Transgender Christian shares his struggles & success

[Ayla]

Brett Ray, Author of My Name is Brett: Truths from a Trans Christian said, "That has proven challenging sometimes, but more often than not, I'm met with a lot of love and a lot of grace and that's been really good for me."

Brett says he reads the Bible Christologically, which allows him to remain true to himself and God.

Ray said, "For me to be alive, I have to be Brett, and I worship and love a god who loves me and wants me to be alive."  

www.blackhillsfox.com/home/headlines/Transgender-Christian-shares-his-struggles--success--331952161.html  

[Deleted]

Persecution was the whole ideal of Christ's life. Thank God we can't be crucified anymore. But all I have to say is "to thy ownself be true". You are who you are. You are who you were created. So why sweat man's idea of doctrine when even God gave us the great gift of Freewill to be who we are. So how are we such "sinners" when there are murderers, child molesters, child killers, patricidal and matricidal, con artists, thieves and  so on out in the world? Hell I have none of the seven deadly sins inside of me except lust but that is more like love because I am true to my lover regardless of who he is. Well I am hungry. Well I am a lilttle jeolous of women too. Tghh. No one is perfect though. Unlike some Televangelist in the past that lied about.... well just about everything.

[Deleted]

Aisla thank you....

Jamie trans is not sin. How we deal with it is the real test.

The same is true of the cis. They will answer for it. I would not want to be in those shoes.

Id rather be trans.

[Malachite]

Thanks for posting this. I may have to pick up this book, but I hope there will be an Audible version of this. I am always looking for trans-Christian books from an FtM perspective. Again, thank you for posting.

[Deleted]

This is great. Thank you. I'm on a quest to learn as much as possible about being trans and Christian.

[Deleted]

Oct 13, 2015 6:02:30 GMT 8 @jamie said:

Persecution was the whole ideal of Christ's life. Thank God we can't be crucified anymore. But all I have to say is "to thy ownself be true". You are who you are. You are who you were created. So why sweat man's idea of doctrine when even God gave us the great gift of Freewill to be who we are. So how are we such "sinners" when there are murderers, child molesters, child killers, patricidal and matricidal, con artists, thieves and  so on out in the world? Hell I have none of the seven deadly sins inside of me except lust but that is more like love because I am true to my lover regardless of who he is. Well I am hungry. Well I am a lilttle jeolous of women too. Tghh. No one is perfect though. Unlike some Televangelist in the past that lied about.... well just about everything.

All it boils down to is Love, that is the whole point. Sin is the opposite of that. This is how we were created and we are only expressing our true selves. People can call us sinners all they want, but then they are just guilty of not following the love commandments, which was the central point of the teachings of Christ. I've met plenty of people on high horses, when one of the most important qualities in the Christian life is humility.  


I like this Jewish tale:

The great Talmudic sage Hillel was born in Babylonia in the first century BCE. As young man he came to the Holy Land to study Torah at the feet of the sages of Jerusalem. He was initially a very poor, but brilliant student, and became a famous Torah scholar and eventually the Nasi (president) of the Sanhedrin. He is often mentioned together with his colleague, Shammai, with who he often disagreed on the interpretations of Torah law: Shammai often follows the stricter interpretation, whereas Hillel tended toward a more lenient understanding of the law. In the great majority of cases, his opinion prevailed. Hillel encouraged his disciple follow the example of Aaron the High Priest to "love peace and pursue peace, love all G‑d's creations and bring them close to the Torah." Hillel was a very humble and patient man, and there are many stories that illustrate this.

One of famous account in the Talmud (Shabbat 31a) tells about a gentile who wanted to convert to Judaism. This happened not infrequently, and this individual stated that he would accept Judaism only if a rabbi would teach him the entire Torah while he, the prospective convert, stood on one foot. First he went to Shammai, who, insulted by this ridiculous request, threw him out of the house. The man did not give up and went to Hillel. This gentle sage accepted the challenge, and said:

"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation of this--go and study it!"

[Deleted]

Dec 2, 2015 21:30:19 GMT 8 Lee said:

Oct 13, 2015 6:02:30 GMT 8 @jamie said:

Persecution was the whole ideal of Christ's life. Thank God we can't be crucified anymore. But all I have to say is "to thy ownself be true". You are who you are. You are who you were created. So why sweat man's idea of doctrine when even God gave us the great gift of Freewill to be who we are. So how are we such "sinners" when there are murderers, child molesters, child killers, patricidal and matricidal, con artists, thieves and  so on out in the world? Hell I have none of the seven deadly sins inside of me except lust but that is more like love because I am true to my lover regardless of who he is. Well I am hungry. Well I am a lilttle jeolous of women too. Tghh. No one is perfect though. Unlike some Televangelist in the past that lied about.... well just about everything.

All it boils down to is Love, that is the whole point. Sin is the opposite of that. This is how we were created and we are only expressing our true selves. People can call us sinners all they want, but then they are just guilty of not following the love commandments, which was the central point of the teachings of Christ. I've met plenty of people on high horses, when one of the most important qualities in the Christian life is humility.  


I like this Jewish tale:

The great Talmudic sage Hillel was born in Babylonia in the first century BCE. As young man he came to the Holy Land to study Torah at the feet of the sages of Jerusalem. He was initially a very poor, but brilliant student, and became a famous Torah scholar and eventually the Nasi (president) of the Sanhedrin. He is often mentioned together with his colleague, Shammai, with who he often disagreed on the interpretations of Torah law: Shammai often follows the stricter interpretation, whereas Hillel tended toward a more lenient understanding of the law. In the great majority of cases, his opinion prevailed. Hillel encouraged his disciple follow the example of Aaron the High Priest to "love peace and pursue peace, love all G‑d's creations and bring them close to the Torah." Hillel was a very humble and patient man, and there are many stories that illustrate this.

One of famous account in the Talmud (Shabbat 31a) tells about a gentile who wanted to convert to Judaism. This happened not infrequently, and this individual stated that he would accept Judaism only if a rabbi would teach him the entire Torah while he, the prospective convert, stood on one foot. First he went to Shammai, who, insulted by this ridiculous request, threw him out of the house. The man did not give up and went to Hillel. This gentle sage accepted the challenge, and said:

"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation of this--go and study it!"

Isn't there a passage in the bible that says something like someone without sin can cast the first stone?

The thing is Lee is that we have Freewill. We can choose to worship, follow, model our own lives, ask questions, search for answers and anything else that will be a positive presence in our lives. We can also go the other way and search out the negative presence. It is totally up to us, not church, temple, mosque or anything else. They are useful tools to begin a search but everyone is different. Everyone needs different aspects because we all have our demons. None of us are perfect, never will be.

OK so I chose to ask different questions and to persue my own answers. Through psychology, metaphysics, physics, parapsychogy and other texts besides just one particular belief. I believe there are more pieces to the puzzle and a whole lot of pieces are not even realized yet. And yes I do believe that Christ was our last great teacher, but there will also be another one. One that will push us farther toward Who or What God is and different levels of thinking or possibly deeper levels of consciousness to tap into certain Divine aspects that these levels of consciousness may reveal.

So yes. I am a believer in Christ but am not Christian in the traditional sense of the word. I am more into the mysticism or early Christianity before it was named Christianity.

[Deleted]

I believe that there is one Truth and that all the different religions, Christianity included are just ways to explain that Truth. For me personally I see God most clearly in Christ; I want to follow his ways... but that doesn't take away truths found in other beliefs. I'm always open to learn more and I think it's important that we work together, no matter what faith (or no faith) we adhere to.

[Deleted]

Dec 4, 2015 3:44:52 GMT 8 Lee said:

I believe that there is one Truth and that all the different religions, Christianity included are just ways to explain that Truth. For me personally I see God most clearly in Christ; I want to follow his ways... but that doesn't take away truths found in other beliefs. I'm always open to learn more and I think it's important that we work together, no matter what faith (or no faith) we adhere to.

So let no one persuade you from doing just that. You can only choose which way or how to live or how to treat others.

I liken belief systems to paths or to the road networks as an example in the US. I am in New York but I want to get to Los Angeles, There are literally thousands of paths I could follow which would take me from where I am to where I need to be. Some are interstate and direct routes, others are scenic and slower but more interesting at things you may see and experience. I know it is an overly simplified analogy but it does make sense. Or I think it does anyway.

Just let you mind wonder. Such as God as being the One. Or the One Truth or whatever else but God created the Universe. The visible and the parts that we may not even be able to realize. If you think of all that as being a part of God, It makes you realize that God is all encompassing. I personally tend to perceive God as a Singularity but Created life such as our Spirits to be Individuals. Some Life not so complicated and innocent and other Life more complicated and complex. 

Well... I have some really messed up theories and beliefs which put me more into the realm of Christian Mysticism or Gnosticism more or less. 

[L]

Thank you and very well said, Jamie!
I love mysticism as well and I find your thoughts very interesting.
I can't log in for some reason, so I have to guest in.

Lee

[Deleted]

Dec 5, 2015 5:22:06 GMT 8 L said:

Thank you and very well said, Jamie!
I love mysticism as well and I find your thoughts very interesting.
I can't log in for some reason, so I have to guest in.

Lee

Thank you Lee. LOL though. I have such an open mind that I wonder sometimes if a lot of it leaked out over the years.

I do have quite a few theories on religion and how the universe or even our own little solar system has an effect on beliefs. It is not Astrological but actually Astronomical events such as the different ages due to the ecliptical path of the sun during the spring equinox and what major constellation the Sun's path crosses. This is due to the tilt of the earth's axis and the wobble that takes approximately 26,000 years to complete. And it passes through 12 major constellations with 2000 years collectively during the changes. This was the whole hype of the Mayan Calendar running out in 2012 during the Winter Solstice. We are moving out of the age of Pisces and into the Age of Aquarius, leaving all the hippy stuff out of it and looking at it through a scientific mind in the way of Astronomy.

To me that does not take away from religions or religious symbolism but rather coincides and proves that the human mind is universally connected somehow in ways that most everyone cannot even begin comprehend with our Spirituality.

A lot of this is hard to find because it would definitely shake things up. Just like the study of Mars. Now they are saying that there has been and possibly still running water on Mars which would make it possible for life to exist or have existed at one time or another and given the Solar system is 4.5 billion years old, Mars may have had intelligent life at one time. Leak it a little at a time and acclimatize people.

Seriously though Lee. No one owns exclusive rights to Christ or His teachings. We can choose to study his life, follow his teachings, combine the mysticism of Christ along with belief of Christ. No Church or organization owns the patent on Christ's teaching and who he was and is. That is in your heart and if it happens to be that you find what you are looking for in a church then that is fine. If it is outside of a church, that is fine too. It is all about what is in your heart and Spirit.

[L]

Dec 6, 2015 1:48:36 GMT 8 @jamie said:

Dec 5, 2015 5:22:06 GMT 8 L said:

Thank you and very well said, Jamie!
I love mysticism as well and I find your thoughts very interesting.
I can't log in for some reason, so I have to guest in.

Lee

Thank you Lee. LOL though. I have such an open mind that I wonder sometimes if a lot of it leaked out over the years.

I do have quite a few theories on religion and how the universe or even our own little solar system has an effect on beliefs. It is not Astrological but actually Astronomical events such as the different ages due to the ecliptical path of the sun during the spring equinox and what major constellation the Sun's path crosses. This is due to the tilt of the earth's axis and the wobble that takes approximately 26,000 years to complete. And it passes through 12 major constellations with 2000 years collectively during the changes. This was the whole hype of the Mayan Calendar running out in 2012 during the Winter Solstice. We are moving out of the age of Pisces and into the Age of Aquarius, leaving all the hippy stuff out of it and looking at it through a scientific mind in the way of Astronomy.

To me that does not take away from religions or religious symbolism but rather coincides and proves that the human mind is universally connected somehow in ways that most everyone cannot even begin comprehend with our Spirituality.

A lot of this is hard to find because it would definitely shake things up. Just like the study of Mars. Now they are saying that there has been and possibly still running water on Mars which would make it possible for life to exist or have existed at one time or another and given the Solar system is 4.5 billion years old, Mars may have had intelligent life at one time. Leak it a little at a time and acclimatize people.

Seriously though Lee. No one owns exclusive rights to Christ or His teachings. We can choose to study his life, follow his teachings, combine the mysticism of Christ along with belief of Christ. No Church or organization owns the patent on Christ's teaching and who he was and is. That is in your heart and if it happens to be that you find what you are looking for in a church then that is fine. If it is outside of a church, that is fine too. It is all about what is in your heart and Spirit.

So true. That's one of the reasons why I can't join the more orthodox branches; they claim ownership of absolute truth. I like my church because it is open to other denominations and beliefs, it suits me much better. When someone says that they have the right belief and sits on all the knowledge about life it's a sure sign that they don't. "It is all about what is in your heart and Spirit." =

[Deleted]

One word of advice? Well I won't wait for an answer but never let anyone tell you that they know all the answers. Hell hon, with all the research that I have done, I can't provide you with any answers that will satisfy your Spirit. Those you have to find on your own. I can tell you or lead you in certain directions but you have to either believe it or find it plausible for you and you alone. I am comfortable with what I found and it is right for me. It may not be right for anyone else. But you have to follow your own path for your own answers that you can live with.

Just remember hon that Spirituality is a personally experience. It is a personal quest that no one can help you with. You have to follow your own path. I followed mine and what I found gave me comfort in a way. You have to do the same. Mine is off the wall. Maybe even off padded walls , but it brings me comfort and lets me perceive God in my own way.

Just remember Lee. No one owns God and God does not own us. God loved us enough to create us as individuals and gave us a great gift. Freewill. Not to mention a part of God's ownselve as in God's own Image. Eve chose to eat from the Tree of Knowledge which went against God's rules but did it really? Maybe it was God's plan after all to put us through misery and tests as a means to a fast track. "They are one of Us now. They know the difference between Good and Evil." That is from Genesis and I can't or won't quote bible verses chapter by chapter and verse by verse. This is my whole deal. If you want to know if I am right or wrong then research it. To me this is the separation of human beings separating from innocent animals. If God is the Know all and Be All then God knew Eve would eat form the Tree of Knowledge and then tempt Adam to eat. But then again, Freewill. It is a paradox for sure. Was Eve eating from the Tree of Knowledge and then tempting Adam part of God's plan?

Kind of an interesting question and one that I have went over again and again and again.

[Trinity]

Some point soon i'll share what He showed me, in depth. The experience part of it has been life changing for me, many times.

Not a book thing. A special and powerful experiential thing.

More later, at length, on a different thread.

Trinity

[L]

Jamie, very interesting. I can't like your post as a guest, but here's a  in the meantime. 
Yes, let's continue this talk! I hope my new user gets approved soon.