{"id":90,"date":"2025-07-19T18:08:42","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T18:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/?p=90"},"modified":"2025-07-19T18:08:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T18:08:42","slug":"the-golden-calf-of-identity-when-policy-erases-compassion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/2025\/07\/19\/the-golden-calf-of-identity-when-policy-erases-compassion\/","title":{"rendered":"The Golden Calf of Identity: When Policy Erases Compassion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p>On <strong>January 20, 2025<\/strong>, the administration issued <strong>Executive Order 14168: <em>\u201cDefending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism &amp; Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> This sweeping action:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Declares \u201csex\u201d strictly biological and immutable as assigned \u201cat conception.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Removes federal recognition of transgender identities, banning gender self-identification on federal documents, including passports. This results in people no longer allowed to <strong>self-identify their gender<\/strong> on passports and federal records.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gender-affirming health care<\/strong> is no longer supported by federal funding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stops funding for gender-affirming care and restricts transgender access to single-sex federal facilities. <cite class=\"golden\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2025\/01\/30\/2025-02090\/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2025\/01\/30\/2025-02090\/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal\">FederalRegistrar.gov<\/a><\/cite><cite class=\"golden\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Executive_Order_14168\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Executive_Order_14168\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/cite><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Transgender people are now restricted from accessing <strong>public services and spaces<\/strong> that align with their identity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just over a week later, <strong>EO 14187 (Jan 28, 2025)<\/strong> prohibited federal funding for gender-affirming treatments for those under 19, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy\u2014a policy backed by the Department of Defense and HHS. <cite class=\"golden\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Executive_Order_14187\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/cite><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For many, this was heralded as a return to \u201ctraditional values.\u201d But I ask you, fellow believers: <strong>whose values are we defending?<\/strong> Because they are not Christ\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Gospel Doesn\u2019t Look Like This<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.&#8221;<\/em> \u2014 <strong>Matthew 25:40<\/strong><br><em>&#8220;Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.&#8221;<\/em> \u2014 <strong>Mark 12:31<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>How can we love our neighbor while denying them dignity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How can we defend Christian values by causing suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet these policies erase identities, remove medical care, and strip dignity from some of our most vulnerable\u2014acts that tangibly harm our neighbors and contradict the heart of Christ\u2019s command to <strong>love, serve, and protect<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jesus Didn&#8217;t Demand Conformity\u2014He Offered Grace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s not forget:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jesus dined with the <em>unclean<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He welcomed <em>eunuchs<\/em> (those who, in ancient times, were outside of clear-cut societal norms) into the Kingdom of Heaven (see <strong>Isaiah 56:4\u20135<\/strong>, <strong>Matthew 19:12<\/strong>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He healed <em>those whom society cast aside<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He <strong>never once required conformity<\/strong> to cultural norms before offering love.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When we legislate identity and health, we risk replicating the ancient golden calf\u2014an idol of control that quotes Scripture but betrays its spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Legal Battles Underscore the Moral Fight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Courts swiftly struck back:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A federal judge issued a preliminary <strong>injunction<\/strong> blocking defunding LGBTQ+ nonprofits, reinstating <strong>$6.2\u202fmillion<\/strong> in grants suspended under EO 14168. <cite class=\"golden\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.them.us\/story\/lgbtq-americans-medicaid-cuts-coverage-challenges\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.them.us\/story\/lgbtq-americans-medicaid-cuts-coverage-challenges\" target=\"_blank\">Them<\/a><\/cite><cite class=\"golden\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.them.us\/trump-restore-funding-lgbtq-hiv-nonprofits\" target=\"_blank\">Them<\/a><\/cite><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Another order blocked the defunding of gender-affirming care providers while litigation proceeds. <cite class=\"golden\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthlawadvisor.com\/latest-moves-by-federal-agencies-regarding-gender-affirming-care-risks-mount-for-providers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Health Law Advisor<\/a><\/cite><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These decisions reflect the biblical call to seek <strong>justice for the oppressed<\/strong> (Isaiah\u202f1:17).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Worshipping the Golden Calf of Power<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The ancient Israelites crafted the golden calf because they wanted a god they could <strong>see, touch, and control<\/strong>. They wanted <strong>certainty<\/strong> and <strong>dominance<\/strong>, not the mysterious and sometimes uncomfortable presence of the true God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re doing the same when we sacrifice love at the altar of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we cheer for laws that wound the vulnerable in Christ\u2019s name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we support leaders who defy every fruit of the Spirit.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Galatians 5:22\u201323<\/strong> reminds us what true Christian character looks like:<br><em>\u201cLove, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are these the values reflected in this law?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or in the man who signed it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Call to Return<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn\u2019t politics\u2014it\u2019s a crossroads of faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is about <strong>repentance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you supported these measures, that cause pain, erase dignity, and strip the vulnerable of care-I urge you to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pause<\/strong> before praising even well-intentioned laws.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Examine<\/strong> if your values reflect Jesus\u2014not fear.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Repent<\/strong> if you&#8217;ve replaced mercy with judgment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pray and advocate<\/strong> for laws that protect the vulnerable.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Ask yourself: <em>Am I following Christ? Or am I following the golden calf of Mar-a-Lago?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are called to be better than this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are called to be like Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[4,8,6,5],"class_list":["post-90","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wwjd","tag-compassion","tag-faith-politics","tag-justice","tag-transgender-rights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104,"href":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90\/revisions\/104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antichrist-superstar.com\/root\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}