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I came across this idea or concept reading a thread... I was intrigued by the topic but not so much by the discussion that followed it. So, I only ask that we follow the rules and not see the nasty side of the green or red people.

The topic is that of gender changes. For a person of Christian faith, how does one reconcile that with their belief system? Because if we are to believe we are made in God's image, then are we not the gender we are meant to be? And even to a person who rejects the notion of faith and a divine being, is there not a moral problem with sex changes? Do we not defy nature with it?

Lets go a step further, I've heard that its possible to decide the sex of the child while it is still within its early stages in the womb? (I've done no research on this one. I'm just saying what I've heard.)

I understand that the concept of sex changes is looked upon with a great deal of reservation and generally looked down upon. But, is it not fair to argue that, truly if we are to accept people as they are, to help people be whom they belief and wish to be, then should we not be accepting of it?

"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love."
- Washington Irving

*cracks knuckles before typing*

I haven't looked at the thread you are talking about, and plan not to. So i can start fresh so to speak on this subject.

as a non religious person i see the idea of sex change as a mental thing. It is that their mindset isn't set with their body. It is similar to why people look in the mirror and see themselves as FAT when they aren't. Its all a mental problem, or fault because i can't say it is a negative, it just has negative effects.

The idea of understanding the sex of a person when they are in the early stages of development i understand. I don't understand what you mean by early tho. Since the genetals both look the same up until one point when they become a boy and a girl. I also don't look any of this up.
But i will say there is always a difference between someones physical being and their perception of their own physical being. Simpler less extreme examples are again the people that think they are fat, and the people that think they are ugly or something. Its their own mental state that is "distorted" to reality.

Now onto the meat of the subject. A persons sexuality is a personal thing. It is different from person to person. Trying to say something is immoral according to a god or something is irrational. I could stay on the same terms, and say that anyone who thinks they are fat should go to hell. Because it is essentially the same thing, just not accepted because it is far to common and would produce alot of people going to hell (not really but u get it)

We already defy nature. We wake up and put on some cloths, cut our hair, brush our teeth, wear perfume, drive cars around... the list goes on and on. So i don't see this being an issue at all.



Now my last point is. Realistically no one knows what god looks like. All we do know is that he is a GOD(now this goes off the standing that there IS a god, which i do no believe in, but will take this stance for this point.) All we know about god is that he is human. Or possible something alot like a human, but better. But questioning what god really is is pointless. Humans have changed ALOT over the ages, always doing different things to their bodies and styles and everything. So at the basics we are completely defying god if we take everything into account.
Again the above point is taking the stance that there is a god. I DON'T believe in the Christian god at all, but that is another argument. I took that stance to again prove the point.

Forgive the crappy grammar!
"The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large. " - Confucius
"The guy in the back always has something to say"

Personally I don't care if it's moral or not. I'm a firm believer in those wonderful things called Chromosomes.
You can change the outside all you want, doesn't change the fact you're still the same gender.
As per usual it has to do with genetics, environment, and choice. Just as everything does. Although in this instance it may have more to do with chemicals in the body but I'm no expert on that sort of thing.

That being said I think it's somewhat delusional, but if people want to do it then fine by me.
Personally though, I don't think they outside matters so I don't know why anyone would want to change how they look. It's just a shell, all that matters is how you are on the inside.

The technology to pick gender is available, however, it's expensive and some people think it's immoral. Either way, it has to be done before fertilization; remember that whether the sperm contains an X or a Y determines gender.

There is a condition called mosaic hermaphroditism where the child is really neither gender. The parents have to make a choice. Surgery is done to put sex characteristics in place. Hormone treatments then follow to ensure the most normal life as possible.

Another one is called Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. The body cannot process testosterone so even "genetic" males (XY) look like females. They may do more than just look like females, depending on to what extent their bodies can't process testosterone, what would be the testes are ovaries. You see, we all start out as females then testosterone kicks in and the ovaries descend and become testes. The only thing that doesn't make them fully female is that while they lack testosterone, they also lack other female hormones that males wouldn't have anyway; for example they can't get pregnant. Sex change surgery can be done if so wished.

I think the issue is that there's a difference between gender and sex, and most people don't seem to understand the discrepancy. Then again, that's an opinion, but here's the way I see it:

You're born with two X chromosomes or an X and a Y. They're called sex chromosomes because they determine your sex. If you look up gender in the dictionary, it basically means the same thing. However, I see it as being related to your personality as opposed to your genetics. From the time we are born, we're raised to believe that we're supposed to be a certain way because of our genitals. We're told what toys we're supposed to like, what games we like to play, who we're supposed to marry, and how we're supposed to act just based on our sexes. But some people simply don't match the stereotypical mold that society has made for them, and their personality matches better with the physical body of the opposite sex.

Now, there is no such thing as a true sex change. You can't change your genotype. But that doesn't mean you have to live as someone you aren't. Changing your body doesn't change your genes, and if getting a sex change is bad because it alters the body God gave you, then so is getting a tattoo or a piercing, plastic surgery, or even having one of your organs replaced. And for those that would argue that it defies nature, take a moment to think about what is truly natural. We're no exception to natural selection; it's a given that the healthy and strong will survive and reproduce, and the weak will simply die off and cease to exist. But humans have been trying for years and years to increase lifespans and improve healthcare. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but technically, using drugs and surgery to keep someone alive thirty years past their natural lifespan does defy nature. Sure, you can argue that it's different because it's a life and death situation. But when it all comes down to it, it still isn't natural.

So maybe getting a sex change isn't natural. But there are a lot of other things that are unnatural as well, to an even greater degree. Changing your body so that you can live comfortably as someone of the opposite sex isn't any worse than having your appendix removed; if it's making you uncomfortable and you can function normally without it, why keep it?

Personally, I think we look at gender as a very black or white thing. To me, it's more of a fluid thing. We all have male or female personality traits. If someone is born with more female personality traits but in a male body, I could undersand why they would feel the need to change gender physically. It's just the society we live in. A male couldn't possibly have too many female trits, or they were born the wrong gender. They couldn't possibly want to wear dressese, or they secretly want to be a girl. For example, imagine if someone like Paris Hilton was born into a male body.

Granted, I'm about as in the middle gender-personality wise as humanly possible. If I was born a physical-male, I honestly don't think it would have made that big of a difference to me.

As for God, who's to say what gender he or she is? If we are all made in God's image, then God is both male and female. Then wouldn't it make sense that we are all in away both male and female?

(If the conversation has taken a completely different turn since I posted, I apologize. This took a ridiculous amount of time to answer.)