Fireproof - Official Trailer (2008)
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
University 'turned down politically incorrect transgender research'
James Caspian says Bath Spa University approved but then rejected his proposed research into gender reassignment reversal
A student. James Caspian had begun to conduct research into ‘detransitioning’ before an ethics committee rejected it. Photograph: Alamy
A student. James Caspian had begun to conduct research into ‘detransitioning’ before an ethics committee rejected it. Photograph: Alamy
Sally Weale Education correspondent Monday 25 September 2017
Bath Spa University is conducting an internal inquiry into claims that it turned down an application for research on gender reassignment reversal because it was “potentially politically incorrect” and would attract criticism on social media.
James Caspian, a psychotherapist who specialises in working with transgender people, proposed the research about “detransitioning” to the university in south-west England, which, he said, initially approved the application.
When he went back with his preliminary findings that suggested growing numbers of young people, particularly women, were regretting gender reassignment, Bath Spa said his proposal would have to be resubmitted to the ethics committee, which rejected it.
Caspian, who enrolled on an MA course at the university, said he was “astonished” by the decision and had sought legal advice.
“The fundamental reason given was that it might cause criticism of the research on social media, and criticism of the research would be criticism of the university. They also added it’s better not to offend people,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday.
“A university exists to encourage discussion, research, dissent even, challenging ideas that are out of date or not particularly useful.”
According to Caspian, the university said: “Engaging in a potentially politically incorrect piece of research carries a risk to the university. Attacks on social media may not be confined to the researcher, but may involve the university.
“The posting of unpleasant material on blogs or social media may be detrimental to the reputation of the university.”
A spokeswoman for Bath Spa said the university could not comment because of a continuing investigation into the matter, which was first reported in the Times.
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The US transgender activist Riki Wilchins told Today there had been a strong political undercurrent in previous studies, which had been used to restrict transgender people’s access to surgery.
“So when I see one more study that aims to show transgender people really don’t need this or want this, or they are just deluded or suffering from some other kind of psychopathology, I look at it a little bit warily … The problem is not the study itself, it’s the uses to which that study is put,” she said.
Wilchins said a “very small fraction” of people decide to detransition. “I’m not trying to say it’s not a fraught experience for them, or that it should not be studied. But it’s not the first place I would put my money if I wanted to study the problems afflicting transgender people,” she said.
Caspian said he understood concerns in the transgender community. “I’ve worked for many years with people who have transitioned their gender and I think that when people feel marginalised and vulnerable to criticism, they are very sensitive to anything they may perceive as that, and feel afraid,” he said.
“The idea we might use the information from the research that I was going to do in a way that would not help people is completely wrong. The research is necessary to really help people.”
Caspian is a trustee of the Beaumont Trust, a charity that provides education about and support to transgender, transsexual and cross-dressing people. He said he was first alerted to the issue of gender reassignment reversal in 2014, when a Belgrade doctor told him he had been asked to carry out an unprecedented seven reversals that year.
“I found it very difficult to get people willing to talk openly about the experience of reversing surgery. They said they felt too traumatised to talk about it, which made me think we really need to do the research even more,” he said.
The Guardian UK You might like to look at the following link: https://tranzformed.org/
The Guardian UK You might like to look at the following link: https://tranzformed.org/
Friday, October 20, 2017
Why Jesus?
The following link http://y-jesus.com/ has some good articles on the question of faith especially around the life of Jesus. Has the Da Vinci Code or the supposed Tomb of Jesus' Family made you wonder if Jesus really is what He claimed to be? What about the Gnostic Gospels and the Gospel of Mary Magdelene? Are these accurate? If you have questions like these, please take time to investigate the y-Jesus site. You'll find material that will help answer your questions or those of your friends and loved one. Jesus said, "Ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."[1] "Seek and ye shall find."[2] "If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."[3] Happy reading. Dennis
[1] Jeremish 29:13
[2] Matthew 7:7
[3] John 8:31-32
[1] Jeremish 29:13
[2] Matthew 7:7
[3] John 8:31-32
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Keeping the Faith
Question: My family and most of the other people I’m around every day aren’t interested in spiritual matters. How can I “keep the faith” in what seems to be an increasingly skeptical world?
Answer: Faith is at the core of our spiritual lives, so it’s worth fighting for. Here are a few tips that can help yours not only survive, but thrive:
Feed on the Word of God. Faith is built by faithful study of God’s Word. As you read and absorb it daily, as you think about its truths and how they apply to you, your faith will grow. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”1 Jesus promises, “If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”2
Pray and meditate. God wants to have a personal relationship with you through His Son, Jesus. “There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”3 Communing in spirit with Jesus—sharing your heart with Him and receiving His love, encouragement, and answers in return—will strengthen your connection and deepen your relationship.
Live your faith. “Faith without works is dead,”4 but conversely, putting faith into action brings it to life. As you apply God’s Word to daily living, its principles and promises will ring true time after time, and your faith in it and its Author will grow.
Look for the good. Nothing can put a damper on faith like adverse circumstances, but the Bible promises, “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”5 Learn to find and focus on that good, and your faith will be buoyant enough to survive anything.
Draw from the experience of others. Reading accounts of what God has done for others will increase your faith. What God has done for them, He can do for you!
Thank God for the good. Praising God for His goodness propels us into His presence. “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”6 The more you thank God for His goodness, the more you’ll find to be thankful for and the more He will bless you. It’s an upward spiral that makes God and the spiritual realm more real to you; it strengthens your faith.
1. Romans 10:17
2. John 8:31–32
3. 1 Timothy 2:5
4. James 2:26
5. Romans 8:28
6. Psalm 100:4
Is Truth Relative?
It is a central heresy of our culture to say that all truth is relative; that one thing may be true for me and quite another may be true for you. This absurdity destroys the very notion of truth … and is the result of muddled thinking. No one can seriously believe that a belief which contradicts his or her own is just as true. The expression “It is true for me” is self-confuting. Either a thing is true or it is not. … Can we imagine saying, “Well, the earth is round to me; but it may be flat to you”? The earth is either round or flat; it cannot be both; and what you or I think about it is irrelevant. You may claim that religion and ethics is not a matter of truth at all. Very well, do not use the word “true”; but if you use it, do not render it unintelligible by adding that empty phrase, “for me.”—Keith Ward
