Quote of the day:

 "Be strong, vigilant, armed and ready day and night, so that evil may not find an entrance."

_{- St. Frances de Sales}

Today’s Headlines

Gender-Related Surgeries on Minors

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) examines "gender-affirming" surgeries, including those for minors (2016-2019). 48,019 patients had Gender-Affirming Surgeries (GAS): Common surgeries included breast/chest procedures (56.6%), genital reconstruction (35.1%), and facial/cosmetic alterations (13.9%). GAS procedures rose from 4,552 (2016) to a peak at 13,011 (2019), then slightly dropped to 12,818 (2020), possibly due to pandemic protocols.

The study shows 7.7% of patients were 12 to 18 years old; 11% of this group had genital surgeries. Some urge caution for transgender surgeries in minors, noting potential life-altering consequences. The authors of this particular study stress the need for more proficient transgender care clinicians, facing challenges of law, ethics, and limited access in some states.

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The Remnant's Response:

Plain and simple, what our society calls “gender-affirming surgeries” is an embarrassment to our time. It is a form of child abuse, facilitates and encourages irreversible self-harm, enables mental illness, and is wrong. The fact that every adult, especially those within the medical community, is not universally speaking out against the horrors of these procedures illustrates the insanity of our day. Professing to be wise, we have become fools (Romans 1:22) that are mutilating our children. Everyone who is supportive of these procedures is guilty of gross misconduct, and doctors involved should be charged with malpractice. JAMA findings starkly contradict the assertions made by politicians and pundits that surgeries on minors do not occur. Despite the strong cultural narrative telling the church to avoid political engagement, we should feel a sense of urgency about our duty to safeguard minors through laws that prevent them from making irreversible decisions, shielding them from exploitation, and their own inexperience (Prov 24:11-12, Proverbs 31:8-9, Matthew 18:6-7).

Clarity is kindness (2 Timothy 2:22-24), and thus, it is not kind to be unclear on this issue. The medical community, bound by the oath to “do no harm,” should uphold this principle rather than enable confusion with their support. Parents who condone or push for such procedures and doctors who perform them are deceived at best and, at worst, evil. Whether their motive is money or the fear of man, they are without excuse.

It is impossible to overstate the tragedy of our silence on this issue. We must speak up now, often and always, when we see such madness in our land. If we are concerned that the world will reject us, we have not yet learned who to fear. (Jeremiah 1:17, Matthew 10:28)

May the Lord be gracious to those struggling with gender dysphoria by raising up His people to hold to Truth and clarity on this issue and others like it. (Leviticus 5:1)

Silence is agreement. Silence is betrayal. Silence in the face of sin is sin. (Gal 1:10).

Shooting at UNC

Yet another shooting occurred on a school campus on Monday at the University of North Carolina. A graduate student, a citizen from China in the US on a visa, has been arrested and held without bail after the fatal shooting of his faculty advisor. There is no known motive at this time, and the weapon used has not been recovered. The victim, Zijie Yan, was an associate professor for the Department of Applied Physical Sciences and the father of two young children. According to CNN, this is the 49th school shooting in the US alone this year, 34 on K-12 campuses and 15 on university or college campuses.

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The Remnant's Response:

Please reread our thoughts on sin, America, and guns from Wednesday's Remnant News.

Today, we will add the following to our discussion: The remnant cannot be intimidated to give away our God-given freedoms (1 Corinthians 16:13). Ben Franklin was wise to say, "Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." We are to pray for leaders so we can lead a tranquil life (1 Timothy 2:2) free from tyranny and turmoil (Acts 5:29). We should remember the words of Joseph Story, a Supreme Court justice in the early days of our nation who, understanding the sinfulness of man, reminded us of the need for the second amendment when he said, "the friends of a free government cannot be too watchful, to overcome the dangerous tendency of the public mind to sacrifice, for the sake of mere private convenience, this powerful check upon the designs of ambitions men." Indeed, "the price of liberty is eternal vigilance" against every evil and ambition of man. We must, therefore, continue to advocate for man to understand that sinful humanity will use every freedom it is given to enslave itself and bring sadness to earth until it learns the happiness of surrendering to Christ (Romans 6:13-14) and the joy found only in the "ancient paths, where the good way is" (Jeremiah 6:16).

We must continually remind others that laws will not restrain the godless, and good men don't need laws to restrain them (1 Timothy 1:9). To be clear, we should advocate for just laws, but we have to remember that the wicked are not motivated by justice (Proverbs 1:16). When lawless men don't have guns, they will use swords; when they don't have swords, they will use clubs; where they don't have clubs, they will strangle with hands. Sin is always looking for tyrants (Genesis 4:7), and tyrants are always looking for tools with which they can do evil (Proverbs 10:23). The solution is not to take freedoms away from good men but to deal severely with those who refuse to be good men (1 Peter 2:14). Until Christ returns, peace will not come by laying down weapons but only by picking up our cross, denying ourselves and following our good King. Removing the right to bear arms from good men will only give evil men more ability to further their ambitions.

In a world lacking the effects of sin, we could entrust our government with the responsibility of protection and preservation. However, when the government becomes the perpetrator of harm, people who entrusted that responsibility to the government alone find themselves in trouble.

Let us grieve with the victims of all evil, and yet let us never be so grieved that we allow the simple-minded to make it easier for evil to victimize us.

Sperm Donor with 96 Children

The Wall Street Journal released a story this week about Dylan Stone-Miller, a sperm donor with 96 known children (the story is behind a paywall). He began donating his sperm in college to get cash after having to foot his own legal bill when he was arrested for underage drinking at 19. In 2020, Stone-Miller received an unlikely Instagram message from one of the benefactors of his donation, who had tracked him down using the internet and context clues, thanking him for his contribution to their family. That initial contact led to Stone-Miller’s discovery of and addition to a Facebook group of parents who had connected via his sperm bank ID. Many of the parents expressed interest in their children having the opportunity to meet their biological father, a majority being female couples or single women. This summer, Stone-Miller embarked on a 9,000-mile road trip to visit or meet several of his children. At 32 years old, Dylan Stone-Miller has no way of knowing how many children he has fathered so far.

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The Remnant’s Response:

Whatever God had in mind when he commanded us to 'be fruitful and multiply,' we can be sure this is not it (Genesis 1:28).

We are living in a day when "there is no King," and everyone is "doing what is right in their eyes" (Judges 21:25). This line first appears in our Bible after one of the most horrific events in Israel's history, and it appears that every day we find ourselves dealing with news stories that are as sad and perverse as the ones we read in the book of Judges. What are we to do?

Psalm 37 has our answer. Read the first 12 verses of this Psalm prayerfully and carefully. Purpose to do good. Commit your way to the Lord. Warn the wicked. Do not fret; it leads only to evil-doing. Dwell in the land and remain faithful.

Other news you should know

🌊 Hurricane Idalia expected to Hit Florida today.

🌘 Rare blue supermoon coming this Wednesday night.

🩸 House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La) is being treated for cancer after being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma.

🏈 Sorry to all the hopeful fantasy football owners of Jonathan Taylor.

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