Atheist defense of Trans Individuals
I did a recent post arguing the LGBTQ+ community using things other than scripture, basically just using factual arguments within the post. I aim to do the same here, but I might dive into scripture and present various arguments found in this book: https://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Bible-Lives-Transgender-Christians/dp/0664263100
Before I make my argument there is a few things I should cover, as I always get questions as to why I even care as an atheist, why specifically I am targeting Christians, and why I can and will use scripture to make arguments.
1) Why do I care?
I think its a weird assertion to make in the first place, but I'll ignore that for the sake of my argument. I'm a questioning cisgendered male (meaning I'm questioning my gender identity). One of my reasons for leaving the faith, although one of my smaller reasons, was admittedly to distance myself from transphobia and find more accepting communities. Why do I care as an atheist? Because I know for some, atheism or just a faith crisis in general can lead to mental health issues and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.
2) Why am I targeting Christians?
I live in the United States. A Christian dominated nation. Currently, there are about 1.6 million transgender individuals that are worried about the possibility of President Trump enforcing Project 2025. This is a project that directly targets any progress made for inclusion since the 1950's. If you want more information about this, here is a good video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA1nEQTC4Xo&list=LL&index=65&t
3) Why I will use scripture to make arguments
Though I don't have the holy spirit, I can still read. Though I may not understand the spiritual things, I can understand the literary things. Not sure what else I can say to defend myself, but if you have a problem with it, my dm's are open. There are also other arguments within this post that don't include scripture.
Again, the arguments used throughout this post will mainly be from this book: https://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Bible-Lives-Transgender-Christians/dp/0664263100
The problem at hand: Transgender identities are seem by most Christians as sinful, that a trans person can reject their identity if they repent, some even believe that trans identities are incompatible with faith in Christ. Not only this, but highly religious families is directly connected to high levels of family rejection.
Science/Fact Based Arguments
Supportive results that come out of the diversity framework have been shown to reduce levels of depression and anxiety
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26921285/
Throughout creation there are many different kinds of plants and animals that switch back and forth between male and female or between
https://www.ucpress.edu/books/evolutions-rainbow/paper
Regret of transition
https://www.gendergp.com/detransition-facts/#:~:text=How%20Many%20Trans%20People%20Regret,with%20their%20decision%20to%20transition
Reduction of Depression/Suicidal Ideation
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35212746/
Biblical Arguments
Again, a these can be found in this book: https://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Bible-Lives-Transgender-Christians/dp/0664263100
Genesis 1:27 - So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
When God created day and night, we still have dawn and dusk. A binary does not negate the possibility for there to be a spectrum.
The reality is that, for as long as there has been humans, there have been people who fall outside the male/female binary.
Deuteronomy 22:5 - A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.
What exactly is woman's clothing and men's clothing? Is it specific to that culture and time? Once upon a time baby boys wore pink and baby girls wore blue, then it was changed. Is there really anything definitive about male/female clothing or is it just our own perceptions of what is correct/acceptable? For example, if you saw a woman in males clothing, you probably wouldn't even notice, but suddenly when a male wears female clothing its an issue.
Genesis 2:18 - The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Genesis text portrays marriage as a solution, not for incompleteness, but for aloneness. This passage isn't about gender or sex, its the fact he craves relationship and community.
Changing names could be an issue for some Christians, so I'll make a small case here...
In numerous points in the bible people get renamed. We find these as examples of someone being given a new name to illustrate a new identity. This is very similar to transgender individuals.
If you want a discussion of Eunuchs, I'd be willing to get into the topic in DM or in the comments on request
I want this post to produce good fruits, so if you have factual evidence or verses that could indicate I am wrong, provide them below and I will try my best to create a good argumentative environment
Please no transphobia or falsified information, thanks!