about important matters. No one denies that some people experience what they perceive is a mismatch between their body and mind. Neither does anyone deny that such an experience is a serious condition. In fact, Christians recognize these people are valuable image-bearers of God who need our love, compassion, and care. Where we diverge from our secular-thinking friends (some of whom claim to be Christian) is their belief that God erred with their body, that their “inside” experience is inerrant, and that the solution lies with hormone treatment and radical cosmetic alterations.

The only hope for transgender individuals—and indeed for everyone—is not an external change, but an internal change. It’s not about a transformation of their body, but a transformation of their soul. Only the Great Physician can do that.

" Humanity sinned and corrupted creation along with it. Birth defects—whether anatomical or physiological—are not God’s fault, but are ultimately the result of mankind’s sin. So why is one child born with a horrible birth defect, causing it to suffer immeasurable pain and agony - while another child is born without any defects? Why does "mankind's sin" manifest in one innocent child, but not in another? Where is the logic, or justice, in that? (Hint: This is where the author suddenly abandons all semblance of rationality and refers to the "mysterious ways" of unfathomable "divine providence.") NOTE: Not arguing in favor of atheism here - just attacking the baseless and indefensible assertion that birth defects (as well as natural calamities, etc.) are the result of sin. Regards, "

Rather, it is utterly Biblical and rational.

1. Everything we do effects others to some degree, whether good or for evil, and not only the present but for the future and future generations. A rock thrown in a pond.

2. Breaking laws of men has consequences as does obedience to them, likewise breaking laws of men (as well as of nature, even effecting chromosomes). In this case breaking the law of men, working a divorce, resulted in bringing death and ill-effecting all that was given to men as stewards (yet not leaving man utterly helpless to deal with all effects). Thus final redemption reverses this. "For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." (Romans 8:20-22)

3. Mankind's sin" manifest itself in all innocent children. It is just a matter of degrees. But which does not mean that all who are negatively effected by choices of others in this life necessarily suffer due to them own guilt, nor that the beneficiaries of the obedience of others are worthy of such. "For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

3. We exist as a mere speck in the sea of humanities 6,000+ years; and more so in this vast universe, and a exceedingly brief moment in the expanse of existence. And in which eternity makes up as close to 100% as you can get, and eternity is actually beyond time. Thus we should consider the actions of today in the light of more than today, but the future. But since we do not know all such effects and are not able to make evil work out for good in the final analysis, then we must act according to what we do know, with the word of God defining morality in precepts and principle and it is our choices in light of what we know that we are accountable for. (Rm. 2)

4. The high and lofty One, who exist inhabits eternity (Isaiah 57:15) is the only Being who is omniscient (knowing all and from the perspective of eternity) and omnipotent and not limited to time and space, and this is the only one who is able to make what is a negative in this life, and what is objectivity evil, to work out for the good of others (airline crashes have resulted in safer air travel; A disabled child is to work to foster enlargement of hearts and against shallowness and selfishness, etc), and also in the light of eternity. And promises to do so, glory to God. Thus esp. in the final analysis evil is made to work for good, the good of those who love God and Good (by God's grace). "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

5. Thus, as exceedingly finite and fallible creatures who essentially exist in a darkened world with relatively very limited knowledge of our present existence in totality much much less in eternity, cannot stand in judgment of God (who as the Author of life and Source of all that is good, has the right to take it) without presuming omniscience ourselves.

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

As for negative effects, we would overall be even more shallow and selfish if everyone in this life was health and living without want.

Written in hast before I shovel snow, yet God knows what all the effects will be for even the second I work up today,. glory to Him who needs nothing, and whose command to make Him our God and all that means is for our benefit, versus finite failing creations.

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