“In justifying the transformation that he has undergone, Jenner consistently says something along these lines: “Deep down, I always knew that I was a woman, but I felt trapped in the body of a man. Therefore, I have the right to change my body to bring it in line with my true identity.” Notice how the mind or the will—the inner self—is casually identified as the “real me” whereas the body is presented as an antagonist which can and should be manipulated by the authentic self. The soul and the body are in a master/slave relationship, the former legitimately dominating and re-making the latter. This schema is, to a tee, gnostic—and just as repugnant to Biblical religion as it was nineteen hundred years ago. For Biblical people, the body can never be construed as a prison for the soul, nor as an object for the soul’s manipulation. Moreover, the mind or will is not the “true self” standing over and against the body; rather, the body, with its distinctive form, intelligibility, and finality, is an essential constituent of the true self. Until we realize that the lionization of Caitlyn Jenner amounts to an embracing of Gnosticism, we haven’t grasped the nettle of the issue.”Read More
I know this is a religious blog, focusing mostly on the application of the new evangelization to parish life, but I am so enraged about the hideous sexual immodesty of the bureaucrats at the TSA and their new procedures. I believe that this government has gone way too far in its pursuit of perfect safety and security.
Actually, I don't believe the gov't cares one bit about our safety or security, but rather that these machines are just another part of the Military-Industrial-Gov't Complex. After all, the former head of the TSA who got the ball rolling on these machines in US airports is now the head of the company that makes them! (State-Corporatism)
So, when you go through security and they think your pants or skirt is too baggy, or if you set off the metal detector twice in a row, the TSA will either a.) subject a person to a x-ray scan that takes a nude photograph of them or, b.) you can opt-out of the porno-scan for an invasive groping.
As summer was just beginning, Pope Benedict XVI announced his intention to form a new Dicastery within the Roman Curia. This Council is called "The Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization" and its purpose is to confront those cultures that were rooted deeply in the Gospel, but which are now being overwhelmed by secularism and religious indifferentism.
Here's the earlier statement of the Pope from Zenit.org
There are regions in the world that ...the Gospel put down roots a long time ago, giving place to a true Christian tradition, but where in the last centuries -- with complex dynamics -- the process of secularization has produced a grave crisis of the sense of the Christian faith and of belonging to the Church.