Church

Genetic Issues In Biologically Defining Sexuality

I have previously discussed the spiritual aspects of Transgenderism and compared them with Christianity. In that post, I covered how Transgenderism as a movement can seem to have a spiritual component to it. Today in this post, however, I wish to discuss the physical side of it. There are legitimate physical and genetic abnormalities that occur which can cause what some might believe to be transgender qualities. My hope is that a further inquiry into the different abnormalities and their probabilities of occurrence will give more insight to those who think they are transgender and to those who deny transgenderism altogether.

For the most part, the way that gender works, biologically speaking, is that out of the 23 pairs of chromosomes (totaling 46), two are used to determine sex: X and Y. Most of the time everyone has two, one from mom and the other from dad. If you have a genetic makeup of XX, you will develop female parts. If you have XY, you will develop male parts. For most people, there is no such thing as gender assignment at birth, because it is the natural course of genetics, unless you want to blame your parents, nature itself or God. However, there are rare occasions when biological gender can be complicated.

However, there are occasions when things don’t work right as the sperm and egg form in the respective parents. When that sperm and egg combine, sometimes a person is born missing sex chromosomes, other times it can be that they have extra ones. Sometimes hormone treatment is needed to help these people develop healthy physical and social lives. Prepare to dive deep in biology for this discussion. I will try to translate as much as I can and put things in layman’s terms, but when we are talking about genes and genetic expression, it can get complicated.

First off when discussing genetics, there are two terms that must be defined. Genotype is the genetic makeup of the individual, whereas phenotype is the actual physically expressed trait. One would expect that if a person had a specific genotype for a particular trait, then the phenotype should match. For various reasons, this is not always the case. Below are some of the more common genetic disorders that happen with the sex chromosomes and their occurrences.

Turner’s Syndrome:

Occurrence: 1/2500 live female births.

General Description:

A person with Turner’s syndrome is genetically missing a sex chromosome (XO, 45 chromosomes). The gender that is produced is female. Many times the girl does not go through puberty meaning that breast, vaginal, and other body parts remain childlike. Sometimes girls with this condition are treated with a variety of hormones to induce growth and puberty.

Common Symptoms:

  • webbing of neck
  • narrowing of aorta
  • reduced height
  • no menstrual cycle or pubic hair
  • gonads undifferentiated, secreting no hormones.

There are other symptoms, some noticeable at birth, others later in childhood. Sometimes the severity of these symptoms can be different in mosaic girls. Mosaic means some of their cells are (XO) and some are (XX). Physical development can range from the symptoms above to normal in these girls, which means that some may be able to go through puberty naturally and get pregnant, but this may require fertility treatments. 

Click here for more information.

Klinefelter’s Syndrome:

Occurrence: 1/500 live male births.

General Description:

Klinefelter’s syndrome is the most common chromosome disorder in males who have an extra X chromosome (XXY, 47 chromosomes). The gender that is produced is male. As in Turner’s syndrome mosaicism can occur, where some cells are XXY and others are XY (normal). In some rarer cases, the males can have 3, 4, and even 5 X chromosomes in addition to the Y. With each additional X there is a reduction in IQ.

Common Symptoms:

  • Decreased sperm and androgens
  • Smaller penis and testicles
  • Disproportionately long arms and legs
  • Hair growth during puberty is light
  • Infertility

Boys normally do well with speech and language therapy. Some are treated with testosterone at the onset of puberty to help develop bone structure and masculine appearance.

For more info, click here.

47, XYY Syndrome:

Occurrence: 1/900 to 1/2000

General Description: This syndrome occurs when a male has inherited an extra Y chromosome (XYY, 47 chromosomes). 

Common Symptoms:

  • Tall (above 6 feet)
  • Produce high levels of testosterone
  • Slender, severe acne, poorly coordinated during adolescence

Many who have this syndrome are not aware they have it, which could be why the occurrence is so uncertain. They are typically fertile and live normal lives as adults. Early studies indicated there was increased aggression levels, antisocial behaviors, below average intelligence, and homosexual tendencies associated with this syndrome. However, these conclusions were falsely assumed. Some have even tried to use this syndrome as an excuse for murder, but the jury in that case decided against the man. 

Click here for more info.

47, XXX Syndrome:

Occurrence: 1/1,000, but can occur more frequently in infants born to older mothers.

General Description: This syndrome is also called Triple-X syndrome, because it occurs in women who have an extra X chromosome (XXX, 47 chromosomes). 

Common Symptoms:

  • Taller on average, an inch or more above normal
  • Unusually long legs
  • Slender torsos
  • Slight learning deficiencies

Most girls with this syndrome end up having normal development. There is occasionally an expectation of more emotional maturity toward these girls from those in authority, like teachers, as the girls tend to be taller than their peers, however, they tend to be just as emotionally mature as other girls their age. Some girls have even more X chromosomes (XXXX and XXXXX), and this can be correlated with lower IQ scores.

See this page for more info.

Testicular Feminization (or Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome):

Occurrence: 1/20,000

General Description: These are individuals with XY (male) genotype, but are phenotypically (physically expressed) females. Sometimes this syndrome can be “incomplete” in which there is a spectrum of sexual ambiguity or “complete” in which the phenotype is that of a female (see this case study for more info). This syndrome is due to a mutation on the X chromosome that inhibits androgen production. Androgens are what primarily causes the male phenotype to form. 

Common Symptoms:

  • No pubic or armpit hair
  • Sterile
  • Short blind-pouch vagina
  • No uterus, fallopian tubes or ovaries
  • There are testes in the abdomen or the inguinal canal

In individuals diagnosed with this syndrome, the testes may be surgically removed and the patient may be placed on estrogens to help control the female phenotype.

Another source for more info can be found here.

Sex Reversal (De la Chapelle Syndrome):

Occurrence: 1/20,000 according to this source.

General Description: While Testicular Feminization is sometimes also classified as “sex reversal,” in this section I am discussing individuals with a genetic code of XX, but have produced the male phenotype. Basically these males are genetically female. 

A particular gene (SRY), usually located on the Y chromosome is transferred to the X chromosome (or sometimes to another chromosome) in an event called crossing over, which can happen when the gametes are being formed during the first stage of meiosis. Crossing over is part of the process of recombination, which is a natural way that organisms can produce cells with different gene combinations than from what they inherited. The SRY gene is the gene on the Y chromosome responsible for androgen production and therefore responsible for male genitalia formation.

Thus, even though the person is genetically XX, the presence of the SRY gene makes it seem like there is a Y in the DNA and produces male characteristics instead of female.

Common Symptoms:

  • Most have normal male penis development
  • Small testes or gynecomastia (breast development) may be detected at onset of puberty
  • Sterility

Occasional Symptoms:

  • Hypospadias (urethral opening not at normal position)
  • Undescended testes

Learn more here.

Conclusions: Are These People Transgender?

In doing the research for this article, it was very eye-opening to what kinds of different sex-determining anomalies are out there. I have by no means exhausted all of the cases, but these mentioned are among the most common. 

While I would say that the political Transgender movement in the U.S. and other countries definitely has an agenda that may or may not be beneficial to these people, the above examples show us that biological gender isn’t always as straightforward as most people think. 

It can be easy to think in medical terminology (or political terminology for that matter) and forget that these anomalies occur to real people. What would you do if your doctor told you that the reason you can’t have kids is that you are really a woman (or man)? How would you tell your spouse? What would their response be?

You see, life is complicated for these people and we as Christians need to be careful and thoughtful in how we respond. While many who claim to be transgender are doing it because it is the new fad, the new social “injustice” to fight, or some other reason, there are others out there who are truly hurting people just trying to understand themselves and their place in this world.

To answer the burning question “Are these people transgender?”: I would have to say, it depends. The “Trans” in transgenderism indicates that there is some sort of transformation occurring. In my mind this would be a deliberate (or forced) change for some reason or another, usually to make the “outside” you match the “inside” you. Since genetics is essentially part of the “outside” you, I would say that the above conditions should not be classified “transgender.” Also, these sexual anomalies are not the choice of the person, but something they were born with.

A sexual anomaly only becomes transgender when, for example, in the case of sex reversal, when the person is genetically XX and has definite male parts, but decides to become a woman in order to match their DNA. This is a little silly as it is because of the DNA that he is male anyway. In such a case, a person would have to do intensive surgery and have to be on a ton of medication to regulate the hormones (as even a normal person who decides to be transgender would have to do). I could get into conspiracy theories about how pharmaceutical companies love this, but I will refrain from that for now. 

However, sometimes the physical sex of the person is hard to determine and surgery and medications are needed in order for that person to have some sense of normalcy in that person’s life. So there are some gray areas here, too.

It is unfortunate that for these people their private lives have been blasted wide open by the issue of Transgenderism. What should have been a private, case-by-case issue is now an attempt for religions and governments to come up with general answers to not only the questions asked by the people who truly have sexual anomalies, but also to the silly nonsense that goes on in the political realm.

Regardless, the Christian response needs to be one of inquiry, self-education, and, above all, love. By being informed we can better be equipped to ask the right questions to determine the real issues and be able to help these people with the emotional/spiritual burdens these issues cause. I suggest that we avoid broad, sweeping allegations and take each person we meet (whether defining themselves as “transgender” or as someone with an actual sexual anomaly) on a case-by-case basis. Even though we live in a fallen world where not everything natural works the way it was designed, people are still people. And they need Jesus just like the rest of us.  

Sources:

Why the Church Needs to Be More Accepting of Those of Homosexual Orientation: The Gay Debate – Part 7 (of 8)

When I googled the question: “Can a Christian be Homosexual?”, a link to a page by a fellow named Matthew Vines was among the top on the list. Mr. Vines is of the view that homosexuality should be allowed in the Church. A link to his page can be found here: The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality.

Mr. Vines makes several points (the bold is covered in this post, click previous points to see my response):

Vines argues that the church has been very hateful towards homosexuality and that they need to be more accepting. According to Vines, homosexuals need to be allowed in the Church and that the Church should bless homosexual marriages, especially those who have been abstinent and pure.

While I agree with him in that homosexuals should be accepted at church, I disagree with him in his belief that the Church should promote and bless homosexual marriage in an effort to “fix” the homosexual’s loneliness. But, you might ask, how can you have one without the other?

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The role of the Church is to bring sinners to Christ for redemption. It is to accomplish this by sharing truth and providing a place where kindness, compassion, fellowship, and Biblical teaching can provide growth to the believer. It is not the Church that does the redeeming or sanctifying, that is Christ’s job. The goal of the Church is to encourage one another to do the right things even when it is painful and to be a source of comfort, while it stands uncompromising on the truth, so that people can become better through the power of the Holy Spirit.

So when I say that the Church should be accepting of homosexuals, I mean it for the same way it should be accepting of people of every sin: alcoholics, adulterers, murders, gossips, etc. The problem is that when someone comes to Christ, the old nature is gone and must be done away with and we must live in the newness of Christ. I don’t believe that homosexuals are so much more sinful than anyone else; that they cannot come to a church service or should be discriminated against to not be allowed. We as a Church need to love them and bring these people to Christ!

Now as far as becoming a Christian and then continuing in the acts of homosexuality, that is a different story. We are all fallible and even as much as we would like to be able to be dunked in water and pledge our lives to Christ to shine in perfection for the rest of our lives, that is rarely the case. Sin will always try to poke its head back into the life of the new Christian. While we still turn to Christ, there are times when Christians fail. It sometimes takes the rest of our lives to get sin sanctified out of ourselves. Ask anyone who has a past of habitual sin, such as alcoholism or lust. It can be very difficult to get out of these sins and when it is finally accomplished, the desires are still there. It is a practice of relying on Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to be able to overcome the sins of the flesh. It is good to have people in the Church you can trust for accountability in the journey to overcoming; we can’t do it on our own.

If it is so difficult for a heterosexual to overcome sin, why should we be surprised when a homosexual struggles with it? Or on the other hand, why should the homosexual expect the bar to be dropped for him when no universal revelation (as that which occurred when the Gentiles were let into the fold) to do such a thing has been made to the Church as a whole? 

Some proponents of homosexuality argue that since a great amount of divorce is allowed in the Church (and therefore adultery, as not all are for simple marital unfaithfulness, as Jesus spoke of marriage in Matthew 5:32), then why can’t homosexuality be allowed? There are different circumstances of divorce in the Church. Some were divorced before coming to Christ. Thus, Christ’s grace has covered their past sins. Some have become Christians while their spouse has not, causing a rift and eventual divorce. Some Christians marry non-Christians and over time have issues that cannot be resolved. Sometimes both are Christians and divorce occurs. There are hundreds if not thousands of reasons why divorce happens at all. I will let God be the judge of their hearts as to what is legitimate and what has been done for selfishness reasons.

However, I do believe that the Western Church today has become overly gracious to the point that important steps of faith like repentance have been put by the wayside to boost numbers. Of course not all churches are this way. 

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Some churches have strict rules regarding divorcees in leadership. While divorcees can still be active members of the Church, many denominations require extensive investigation and discussion into a person’s personal matters before they can assume a leadership role, especially that of a pastor. This investigation occurs even when the divorce is legitimate. Other such investigations occur in other cases of known sin. Churches want their place of worship and activities to be a safe place for people to come to know Christ. If you are a former pedophile, don’t expect to be promoted to youth leader without some investigation by the elders. Should not the same be said for homosexuality if it is indeed a sin?

A lot of the stigma of the Church being against homosexuality is the belief that homosexuality is the last great sin before judgement as seen in the extreme cases of Sodom and Gomorrah. Much of this is due to the fact that at one time the Church held such prominence in the society that most citizens were considered Christians. To this day there are people who equate being an American with being a Christian, or vice versa. Thus if America is found sinful, then we are on the verge of judgement. 

I do not doubt this since God is a judge of nations, but being a Christian is not tied to our citizenship on this earth. It supersedes it. The fact that America, Britain, France, or any other country has sin in their culture is a sign that they need the truth of Christ now more than ever!

Allowing or promoting sin in the Church will not bring someone closer to God. In fact, many people who have turned away from the Church have done so in disgust of this very thing. Usually, someone in the Church is put upon a pedestal (figuratively) either by their own power or by others, and when it comes out that this person has done something awful in his office (or sometimes in his past), then these people leave that church and sometimes don’t try another, thinking that all churches must be this way. To an extent, all churches have messed up people in them and some grace must be applied. However, when a leader does something harmful to someone else in abuse of his power and authority, the other leaders of that church should confront him and decide upon a punishment, which would probably end up being termination of the person’s contract. 

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Wise leaders know their weaknesses and don’t put themselves in a position to fail. For example, I know several male pastors who counsel both men and women. When counseling men, the door can be closed, but when counseling women, the door is left open where other church officials can hold the pastor accountable. It is not that they particularly struggle with heterosexual lust, but that they don’t want anyone to be able to accuse them of misconduct. If there is a person who struggles with homosexual lust on the other hand, perhaps the door could be closed with members of the opposite sex and open with members of the same sex. Perhaps in this day and age, it is best to leave the door open at all times. Regardless, there are safety precautions to take when letting new Christians, who are also in the process of sanctification like everyone else, lead. Those who do not take precautions are usually the ones who end up giving into their old desires and disgracing the Church and Christ.

Thus, the Church needs to decide if homosexuality is a sin. Again, here I distinguish the desire to want to act out homo-sexually (most would label this the ‘homosexual’) and the actual acting out of homosexual acts (the active homosexual). Most people have that pet desire, that one sin that they struggle with and wish to be easily taken away. It can be drugs, alcohol, pornography, adultery, or any blend of desires. These people are sometimes born with these desires, have learned them along the way, or act on these sins in order to medicate some abuse from the past. Yet, they are all still sinful. 

Having those inborn desires, doesn’t make the homosexual a special case; it makes him like the rest of us.

Is the Church Responsible for Gay Loneliness?: The Gay Debate – Part 2 (of 8)

When I googled the question: “Can a Christian be Homosexual?”, a link to a page by a fellow named Matthew Vines was among the top on the list. Mr. Vines is of the view that homosexuality should be allowed in the Church. A link to his page can be found here: The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality.

Mr. Vines makes several points. Here I am covering his second point (in bold). click on the other links to view my response to his other points):

Loneliness is Not God’s Plan for Mankind (Including Homosexuals), But It Can Be a Result of Being in a Fallen World

The next point he makes is that traditional anti-gay views of the church have forced homosexuals to be lonely which is against God’s design. I actually agree with him on this, however, I do not think that the Church is to take sole blame. In my years spent as a single person there were times I’m sure people wondered if I myself was gay. In American culture, particularly in the movies and other media that promote and establish it, there is very little mention of single people. It is all couples-oriented. I believe that is because there is less drama in being okay with being single. Even in Hallmark movies, very seldom do people not find their “match,” despite overwhelming circumstances. What about the people who are okay with not finding their match or for one reason or another, simply don’t? In this couples-oriented culture, (which I admit also pervades the Church in America) those who do not match up with someone of the opposite sex seemingly “must be gay.” Even though the Bible gives us examples of people who had the “gift of singleness,” as the Apostle Paul spoke of in his letters, if such people existed in the Church today, I am almost certain they would be considered, by some if not most, homosexual. The problem is that there are people with that gift in the Church today and they should not be labeled in such a way as it pushes them toward sin and away from the God they have such a great opportunity to know and serve.

By my mid-twenties, I was perfectly okay with remaining single. If things had not worked out with my wife, I would probably still be single here in my thirties. This is an odd thing, which some might label as “queer,” “strange,” or even “secretly gay.” However, I truly was able to turn my concern of finding a wife over to God. I will be honest, I kept an eye out for women who might be a good match, but in the meantime, I did my best to use my singleness to serve God.

Sometimes God calls you to do things that are out of the ordinary or different from the norm. These are great personal challenges that develop our faith and when we trust in God, bring us closer to Him. The world promotes all religions, except true Christianity. Thus, merely choosing to be a true Christian can be a lonely road itself. Should we trade trusting in our Savior for less persecution so that we can be less lonely or have what we want? The martyrs of the past declare a valiant “NO!” to that. 

Also marriage doesn’t cure all loneliness. There are just about as many divorces of those claiming to be Christians as those not claiming to be. Marriage, while blissful for a time, requires work to keep going. While there may be similarities shared between a couple, there different ways people respond to the same stimulus. Sometimes a partner may need to be around people to be comforted when faced with stress. The other may need time away from people to think. If you have those two opposites in a marriage together, it can seem like one does not want to meet the other’s needs. It turns out they are just different people and if the needs are not communicated clearly, friction can happen in the relationship, creating an emotional wedge, which can cause a different kind of loneliness to develop. One which may be sought to cure by ending the marriage or seeking to fill that loneliness with other things such as alcohol, drugs, extramarital sex, or other such “medicinal” vices.

Back to Vines’ point that the traditional view of the Church has forced homosexuals to be lonely, which is against God’s original design in Genesis Chapter 1. I agree with this for the most part, however, I think Vines is trying to use this to say that this situation as justification for homosexual romantic relationships, because as God said in the beginning “It is not good to be alone.” Another thing to point out is that this circumstance mentioned in Genesis 1 is before the fall of man. Before Eve and Adam chose to sin, the world was made good. However, when the first couple went against God’s command, evil found its way into the world. We now live in a fallen world, where people don’t treat other people right. Something we need to realize is that the Church is full of fallen imperfect people who are (supposedly) turning to Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and entrusting in his resurrection and Holy Spirit to give them the power to overcome those sins.

While I admit that neither I or the Church are perfect, it does not give us an excuse to remain as we are. We all need to be a little more understanding, but we also need to challenge people to become better. I think that is where the traditional view comes from initially even though it can now often appear as a list of additional rules to follow. The crux of Christianity is that we turn to Jesus for our fulfillment, because if we trust in people they will let us down. If you read any article that has been written by an unbeliever or an atheist, you will not get far without them referencing supposed crimes of people in the Church. If they would have been trusting in Christ rather than the Church, then they wouldn’t have been disappointed and perhaps had a little more mercy toward those people. The Church is made up of broken people who point to Christ, the real person to turn to for salvation and fulfillment.

So when Vines blames the Church for making him feel lonely, I do not doubt that statement. But, I know that when I am feeling lonely and down, I can either turn to my sins for comfort, which usually only leaves me feeling worse, or I can turn to Christ and give him the burden. There have been many times God has drawn me near in times of loneliness and held me in despair. Where was the Church? Doing churchy things, I guess. I have been fortunate at times to be part of churches where it really does feel like family. I have also been part of churches where it felt like I had to constantly watch my back. Regardless, Jesus is still Lord of all, and He is the one to turn to in times of trouble, not the Church, and definitely not romantic homosexual (or heterosexual) relationships.