Catholic school supporting student's choice to become transgender

[tafan2]

No, I understand the devastating consequences about an 12 year old girl being told by everyone in her world that she is something she is not. As opposed to getting her real help.

It’s hard for me to see how everyone lying to her is giving her an opportunity to find God’s love.

 

[do_justly_love_mercy]

It sounds like the school is trying to do the best thing for a student who is clearly going through a very difficult experience. I would trust that the school principal, the priest, and the parents have the expertise to know what they are doing and will have taken appropriate professional advice. I don’t know why you’d want to transfer your children to another school, as it sounds like this school is doing its best to provide a caring learning environment for all its students and it seems that this situation has been addressed as sensitively as possible.

My guess is the school is doing it because they believe this approach is in the best interests of their student.

It is not charitable to enable people in their sin.

Sin? I know some people within the Church do not agree with this approach to trans people, but I’ve never heard it described as a sin before.

The trouble in this case is that the condemnation of the sin itself is not happening.

I regard gender dysphoria as a mental health issue, not a sin issue.

Abortion, contraception, euthanasia, transgenderism, sodomy, cutthroat greed, materialism, paganism, feminism, and communism are all disgusting and sinful currents running through the culture today.

You do know that it is quite possible to be a feminist and a Catholic, don’t you? I do not understand how you can justify calling feminism “disgusting” and “sinful”. I am also wondering where you live if communism is a current running through your culture. Presumably not the US, Canada, western Europe, Australia, or New Zealand, for example.

So if someone wanted to be called a four letter word, it would be kind and charitable to do so?

Surely that is a classic straw man argument:

“Bob now wants to be called Sally, so the kind and charitable thing to do is to call her Sally.”

“And if Steve wanted to be called Adolf Hitler, would be it kind and charitable to do so?”

FGBTQ Homosexual Agenda

Sorry, but what does the “F” in “FGBTQ” stand for? I am only familiar with LGBTQ. I assume it has something to do with the manufactured idea that there is a “homosexual agenda”.

If I have convinced myself I am a neurosurgeon, is it charitable to me to go along with my fantasy?

Another straw man argument.

 

[Ammi]

“Bob now wants to be called Sally, so the kind and charitable thing to do is to call her Sally.”

I disagree. We are dealing with a child, and forcing other children to role play this disfunction.

YOU (PERSONALLY) can call someone whatever you want. But when you demand my child, who I brought to be educated in a Catholic school to participate in role playing of a serious mental disorder, then you and I would have a serious issue.

 

[QwertyGirl]

What aspect of calling someone their preferred name is role playing?

 

[Ammi]

Really?

Are you going to play this game?

 

[QwertyGirl]

Yes. Really. People who consider calling someone a preferred name to be role playing are reading far too much into the request.

 

[Ammi]

I’m not going to discuss anything with you, since you deny the real issue.

 

[do_justly_love_mercy]

What I have a serious issue with is the idea that treating other people with courtesy and civility and attempting to understand their personal difficulties with care and sensitivity can be maligned as role-playing a dysfunction or mental disorder.

I find it interesting that the Christian values with which I was brought up often seem to be the exact opposite of what a lot of people on this forum think are Christian values. One of my dad’s favorite verses to quote to us as kids was “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven”. I have always considered that to be one of Jesus’ absolutely core moral teachings and it is often foremost in my mind in my dealings with people in challenging situations.

 

[Annie]

“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven”.

However, we must judge actions, and we do so all the time. In fact, you are doing so in your post.

We also have to decide whom we want our children to be around and whom to avoid.

Note: I have already said that I do not have an opinion on the situation presented in the OP, so what I am saying here is not a reflection of that.

 

[do_justly_love_mercy]

I never said that. I just said that this is one of Jesus’ teachings and that it is very useful in deciding how to deal with people in difficult situations but often seems to be overlooked.

 

[LisaB]

What I have a serious issue with is the idea that treating other people with courtesy and civility and attempting to understand their personal difficulties with care and sensitivity can be maligned as role-playing a dysfunction or mental disorder.

It’s a common mistake to assume that in order to show a person respect and courtesy, and to uphold his human dignity, we have to accept his behavior. These are two different things. Same goes for your “do not judge” quote. This means don’t judge the state of the person’s soul; it doesn’t in any way mean a person can do no wrong, and we should accept everything he does or else we are judging. Doesn’t work like that.

 

[do_justly_love_mercy]

I think you are assuming that I said something that I did not say. Of course we have to be judicious with regard to people’s actions. I just happen to think that in this instance what we are talking about is a young person who has been struggling with some really hard issues and those issues are being addressed by the people who know best. The school is dealing with it in a manner that is positive and pastoral. They are doing what is in the best interests of all their students and it sounds like they are handling it pretty well. Some people want to make this about sin and about taking sides in the culture war.

 

[vz71]

Yes. Really. People who consider calling someone a preferred name to be role playing is reading far too much into the request.

If there is no way to interact without supporting the dysfunction, than perhaps the best thing is to ignore altogether.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

Total number of people whose bodies differ from standard male or female one in 100 births

One out of a hundred, not two.

Surely this would then be much more known.

People don’t deal with unexpected conditions very well, or any kind of difference or disability. Sexual matters can carry shame for a lot of people. It’s not a mystery to me that it isn’t well known.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

And if we could let them transition without calling it a sin or calling them mentally ill, the dysphoria could be alleviated sooner rather than later.

 

[Norseman82]

It is only good manners to call someone what they ask to be called,

Then I ask you to call me Pope Norseman, Patriarch of studly wingers crashing the net.

 

[Rau]

And if we could let them transition without calling it a sin or calling them mentally ill, the dysphoria could be alleviated sooner rather than later.

That could be true. But I don’t think this changes my point that experiencing dysphoria is a problem, does it? It’s something we’d not wish on anyone?

 

[pnewton]

With all the name-calling and wringing of hands here, has anyone quoted where the Church has taught that transgender-ism is sinful? There seems to be more ignorance and opinions that doctrine. Without Church doctrine, why is the priest and principal condemned? Until Church teaching comes forth, maybe we should put our torches our and not burn anyone at the stake quite yet.

I say this a a caution, but I know I might well pull out of such a school myself, simply because one advantage to being out of private school is not having children face adult issues before they are old enough, and grounded enough. Middle schools seems a little too young for this sort of thing. It is a tough call.

 

[Rau]

There seems to be more ignorance and opinions that doctrine.

Correct. Until the matter is addressed directly, by the appropriate church organs, we do well to avoid rigid positions.

 

[Rau]

First, this is a discussion document, not a teaching document. Second, it is addressing the broader area of “gender ideology”, which is not the topic here, and 3rd, you won’t find the word dysphoria mentioned at all.