Vatican Declares Gender Theory, Transgender Surgeries and Surrogacy Violations of Human Dignity
Vatican Declares Gender Theory, Transgender Surgeries and Surrogacy Violations of Human Dignity
The Wired Word for the Week of April 21, 2024
In the News
In an April 8 document put forth from the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican declared that gender theory, transgender surgeries and surrogacy are threats to human dignity. Titled "Infinite Dignity," the declaration compared those practices on par with euthanasia and abortion as violations of God's plan for human life.
In talking about gender theory, the document first affirms that "every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration, while 'every sign of unjust discrimination' is to be carefully avoided, particularly any form of aggression and violence."
Question 1: What does it mean that someone has “dignity” with respect to their sexual orientation? . Is human dignity a God-given quality? If so, what do you understand that to mean? If not, how is human dignity attained? What might the Catholic Church mean by calling human dignity "infinite"?
Defining gender theory often seems circular because the explanation requires you to know the meaning of gender (which is sometimes defined as "an internal persona, the sense of being a man or a woman"), but Encyclopedia.com defines the theory as "looking at masculinity and femininity as sets of mutually created characteristics shaping the lives of men and women. It replaced or challenged ideas of masculinity and femininity and of men and women as operating in history according to fixed biological determinants." Bing's AI app says, "Gender theory proposes that the ideas we have about gender are shaped through the cultures in which we live. This theory has played a major role in our understanding of how gender expectations are socially and culturally constructed."
However we understand gender theory, the Vatican document labels it as "dangerous since it cancels differences in its claim to make everyone equal."
Question 2: In what sense can different people be equal? How can people be different but also equal at the same time?
Further, the document said, "the Church recalls that human life in all its dimensions, both physical and spiritual, is a gift from God. This gift is to be accepted with gratitude … Desiring a personal self-determination, as gender theory prescribes, apart from this fundamental truth that human life is a gift, amounts to a concession to the age-old temptation to make oneself God."
The document also declared that gender theory is an attempt to introduce new rights that are not among those given by God.
Question 3: What are some of the rights we have that are given to us by God?
Regarding transgender surgeries, the declaration said, "any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception." The document did go on to say that it is acceptable for "a person with genital abnormalities that are already evident at birth or that develop later" to "receive the assistance of healthcare professionals to resolve these abnormalities. However, in this case, such a medical procedure would not constitute a sex change in the sense intended here."
Question 4: Do you think it is necessary to better define “genital abnormalities?”
The Vatican takes its stand against surrogacy, "through which the immensely worthy child becomes a mere object," by citing Pope Francis' words: "The path to peace calls for respect for life, for every human life, starting with the life of the unborn child in the mother's womb, which cannot be suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking."
Question 5: What Bible verse talks about respect for EVERY human life? How would you define “respect?”
Also, said the document, surrogacy violates the child's "unalienable dignity," in that every child "has the right to have a fully human (and not artificially induced) origin and to receive the gift of a life that manifests both the dignity of the giver and that of the receiver."
Question 6: Does everyone have a right to a “fully human” origin?
Surrogacy also "violates the dignity of the woman," the Vatican said, "whether she is coerced into it or chooses to subject herself to it freely. For, in this practice, the woman is detached from the child growing in her and becomes a mere means subservient to the arbitrary gain or desire of others."
Question 7: Here is the word “dignity” again. Is a mother that has artificially induced any less dignified than a mother having a natural childbirth?
For their part, Catholics who consider themselves transgender say the Vatican statement is tone- deaf to the reality of their lives. Although the document restates long-standing Catholic teaching, it still came as a disappointment because recent actions by Pope Francis had encouraged some trans Catholics to hope the church might become more accepting.
The pope has welcomed some transgender women to his weekly general audiences and also said that under certain circumstances, trans people can be baptized as Catholics and serve as godparents.
Maxwell Kuzma, 32, a lifelong Catholic and transgender man living in Ohio, said, "A document like this is very hurtful to the larger LGBTQ+ community but especially to the trans community." He views the declaration as failing to show the "respect, love and support" that Pope Francis has personally extended to the trans community."
Noting the declaration's claim that attempting to change one's sex is trying to "make oneself God," Michael Sennett, a transgender man involved with an LGBTQ+ ministry at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, said, "Trans people who take hormones or have surgeries are not playing God; we are respecting and accepting our authentic selves."
Question 8: Do you think that someone trying to change their sex is “playing God”, as the Vatican document states?
Surveying more broadly across the U.S. population, a 2022 poll by the Pew Research Center found that a majority favor laws that would protect transgender individuals from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces, but at the same time, 60% say a person's gender is determined by their sex assigned at birth, which is up from 56% in 2021 and 54% in 2017.
And perhaps surprisingly, even the LGBTQ community is not of one mind about transgender matters. This blog, published in and to the LGBTQ community, stated "trans women and men are often neglected by those who set political priorities of our community, if not treated with outright hostility and prejudice." However, the fact that the blog post is from 2018 and was the most recent statement we could find about transphobia in the U.S. LGBTQ community suggests that those attitudes are changing within that group.
More on this story can be found at these links:
Vatican Declares Transgender Surgeries, Surrogacy, Gender Theory Threats to Human Dignity. National Review
Transgender Catholics Say New Vatican Document Shows No Understanding of Their Lives. AP News
Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith 'Dignitas Infinita' on Human Dignity. Holy See Press Office
Applying the News Story
We are presenting this news without pushing a position on the topics as an opportunity for discussion of gender theory, transgender surgeries and surrogacy. Since there are no Bible verses directly related to any of these three subjects, we will look for some that seem applicable to the general thinking and attitudes about these topics.
Question 9: Has your view about any of the three topics changed? If so, what has caused that change? If not, what has caused your view to remain unchanged?
- Genesis 1:27 (see text below) says God made human beings "male and female." So if a person is born with genital abnormalities that make it unclear which sex they are, what should we assume about their personhood and human dignity? The Vatican declaration says such persons may "receive the assistance of healthcare professionals to resolve these abnormalities," but in the case of infants who cannot speak for themselves, how might healthcare professionals know which sex to resolve the abnormalities toward?
Question 10: If a person is born with the "hardware" (genitals) of one sex but seems to have received the "software" (brain chemistry, sense of identity and personhood) of the opposite sex, how do they fit into God's scheme of things?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Genesis 1:27
So God created humans in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
(For context, read Genesis 1:26-31.)
This verse from the creation story summarizes God's creative act in making human beings.
And he made them -- us -- "in the image of God." Some theological interpretations of that phrase suggest:
- that the "image of God" means a certain quality or characteristic granted to humans -- in short, the soul.
- Others argue that it means a role or task assigned to humanity.
- But still others see it as a definition of humankind that refers to the sanctity and inherent worth of every human being as a whole person. In other words, the value of the person is not just because of his or her soul, but because God has stamped his image in some way on the person's entire being.
Question 11: What does “formed in the image of God” mean to you? Which of the suggested interpretations of "the image of God" makes the most sense to you? Why?
Whatever the interpretation of the phrase, note that the passage containing this description of the creation of humanity ends with these words: "God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good."
Question 12: Can God create anything but good?
In the comments below the National Review article about the Vatican document, one commenter said, "Problem starts right with the title. Man does not have 'infinite dignity'; he has 'inherent dignity' by virtue of being created in the image of God. Only God has infinite dignity." Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Psalm 139:13-14
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
(For context, read Psalm 139:13-18.)
The imagery in verses 13-18 provides a picture of God the Giver of Life, forming and shaping the psalmist while in utero, leading the psalmist to exclaim, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (By "fearfully" the psalmist means that the contemplation of God's life-giving act has filled the psalmist with awe.) This verse presents the biblical view that human life is not merely the result of biology, but the result of God's intentional will and work. By inference then, human life is of great worth to God.
Questions: If God is the one doing the formation of the individual in the womb, is God's participation in any way lessened if the uterus is a "borrowed" one (as in surrogacy) or if the conception itself occurred in a test tube?
How is the worth God has assigned you expressed in your everyday life?
For Further Discussion
- In discussing issues related to gender theory and transgender surgeries, it is helpful to understand how the words involved are often medically and sociologically defined. The following explanations come from a version of the book Walking the Bridgeless Canyon: Repairing the Breach Between the Church and the LGBT Communityby Kathy Baldock, and are used here with permission:
"'Sex,'in the framework of this book, is not a shortened version of the term 'sexual intercourse'; it refers to the body and to biology. A person's sex is determined by the reproductive system, external genitalia, chromosomes, and hormones."
"Gender is more complicated than sex. You cannot know the gender of a person by examining the genitals, chromosomes, or reproductive system, because gender is an inborn knowledge that develops by the time a child is six years old. Gender refers to socially constructed roles, along with behaviors and activities, most often associated with biological sex. Gender refers to an internal persona, the sense of being a man or a woman. ... Sex and gender are two separate characteristics of a person; because this fact is widely misunderstood, this cannot be overstated, or repeated enounk most people dogh. The words sex and gender are not interchangeable and are commonly misused."
Question 13: Do you understand the difference between “sex” and “gender?” Do you think most people do? Is that a problem?
"Intersex: Infants born outside the XX and XY sex norms have existed throughout history. While these individuals were once called 'hermaphrodites' and 'pseudohermaphrodites,' those terms are not accurate, and are no longer acceptable. The correct term for this condition is 'intersex.' Shrouded in relative secrecy, this topic has only been publicly discussed or more widely acknowledged within the last [20] years. … Intersex people are not unintended by nature, or unknown by God. ... Every person can claim Psalm 139:14, 'I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.' It is vexing to hear Christians claim this verse for their own lives and not be willing to extend the omniscience of God to others who are different."
Question 14: Have you ever known an “intersex” person? Did you think of them differently?
"Transgender people are not the same as intersex. In the case of transgender people, the sex clearly indicated by the single sex alignment of genitalia, the reproductive system and the chromosomes does not match the internal sense of gender. … 'Transgender' is a larger umbrella term for many groups that express a gender contrary to their biological sex. ... " Transgender, and 'trans' for our purposes, refer to those who experience a fulltime desire to change their outward appearance to achieve greater congruence with the gender they feel that they are. Often, this will include the use of hormones and perhaps surgery."
Question 15. How does the belief in human dignity and worth help in cases where lives must be considered on both sides of the equation? In other words, when taking one life might prevent the loss of another life? What examples of life against life can you think of?
NOTE: A good question (above), although for me, I am not sure it is “either/or” (loss of life)
Prayer
O God, help us who are fearfully and wonderfully made not only to value the lives you have given us, but also to value the lives you have given others, even when we don't understand or don't approve of their situation. And when the latter is the case, don't let our disapproval be based on ignorance of facts. In our relationships with others, enable us to lead with kindness and a willingness to "walk a mile in their shoes." In Jesus’ name. Amen.
From April 16 2024
Richard Dawkins, Famed Apologist for Atheism, Considers Himself ‘A Cultural Christian’
April 1, 2024
Dr. Richard Dawkins, a British biologist who is famous for his leadership in the New Atheism movement, said in an interview on Easter Sunday (March 31) that he considers himself “a cultural Christian.”
Perhaps Dawkins’ most famous book is “The God Delusion,” which was published in 2006. In it, Dawkins argues that belief in a personal God is not merely untenable but actually delusional.
Nevertheless, Dawkins seemed to defend Christianity’s cultural impact in Britain during an interview with talk radio station Leading Britain’s Conversation. When asked what his “Easter message” for the nation would be, Dawkins said, “Well, I was quite horrified that Ramadan was being promoted instead.”
“I do think that we are culturally a Christian country, and I call myself a cultural Christian,” Dawkins added. “I’m not a believer, but there’s a distinction between being a believing Christian and being a cultural Christian.”
Question: Do you think this is true? What do you think is the difference?
“I sort of feel at home in the Christian ethos,” Dawkins said, citing his affinity for Christian hymns and Christmas carols. “I feel that we are a Christian country in that sense.”
At the same time, Dawkins pointed out that “the number of people who actually believe in Christianity is going down” and that he’s “happy with that.”
“But I would not be happy if, for example, we lost all our cathedrals and our beautiful parish churches,” Dawkins said. “So I count myself a cultural Christian…If we substituted any alternative religion, that would be truly dreadful.”
Dawkins went on to express concern about the number of mosques that are being constructed in Europe, saying, “If I had to choose between Christianity and Islam, I’d choose Christianity every single time. I mean, it seems to me to be a fundamentally decent religion in a way that I think Islam is not.”
Question 1: If Richard Dawkins is thinking about what a decent religion is, or is not, it seems to me that he is going way beyond looking at religion as just “cultural”. It seems to me that he is making judgements as to what “good works” a religion promotes (or doesn’t promote) and why those “good works” are done (i.e. response to assurance of salvation, grace, faith, etc.)
Is Richard Dawkins a Christian?
2 April 2024, 1:09pm
When the New Atheism thing was new, I (not Richard Dawkins) wrote a piece saying that the people who supported it were pretentious and cowardly. They pretended to know what religion is, and said that it caused great harm. I said this was ‘intellectual cowardice’. The intellectual coward is one who chooses simplicity over complexity and difficulty.
Question 2: Some (like this author) say that Richard Dawkins is choosing simplicity over complexity and difficulty by just concentrating on the cultural aspects of Christianity and not the underlying beliefs. What do you think?
One aspect of their cowardice is related to Islam. Their popularity was a result of 9/11, and the widespread fear of religious extremism that ensued, but they didn’t dare focus on Islamic extremism; they wanted to say that religion in general was to blame, that mild-mannered liberal Christians were implicated in violence.
Now Richard Dawkins is trying to sound more nuanced about Christianity. A recent radio interview with LBC is the latest example. But until full repentance occurs, I will continue to associate the man with intellectual cowardice.
Dawkins now says that he is not, of course, a believing Christian, but a cultural one. He’s glad that the old faith is still around. ‘I sort of feel at home in the Christian ethos.’ He notes that Christian belief is declining in Britain, ‘and I’m happy with that. But I would not be happy if we lost all our cathedrals and our beautiful parish churches. So I count myself a cultural Christian.’ Unlike Islam, Dawkins says, Christianity is ‘a fundamentally decent religion.’
‘I don’t despise religious people, I despise what they stand for,’ Dawkins said at the ‘Reason Rally’ in 2012. ‘Mock them! Ridicule them! In public! Does Dawkins still despise what religious people stand for? I wonder what it feels like to realize you’ve been peddling muddle for decades, and that you don’t know what you think. Dawkins ought to say: ‘Sorry, I was intensely conceited to have held forth on this subject, which I now realize is rather complex. I promise to stick to biology from now on.’
Question 3: Why do you think some people feel that Christians should be mocked? For that matter, why do some people feel that anyone who doesn’t believe what they believe should be mocked? How do we deal with people who mock us? How do you feel about mocking people behind their back?
The distinction between a believing Christian and a cultural Christian is dubious, because religion is culture. Belief is not, or not just, an invisible thing in one’s head – it takes the form of culture.
A lot of people are not sure if they believe, or are not sure how to articulate their half-belief, but sometimes take part in Christian worship – even if it’s just singing the occasional carol, as Dawkins himself enjoys doing. Dawkins wants to categorize such people as merely cultural Christians, like him, not believing ones. But there is no clear distinction.
In Dawkins’ view, it is harmless and even healthy to participate in Christian culture a little bit, for there is a ‘beauty’ and ‘decency’ to it, but it is deeply mistaken to cross the line into ‘belief’. But there wouldn’t be any Christian culture if there weren’t plenty of committed believers, and there is no clear line between mild participation and tentative belief. In practice, someone who values Christian culture, and sometimes dips a toe in, and is more nuanced and honest than Dawkins, often admits to believing a bit too. I’m sorry if it confuses the sciencey mind, but religious belief just isn’t black and white.
Question 4: Do you think that religious belief (belief in a loving God, salvation from the sinful nature of man, faith and grace) is black and white, or a lot of shades of gray?
Question 5: Do you ever have times when you are not sure if you believe or not? That your church participation may just be for the “cultural” aspect of church?
NOTE: back in May of 2014, Richard Dawkins described himself as a “secular Christian”. Before that, he described himself as a “cultural Anglican”. It seems to me that he spends a lot of time trying to defend his “anti-Christianity” instead of exploring what real Christian belief really is, and accepting that "magnetic pull that kicks in if humans stray off the path they were destined to take.”
From April 2 2024
BASIC AGENDA
Social Time … 10 mins
Introduction … 5 mins
Discussion: Reaching the Unchurched … 10 mins
Discussion: Getting the Message Out …. 10 mins
Discussion: Who Are You Going to Offend … 10 mins
Discussion: The Power of Christ ….10 mins
Leading With a Limp ..... 10 mins
What Did We Learn … 5 mins
Announcements …. 5 mins
Prayer Requests ….. 10 mins
Closing Prayer …. 5 mins
Steven Furtick's Elevation Church sent Easter seeker-friendly invites that omit 'resurrection,' 'Calvary'
INTRODUCTION. (5 MINUTES)
Steven Furtick’s Elevation Church in North Carolina revealed the megachurch doesn’t use words like “resurrection,” “Calvary” or the “blood of Jesus” in their Easter invitations for fear of alienating potential non-Christian attendees.
Nicki Shearer, Elevation Church’s digital content director, recently spoke with Pro Church Tools and said the church, which has 20 locations, avoids using language that “immediately makes someone feel like an outsider.”
Question: Can you imagine how the Easter message of the risen Christ might make someone feel like an outsider?
Question: How many times was “resurrection” or similar words used in our Easter service this year?
REACHING THE UNCHURCHED (10 MINUTES)
“When I think about how I’m going to talk about Easter, I’m thinking about how I’m going to talk to people far from God, because that’s the thing that matters most to us,” Shearer said, adding the church wants to reach the “un-churched” and churched alike.
Bottom of Form
Shearer, who Pro Church Tools said is “responsible for what Elevation says and how they say it,” said Easter and Christmas are the only two events of the year that are “actually wrapped around a particular passage in the Bible.”
“I'm putting a lot of my focus, energy, time, resources toward what I would call the ‘cold audience,’ people far from God,” she reiterated. “I'm not going to say the word ‘Calvary,’ not going to say the word ‘resurrection,’ I'm not going to say the ‘blood of Jesus,' I'm not going to say any of these words that make someone feel like an outsider. This is really an important guide for how we develop language. Anyone can be a part of our church; it might not be for everyone, everyone might not like it, but anyone can come.”
Pro Church Tools attempted to clarify that while certain terms are absent from invitations, they are indeed emphasized during Elevation's services, particularly regarding the resurrection of Christ.
“[It] doesn’t matter how amazing your message might be if it’s not accessible to the people you’re trying to reach,” interviewer Brady Shearer of Pro Church Tools said.
Question: On the highest of the church’s holy days (Easter), should we be watering down the (what some would say) the most important message of our lives?
Question: Do you think it is the language used that keeps the unchurched away from church?
Question: The UMC has a different approach to reaching the unchurched. They call it “Dinner Church” - sharing the gospel over a meal in a very informal setting and utilizing empathetic listening skills. Which approach would you prefer – a watered down version or a discussion over a meal?
GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT (10 MINUTES)
On its website, Elevation made available an Easter message that can be copied and pasted to send to potential attendees.
"Hey, do you have plans for Easter Sunday?" The message reads. "I'm heading to Easter at Elevation. Would you like to join me? The music and the message are always incredible. It's honestly one of my favorite ways to celebrate the holiday. I'd love to have you as my guest this year!"
Nicki Shearer’s comments sparked controversy among some on social media, with critics accusing Elevation Church of diluting Christian messages for the sake of inclusivity.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO OFFEND (10 MINUTES)
“This is woke-ism,” Shane Idleman, pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Southern California, said. “'I don’t want to offend others.' Well, you just offended God. … I want to say, listen, you can market the Gospel; just say, ‘Come and see what Christ has done. … I'm not embarrassed of the Gospel, Calvary is a wonderful thing. He shed His blood on Calvary and has set me free and He has risen again.’”
“You might want to get up and go and find a place where you're not offended because the Gospel offends us,” he added. “It breaks us, it humbles us. I'm here because of God, not because of you. … When did the Church become for non-believers? We are to welcome them, reach them, love them and understand them. But at the end of the day, I'm here because of God, and I will not apologize, if that's a little too strong.”
Question: Do you think God is offended by this approach, as some have suggested?
THE POWER OF CHRIST (10 MINUTES))
“In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul declares that the foundation of Christianity is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ,” he told The Christian Post. “To try to reach people on Christmas and Easter without mentioning the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ is like trying to swim in an empty swimming pool. What’s the point?”
Shane Everett and Shane Barnard of the worship duo Shane and Shane told CP that the resurrection has a non-negotiable place in Christian doctrine and stressed that omitting such crucial elements risks presenting a form of Christianity devoid of its power.
Question: Are we creating a Christianity that is devoid of its power by trying to show that it is a religion/place where we won’t be offended?
LEADING WITH A LIMP (10 MINUTES)
“This seems like a very dangerous place to be,” Everett told CP.
Barnard added that while he’s heard some “great sermons” by Furtick, "you can’t leave the resurrection and even the ascension out of the Gospel."
"Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and the resurrection is proof that the check cleared. It’s a key event in history. I don't know how you could read that and, especially on Easter, not proclaim the resurrection for all who would believe," he said.
The Gospel, according to Shane and Shane, should be presented in its fullness, including the challenging aspects like the acknowledgment of sin, without dilution or omission for the sake of making it more palatable.
"Boasting in our weakness and leading with a limp," as they put it, is the key to creating an environment where seekers feel welcomed and understood, as exemplified by the Apostle Paul.
“The Gospel is an invitation for sinners; Christ Jesus came to die for sinners,” Everett said. “That's not to say that some aren't and some are. It's just that some see that they are and some see that they're not. The Gospel is an invitation for sinners, the lowly and weak. … If you're a sinner, and if you're in need of a Savior, it's the greatest news ever. There's nothing you need to do. You don’t need to pad that for a seeker, because a seeker is seeking the Gospel. They’re after a life of freedom, the forgiveness of sin, everlasting life and God.
You don’t have to overthink it. If you're on an island and you read this book, it's pretty clear what the hope of our salvation is. Be bold and share it. And trust that God's going to do the work. It's His perfect Word.”
Question: How do we boast in our weakness? Should we be boasting in our weakness?
-----
From March 26th, 2024
INTRODUCTION
Researchers Discover Switch in Brain That Turns Stress Into Paralyzing Fear
The Wired Word for the Week of March 24, 2025
In the News
Last week, neurobiologists Hui-quan Li, Nick Spitzer and their colleagues at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) published a report in the journal Science detailing their discovery of a switch in the brain that turns stress into fear. Their research could lead to significant advances in the treatment of patients with debilitating generalized fear responses to stress, such as is often experienced by those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and similar mental health conditions.
The emotion of fear is a deeply embedded survival mechanism that warns us of the need for vigilance, to avoid or prepare to fight possible threats. But if fear mushrooms to gigantic proportions when we are not in any real or present danger, it can be detrimental to our health and safety. People who have had life-threatening experiences or long-lasting severe stress may find intense fear showing up on their doorstep, even when they are not in any actual danger.
"Overgeneralization of fear to harmless situations is a core feature of anxiety disorders resulting from acute stress," the researchers wrote. "Traumatic events can lead to anxiety disorders often associated with generalized fear. When this occurs, context-associated fearful behavior generalizes to harmless situations, with adverse consequences on life quality and mental health."
In their study of the dorsal raphe area located in the brainstem in the brains of mice, the UCSD team discovered the neurotransmitters that control how the animals reacted to acute stress (in this case, a series of strong electric foot shocks). As explained in a Brain Tomorrow article,after the mice experienced intense stress, they began to freeze "in fear not just in the chamber where they'd been shocked, but in completely new environments that should have felt safe -- a clear sign of generalized fear."
By overriding the transmitter switch in the chemical signals in the neurons, researchers found that generalized fear responses to stress could be suppressed, reducing the level of fear the mice experienced.
The researchers then compared what was happening in the brains of the mice to the postmortem brains of humans who had suffered from PTSD, and found a similar neurotransmitter switch present there as well.
In their work with mice, the scientists discovered that they could suppress the production of generalized fear by injecting the dorsal raphe of the mice with an adeno-associated virus (AAV) prior to placing them in a situation of acute stress. They also learned that mice who received the antidepressant fluoxetine (commonly known as Prozac) right after a stressful event did not experience generalized fear.
Question: Do you think that we can use Biblical truth to fix a medical or physiological problem?
SITUATIONS PRODUCING FEAR
What are some situations which can produce fear? Here are a few possibilities:
- Relocating residence
- Being arrested or charged (falsely)
- Involved in a fight with a gun or knife
- Threats made against you
- Possibility of the stock market falling dramatically
- Fear of a potentially bad future for our (specific)
children (i.e. illness, lack of education, violent nature, etc)
- Fear of a bad future for children (large budget deficit,
political issues/decisions, foreign aggression /
manipulation)
- Diagnosis (personal) of a deadly condition (i.e. cancer)
- Worldwide virus / malady killing millions
- Fear of God’s wrath
Question: What are your 3 biggest fears … How are you dealing with them?
Question: Are there other situations you want to add to the list?
WHAT ABOUT ANXIETY AND WORRY
Question: Does anxiety, and worry count as “fears?”
1 Peter 5:7-11
“7 having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 [a]So resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your [b]brothers and sisters who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Question: Do these verses provide any help or comfort for you in times of stress and anxiety?
FEAR NOT
Some people have popularized the idea that the phrase, "Fear not!" or "Do not be afraid!" is repeated 365 times in the Bible, one time for each day of the year. But the number of times the phrase appears is actually much lower than that.
By missionary James Arendt's count, variations of the command appear 104 times in the Bible (still a healthy figure). Rebecca Davis, who describes herself as "a trauma-informed writer," agrees that the Bible doesn't contain a command to fear not for every day of the year. She points out, as have others, that there are some instances when the command not to fear doesn't mean what you might expect it to mean. You can check out the links in this paragraph if you want more information about that.
"I've thought a lot about the people who feel guilty for their fear, and how the weight of 'fear not' hangs over them when they continue having panic attacks or nameless anxieties.
I think looking closely at the 'fear not' Scriptures really can help relieve that guilt instead of simply increasing it," Davis writes. "Also, when you look closely at the 'fear not' Scriptures, you'll see that when our Lord speaks to people who are afraid, He doesn't treat their fear like a sin. He treats it more like an injury. 'Here, let me make this better,'" she adds.
The Bible makes no bones about the fact that the people of God do have adversaries. Peter describes the devil as our adversary who prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. That image would likely have stirred feelings of anxiety and fear in the hearts of his readers. But Peter doesn't just warn of the threat posed by the devil. He also gives wise counsel: Keep alert, resist the devil, hold fast to your faith. And he assures his readers that God cares for them, so they should cast all their anxiety on him, and that their trials will not last forever, because God "will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish" them (1 Peter 5:7-11).
Question: In a fearful situation (for you), do you find comfort in the words of the Bible “Fear Not?”
Question: How can remembering Jesus’ words to “Fear Not” help at the time of stress?
THE FEAR OF THE LORD
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
This is a different type of fear … fear of the Lord.
Question: What does that mean – the fear of the Lord?
Matthew 10:28-31
[Jesus says,] Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. (For context, read Matthew 10:28-34.)
In Proverbs 9:10, fear is actually urged and commended as the beginning of wisdom! But it is not fear itself, but fear of God. Jesus expands on this, noting that God is the ultimate judge and arbiter, and is the only One actually worthy of utter fear.
Question: In light of what Matthew says, how easy is it now to put aside our fears, except for the fear of the Lord?
