What do Christains think of intersexual people?

[Taylor Seraphim]

What do Christians think of intersexual people?

What gender role should they follow in your eyes?

Whom should they be attracted to in your eyes?

Would you try to "correct" an intersexual child through surgery?

For those who do not know, an intersexual is born with aspects from both binary genders (male and female).

 

[Taylor Seraphim]

may I ask why are you concerning Christian's opinion?

I plan on asking all of the religious groups at some point or another, this is simply the first one I thought of.

 

[Covellite]

I just deleted my post, because I didn't see it's Christian's dir
sorry

 

[Parsimony]

A touchy topic about which I am uncertain. I will say, however, that the decision that a person makes about becoming transgender isn't my business anyway.

 

[Taylor Seraphim]

A touchy topic about which I am uncertain. I will say, however, that the decision that a person makes about becoming transgender isn't my business anyway.

I appreciate your honesty.

I must ask if you are mention transgender due to the question about "corrective" surgery.

 

[Parsimony]

I appreciate your honesty.

I must ask if you are mention transgender due to the question about "corrective" surgery.

Oh, wait. I thought you were talking about transgenders to begin with. After reading the OP again, it seems that wasn't quite the case.

If a person is born as intersex, I'd suggest getting them to be surgically altered as soon as reasonably possible because it's a whole lot easier to go through life as one gender or the other. As to which one, I guess that depends on the degree to which they have both male and female anatomy.

 

[Brickjectivity]

• It seems to indicate that Genesis is not a literal story. I am not saying it is the only thing indicating that, but in the story of Eden there is one man and one woman in the garden. They are the parents all of other people, and God says kind must produce after kind.
  
• It adds a question to every Bible verse that is about either men or women, because before DNA testing an androgynous person might not know which verse applied to themselves. I presume that in European Christian culture they would have had to pretend to be a man or pretend to be a woman, unless there were no androgynous people before DNA testing became available. I think that is ridiculous to assume however. If there are androgynous people today then there were in the past as well.
  
• It suggests that children are formed in the womb naturally and there is a natural process that is subject to fortune.
• By extension of children in the womb it suggests that marriage is also subject to natural processes and fortune, not some permanent thing.
• It supports the Christian doctrine of spiritual equality -- that there is no spiritual difference between men and women.

 

[Thana]

What do Christians think of intersexual people?

What gender role should they follow in your eyes?

Whom should they be attracted to in your eyes?

Would you try to "correct" an intersexual child through surgery?

For those who do not know, an intersexual is born with aspects from both binary genders (male and female).

I don't really think about them, to be honest.

If you're talking about people who are intersex from birth then I guess I think they're just people, and whatever gender they feel most comfortable with identifying as is fine.

I think whatever feels right to them is what is right, whoever they're attracted too is who they're supposed to be attracted too. And I wouldn't 'correct' an intersex child because that can have a very negative psychological effect on them down the line if the gender I chose for them is not the gender they feel they are so I'd just let them grow up and decide for themselves.

There is a big difference between transgender people and intersex people, So I wouldn't ever equate the two.

 

[Shiranui117]

What do Christians think of intersexual people?

I'm sure many Christians don't even know that such a thing is possible. My own Catholic Church doesn't have a stance on them yet; the idea is too new, and the idea of someone being intersex isn't something that's gotten a lot of publicity. I personally see intersexed people as just people like everyone else.

What gender role should they follow in your eyes?

I have no idea. It's up to each individual. The easy answer would be to say that they should go with the gender that they're most influenced by or take the most aspects from. If they choose to not go with either, then that's fine.

Whom should they be attracted to in your eyes?

It's not my call. If they can find someone, good for them. I can tell you that, as of now, the Catholic Church would have no idea what to do if an intersex person came to a priest with their significant other and asked to be married.

Would you try to "correct" an intersexual child through surgery?

It's so far the position of the Catholic Church that sex change operations (or this case, sex assigning operations) are considered self-mutilation, and thus a sin. If I had an intersex child who wanted such corrective surgery, though, I might consider it.

 

[Deeje]

What do Christians think of intersexual people?

Seeing how some people have gone through their lives in the past, I feel nothing but sorry for this confusing genetic hiccup.
How it is handled is very important. Feelings and emotions are as much involved as the physical aspects. People must be understanding and kind, not judgmental.

What gender role should they follow in your eyes?

Gender role? Whatever sex they primarily identify as. I would not be comfortable advocating for bi sexual preferences as this is condemned in the Bible..

Whom should they be attracted to in your eyes?

If they are surgically altered to fit their gender identity, then the opposite of that would fit Christian criteria. God knows that this individual is not responsible for the scramble in their DNA.

Would you try to "correct" an intersexual child through surgery?

That would depend on the age and disposition of the child. Gender "correction" is a huge step....one that should be made by the individual themselves.
They are the ones that live in that body.

For those who do not know, an intersexual is born with aspects from both binary genders (male and female).

There are many genetic abnormalities among the human race, but intersexual children face a real challenge especially when raised as a Christian.
There can be guilt and judgment, and hurtful things said, which is never beneficial for anyone.

Understanding their condition from God's perspective as well as their own can produce a well balanced human being who can look forward to being healed under the rulership of the kingdom of God. Getting through the challenges of this life will be made easier if one relies on God for support and strength.

Are you the individual in question? Or perhaps the parent of one? Or is this purely hypothetical?

 

[MountainPine]

In my opinion, intersexual people should abstain from sexual activity and lead celibate lives.

 

[Deidre]

I treat everyone the same, with respect. Hopefully, they respect me in return. But, as a Christian, no matter what...everything we are and do...is between us and God...not for others to intervene with judgment or anything.

 

[Taylor Seraphim]

In response to many of these answers I feel inclined to ask two more questions.

1) How do you feel about intersexuals like myself that use intersexual as their gender identity?

2) How do you feel about intersexuals like myself that do not have a definitive leaning towards one gender or the other mentally or physically?

 

[Shiranui117]

In response to many of these answers I feel inclined to ask two more questions.

1) How do you feel about intersexuals like myself that use intersexual as their gender identity?

2) How do you feel about intersexuals like myself that do not have a definitive leaning towards one gender or the other mentally or physically?

To both: You are who you are. If you use intersexual as your gender identity, and if you have no leaning towards either gender mentally or physically, then I see little point in trying to shoehorn yourself into either male or female. You're just being honest with who you are as a person, instead of trying to become something you're not. I see nothing wrong with that, either from a Christian standpoint or a personal one.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

What do Christians think of intersexual people?

Different things, some positions being more informed than others.

What gender role should they follow in your eyes?

Whichever comes naturally to them, or none at all.

Whom should they be attracted to in your eyes?

Whichever gender(s) they are naturally attracted to, or none at all.

Would you try to "correct" an intersexual child through surgery?

No! That is a violation of human rights and should be a crime.

 

[MARCELLO]

They are as beautiful as other gender variations. Another color from the rainbow of God.

 

[SpeaksForTheTrees]

Christian extremism in the US ?
Jesus message is a message of tolerance , I don't think homosexuals really get to choose is genetic.
In theory god knows all , so I guess is your thoughts and intentions that matter , do you really care for this person or is it some subjective depraved sexual experience you crave , I am a straight christian male with a daughter and granddaughter is very difficult ground for me.
Myself women fufills all my desires is something I never considered

 

[EverChanging]

What do Christians think of intersexual people?

What gender role should they follow in your eyes?

Whom should they be attracted to in your eyes?

Would you try to "correct" an intersexual child through surgery?

For those who do not know, an intersexual is born with aspects from both binary genders (male and female).

Well, you're going to find different opinions among different Christians. I'd argue for one that we should be speaking of Christianities rather than Christianity. Though much of my practice is completely private, solitary, and personal, and I have my own views on gender and such, the practice of the Episcopal Church is still varied in some ways when it comes to blessing same sex marriages. Some will, some won't. By canon law persons cannot be excluded from the priesthood or episcopate or discriminated against in any way in the church based on gender identity or expression. While probably aimed at the transgendered community, this would protect intersexed individuals as well whose gender identities and expressions may vary.

I plan to do more research, but currently I am leaning toward the position that while there are differences among people including significant ones usually associated with one sex or the other (genetic factors, the ability to bear children, etc.) that when it comes right down to it, gender is very difficult to determine absolutely and is probably more of a social construct than an objective reality. A friend of mine makes a brief case for gender inessentialism in a piece he wrote in favor of the ordination of women here. A similar and more detailed argument can be found here on an intersex rights website. There is also an article on whether a Y chromosome makes a person a man.

To answer your questions:

What gender role should they follow in your eyes?

Whichever gender role seems most natural or fitting at the time. This may be male, female, something else, it may be fluid and change roles at times.

Whom should they be attracted to in your eyes?

I would evaluate the ethical status of an erotic-romantic relationship involving an intersexed person depending on the compatibility and flourishing of the couple (which flourishing and well being is not limited to material goods or procreation) and not based on the gender identities or expressions of the members of that couple. In other words for me gender and physical sex are irrelevant to such a question. Therefore I also do not object to same-sex couples. Nor do I absolutely in principle object to such relationships involving more than two persons.

Would you try to "correct" an intersexual child through surgery?

Absolutely not. And I believe such a practice should be criminalized. Sometimes the child will not be comfortable in the assigned gender and will only discover later in life what feels so wrong. This can lead to sex-change reversals that would have been unnecessary had no gender been assigned at birth. Many intersexed persons are comfortable with their own bodies or even happy with them. Some are completely satisfied with their bodies, their gender identities (which are often ambiguous), their sex lives, and their relationships. Should an intersexed person desire to identify as male or female and also at the same time desire the physical body to match what is socially expected of that gender identity then (s)he can make that decision when (s)he is old enough to decide for hirself.

 

[EverChanging]

In response to many of these answers I feel inclined to ask two more questions.

1) How do you feel about intersexuals like myself that use intersexual as their gender identity?

2) How do you feel about intersexuals like myself that do not have a definitive leaning towards one gender or the other mentally or physically?

I only now saw this and realized that these questions are more than merely hypothetical for you. To answer:

1) How do you feel about intersexuals like myself that use intersexual as their gender identity?

This is merely another variation of gender identity and expression. If this is the most fitting identity and expression for you then you should identify and express that way.

2) How do you feel about intersexuals like myself that do not have a definitive leaning towards one gender or the other mentally or physically?

I would expect it in some cases and do not see anything problematic about it.