When a person does not believe in God they lose a transcendent reference point to their lives. They are left to form their own understanding of their purpose and identity. It is often the case that they come to rely upon current modes of understanding fostered in the society around them. They must trust in their own perceptions of reality. Often such perceptions are not the product of a serious search for truth, but a product of feelings that rise within them.

 

This helps explain why so many people today believe that truth is fluid and changing. Truth is purely subjective: it is my truth. They reach the point where they accept that reality is seen differently by different people. They also feel that they should accept that each person has their own truth, and that there is no objective single truth.

A person of Christian faith has a radically different approach. They have a transcendent perspective and a solid ground upon which to base their search for truth.

They believe that there is objective and unchanging truth. They know that they need a certain humility in their search for what is right and good. They are open to being led to a deeper understanding of things.

Thus, for a person of faith, there is an awareness of being personally created as an act of love by a wise and provident Creator. A certain wonder grows within them as they contemplate the beauty of their individual nature. The psalmist in the Old Testament expresses his awe at the dignity that he recognises has been given him by God. He says, “What is man that you care for him? You have made him little less than a god” (Ps 8:4-5). A person of faith is aware of the wonder at who they are and they attribute this to the God who has created them.

In a similar vein Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful”.

A person of faith accepts who they are with deep gratitude, and humble awareness that they have an essential worth and dignity. They embrace who they are and desire to realise all the potential that has been placed within them.

When a person has lost a sense of faith and confidence in abiding truth, they very easily move to wanting to be someone different from who they are. They can come to a place where they believe some things as true for them which may lie outside evident fact.

Thus, today we find people who are convinced that a person can be the opposite gender to their biological sex. They even go as far as to say that a newly born child is simply assigned a gender and that later this may change.

A confusion has arisen in our society when we replace the category of the person’s biological sex with a subjective concept of gender.

It is the result of a loss of a sense of truth which has been fostered by a loss of a sense of God. In our society it has become possible for a person to deny their biological sex and assert that they can, in fact, become the opposite gender, and should be treated as such.

A person can feel vulnerable should their perception of things be challenged by those around them. They assert that they need to be protected from having their perceptions called into question. In the name of tolerance they demand that their understanding not be challenged.

It is most important that the dignity of every person is upheld and that any dialogue on sensitive issues around sexual identity be conducted with respect. However, at the same time, we cannot let ourselves be silenced and unable to say what is biologically true. We cannot let statements of biological facts be suppressed and even criminalised. We must defend not only Christian theological truth but the biological truth about the human person.

The biological truth is that human beings exist in two fundamental biological forms or sexes, male and female, and that in the usual course of human sexual development in the womb one’s biological sex is unalterably fixed. There is no way in which one can change their biological sex.

None of us choose our sex. Rather we simply find ourselves existing in a body which is of a particular sex. The experience of being reconciled to our sex and, more generally, reconciled with our bodies is never straight forward for anyone. We must therefore have compassion for those who have a particularly difficult time in coming to terms with their sex. But having compassion and understanding does not mean we should deny the biological truth of their existence.

To state that biological sex is unalterable is not to reject or condemn those who would seek to present and be treated as if they are the opposite sex, it is simply a statement of scientific fact.

When a child experiences gender dysphoria we need to accompany them in a process which seeks to help them come to terms with their biological sex.

Experiencing gender dysphoria is very challenging and can cause great distress within families. There is much emotion and genuine psychological pain being experienced. A person of faith can point to the fact that each person’s biological sex is a gift from God.

God created us as male or female. This is a good thing. And the psalmist is right: we marvel at the dignity that is ours and bless the God who made us. Thus, we stand with the psalmist and say that we are, each of us, indeed “crowned with glory and honour”.