Should I attend my daughter's transgender wedding?
Do I go to the wedding of my daughter that is transgender? I am the only family she has. I am a born again believer and she knows that. Her father is also a born again believer but has cut her out of his life since she was 18 for other reasons. She is now 36. He and I are divorced. Thank you.
Clarify
•
Share
•
Report
•
Asked March 04 2024
•
Jeannette Shields
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Danny Hickman
Paul was writing to a church in its infancy stage. He gave it instructions like we do our small children. For instance, we tell our 8 year old to not associate with other 8 year olds who are bullies; we don't want them learning those bad personality traits while growing up. It's our rule as a parent, and we expect them to abide by it.
We don't expect, and in fact don't want our "rule" to guide him / her as adults. Like God, we haven't changed our way of thinking, (Jas 1:17) but we'd rather they choose their associates because of their life experiences instead of a rule we gave them as a child.
The letters to the church(es) weren't written as church commandments to be obeyed ad infinitum. They are not rules! Neither are they to be discarded.
My childhood guidelines were a firm foundation; I didn't discard them after I started making my own decisions. I kept them in my heart. And when I had my first child, I took them out of storage and they were put back into use. My children have children; (the older 2 have an all-adult cast) those parenting "rules" trudge on; they still serve a grand purpose; but they aren't really effective in adults; adults, like a 2,000 year old church, need something better suited for them than a set of rules.
That's why the letters to the church(es) are not to be incorporated that way.
Young believers should avoid sexually immoral people (1 Cor 5:9). I'm 68 years old; what difference does it make who I eat with?
Danny Hickman
Continuing,
Please don't imagine I'm suggesting that the church epistles (new covenant scriptures) were only for a newly developing church, or only for young people or Christians in early development. THAT AIN'T WHAT I'M TRYING TO TEACH ANYBODY!!!
BUT... if you read the letters to the churches with contextual understanding, you will recognize a familiar tone; especially from Paul. It's very obvious that he's reckoning them to be new at this; like he's teaching small children. (the same is true for whoever it was who wrote the Book of Hebrews.) All of the letters to the churches read that way to me. Even John's Revelations 1, Letters to the 7 Churches. (does 'You left your first love' sound like something written to someone under 21?)
I hope I'm being tracked!
'Don't eat with trouble makers' is said to small children. Listen to this: "Dear friends, as you always obeyed me when I was with you, it is even more important that you obey me now while I am away from you" (Paul~ Phil 2:12). (he stole that from my mom, or she stole it from him!!) Doesn't that sound like instructions meant for children?
The church was a baby being treated accordingly. It shouldn't be that way now! 'Don't hang out with certain people' shouldn't be a teaching aimed at the church as a whole. That's all I'm trying to get the church to see! It makes us look like we're all underdeveloped, and are afraid to try to cross a busy street without the pastor!!
It ain't the right look for a wise teacher.