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 Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 9:32 pm
So I have someone in my life who I used to be friends with, but when he began his transgender process we grew apart because I didn't think I could be the friend he needed, and I refused to be the friend he wanted. I didn't agree with his decision on the basis that God doesn't make mistakes and even though he may be confused, God made him the way he was for a reason.
Well, he's been on hormones for a year now, and came out of the blue trying to talk to me to understand why we don't talk anymore, and he expressed that he wants to "open my mind" to be able to understand what he's doing in order to be friends again.
He opened up the conversation online, and we e-mailed back and fourth a few times, and he seemed more interested in changing my opinion than understanding my position, so I just stopped responding.
Then I felt convicted and felt like it would be a good opportunity to share the Gospel and witness to him, so I opened up the dialogue and suggested we talk on the phone.
I hope it's a good idea, and I was wondering if you guys have any advice. I know it's a weird issue, and I'm being kind of vague because I don't have time to relay the ENTIRE conversation, but I guess I'm wondering what you guys think would be the best way to witness to someone in his position. any ideas or things to keep in mind?
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 5:52 pm
This is heavy stuff, man. You should always try to understand the other side completely, but the same goes for them. He/she should also try to be open minded and understand exactly what your believe and why. You can be open, but you also have to be firm. idea neutral
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:38 pm
mike_johnson This is heavy stuff, man. You should always try to understand the other side completely, but the same goes for them. He/she should also try to be open minded and understand exactly what your believe and why. You can be open, but you also have to be firm. idea neutral yeah, I know it's kind of a rough issue. The problem is that I'm not going to compromise my world view and he's not going to compromise his, I don't think. I just think I can at least witness and love on him in spite of that. Maybe if he see's that he'll be a little more open to God and accepting of the fact that not everyone is going to accept his choice. Not sure..... I know it's rough, that's why I brought it here wink
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Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:02 am
kikkaku mike_johnson This is heavy stuff, man. You should always try to understand the other side completely, but the same goes for them. He/she should also try to be open minded and understand exactly what your believe and why. You can be open, but you also have to be firm. idea neutral yeah, I know it's kind of a rough issue. The problem is that I'm not going to compromise my world view and he's not going to compromise his, I don't think. I just think I can at least witness and love on him in spite of that. Maybe if he see's that he'll be a little more open to God and accepting of the fact that not everyone is going to accept his choice. Not sure..... I know it's rough, that's why I brought it here wink
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:39 pm
I think it's important to remember that we don't need to agree with others in order to be the best friends we can. I have a number of friends who are gay, others who are atheists or agnostic, and even more who are protestants. We all understand that we have reasons for holding the beliefs we do, and we all try our best to be reflective about our positions and ideologies. I think that this commitment to reflective dialogue is what keeps our friendships alive.
Remember, the strength of Christianity lies in the Christian's ability to love his neighbor or even his enemy unconditionally. My advice is never to lose sight of that love, even in the face of confrontation.
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 8:02 am
The whole "God doesn't make mistakes" argument against transgenderism has never really made a lot of sense to me. If your heart is defective in some way, you're likely to seek treatment to fix it. If you suffer from a mental illness, you're likely to seek help to improve your quality of life. In both cases, the patient in question could be considered "defective," yet I don't think anyone would blame them for seeking the help of medical professionals to improve their quality of life.
How is gender dysphoria any different? Your friend has a condition (and it is recognised as a medical condition, fyi) and is seeking treatment to improve his (her? I assume you're referring to your friend by their birth sex; I'd prefer to refer to them as the gender with which they identify).
I don't see why Gender Identity Disorder is any different from a heart condition, or a failing kidney, or PTSD or a panic disorder or any other umber of things that most of us wouldn't bat an eyelash at our friend seeking treatment for.
We can't possibly expect to be able to fathom God's master plan, or even His plan for a single person. Who says your friend's GID is a mistake? We all have our trials and our burdens to bare. Perhaps this is a journey God wants your friend to go on.
By all means try to witness to your friend. They have a hard road ahead of them and having God in their life could help them a lot. But why do you insist on treating their condition differently than you would another medical condition?
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