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When And Why Gender?


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Two questions to see the various thoughts out there. I have my own but am interested in others' thoughts.

 

1) When did gender start? Did it exist before we were organized with a spirit body by our Heavenly Parents or is it something that came with getting a spirit body? If the latter did we get a choice (assuming we had the capacity to intelligently choose) or was some other criteria used?

 

2) Why gender? As The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, "Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." Sexual reproduction can and does occur in numerous ways (see link here if you need a biology primer/refresher). So, there appears to be some level of choice why our species chose this version of gendered procreation. Does gender have reasons and purposes beyond just reproductive practicalities and if so what?

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1) No idea but I imagine that if you could hie to Kolob in the twinkling of an eye and then continue on you would not find a beginning.

2) I suspect that in ways we do not fully understand a whole person is a unified couple as male and female are inherently imperfect without the other. A unity in a manner similar to the Godhead except that for the Godhead I believe the Father is one with his wife or wives and together they are God.

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Two questions to see the various thoughts out there. I have my own but am interested in others' thoughts.

 

1) When did gender start? Did it exist before we were organized with a spirit body by our Heavenly Parents or is it something that came with getting a spirit body? If the latter did we get a choice (assuming we had the capacity to intelligently choose) or was some other criteria used?

 

2) Why gender? As The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, "Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." Sexual reproduction can and does occur in numerous ways (see link here if you need a biology primer/refresher). So, there appears to be some level of choice why our species chose this version of gendered procreation. Does gender have reasons and purposes beyond just reproductive practicalities and if so what?

 

1) Gender is eternal with our identity (in my opinion).  And I don't believe it to be choice.  This earth life was specifically created in the image of the eternities.  Why on earth should we expect the eternities to be any different in design?

 

2) I don't think our species got to choose its method of procreation any more than any other species did.  Gods (humans) reproduce one way.  The method of reproduction of a different species is completely irrelevant to our method of reproduction.

However, yes, I do believe gender has reasons/purposes beyond just reproduction - gender roles may not be fully understood in the eternities, but Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother obviously have different roles to play.  And God's house is a house of order.

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If you want a productive discussion you will need to first define what gender means. Some define gender to be roles and traits; others as synonmous with sex. Interestingly, Merriam-Webster allows for both definitions:

 

a :  sex <the feminine gender>

 

b :  the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender

 

 

 

 

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If you want a productive discussion you will need to first define what gender means. Some define gender to be roles and traits; others as synonmous with sex. Interestingly, Merriam-Webster allows for both definitions:

 

Part of God's plan is to inseparably and permanently join spirits with bodies.

I don't see any purpose in separating my gender into my roles and traits (spirit) and my sex (body).  They are both to be eternally united in one and the same being.  At least, that's the goal.

Viewing them separately is a very mortal thing in my opinion.

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Part of God's plan is to inseparably and permanently join spirits with bodies.

I don't see any purpose in separating my gender into my roles and traits (spirit) and my sex (body).  They are both to be eternally united in one and the same being.  At least, that's the goal.

Viewing them separately is a very mortal thing in my opinion.

 

That's fine, but in order to avoid confusion it has to be known that we're talking about roles/traits, and not just physical characteristics.  Roles are not absolutes, but most be taught and enfored (e.g., men drive and manage money, women cook and tend to children). Traits tend to be on a spectrum rather than absolute (e.g., heigth, risk aversion, dolls vs. trucks). Biological sex is where we get to the closest to absolutes, but not even there. (e.g., women provide and egg and womb, men provide sperm).

 

All of this is necessary before we can discuss what it means for gender to be eternal. There's a big difference between saying "only women will bear children in the eternities" vs. "only men will drive cars in the eternities."

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Two questions to see the various thoughts out there. I have my own but am interested in others' thoughts.

 

1) When did gender start? Did it exist before we were organized with a spirit body by our Heavenly Parents or is it something that came with getting a spirit body? If the latter did we get a choice (assuming we had the capacity to intelligently choose) or was some other criteria used?

 

2) Why gender? As The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, "Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." Sexual reproduction can and does occur in numerous ways (see link here if you need a biology primer/refresher). So, there appears to be some level of choice why our species chose this version of gendered procreation. Does gender have reasons and purposes beyond just reproductive practicalities and if so what?

 

Genesis 1:27

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

 

I interpret this to mean that gender is an eternal verity.

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Genesis 1:27

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

 

I interpret this to mean that gender is an eternal verity.

 

Or it could just mean that creation applies to all of mankind. Other verses include categories such as "black and white" "bond and free" and yet we don't presume that those categories will be eternally static. I'm not saying you're wrong. Just that there are other equally valid interpretations of this verse.

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Two questions to see the various thoughts out there. I have my own but am interested in others' thoughts.

 

1) When did gender start? Did it exist before we were organized with a spirit body by our Heavenly Parents or is it something that came with getting a spirit body? If the latter did we get a choice (assuming we had the capacity to intelligently choose) or was some other criteria used?

 

2) Why gender? As The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, "Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." Sexual reproduction can and does occur in numerous ways (see link here if you need a biology primer/refresher). So, there appears to be some level of choice why our species chose this version of gendered procreation. Does gender have reasons and purposes beyond just reproductive practicalities and if so what?

Well, as for your #2, we know that a man and a woman compliment each other in every fashion. Besides that, we know both man and womans bodies run differently and even that man and woman think differently and calculate decisions differently. Because of the nature and nurture of life, to be strong creates a need for balance. Both the man and woman balance each other out and add the needed perspective to solve a myriad of problems that society can create. When solved correctly, it requires bot a man and a womans perspectives to come up with the best solution. Gender makes up every aspect of our bodies- from sexual reproductive organs and muscle density to how our brains are wired. I am sure that our spirits are no different. We are each unique and offer that right balance that the other one lacks so that we do not have a society that becomes one tracked into misery.

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1) When did gender start? Did it exist before we were organized with a spirit body by our Heavenly Parents or is it something that came with getting a spirit body? If the latter did we get a choice (assuming we had the capacity to intelligently choose) or was some other criteria used?

The latter and not exactly no choice. Before we were born as spirit children to our parents in heaven we were our parents in heaven, or at least a part of them, and we chose to have/be either a boy or a girl spirit. No other option, really.

2) Why gender? As The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, "Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." Sexual reproduction can and does occur in numerous ways (see link here if you need a biology primer/refresher). So, there appears to be some level of choice why our species chose this version of gendered procreation. Does gender have reasons and purposes beyond just reproductive practicalities and if so what?

For our kind of being only 2 states of being are possible at the most basic level. We are either a boy/male or a girl/female, but with things in common to each gender.

I was actually going to get into this a little in another thread that was closed. We're not really "opposite" sexed, although that's a common term for boys vs girls. That's mainly just a referencw to specific body parts, about how those parts fit together. The same parts either fit or don't fit together in the same place when people "hook up" and that's what we're saying is either the same or the opposite "sex".

Edited by Ahab
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Or it could just mean that creation applies to all of mankind. Other verses include categories such as "black and white" "bond and free" and yet we don't presume that those categories will be eternally static. I'm not saying you're wrong. Just that there are other equally valid interpretations of this verse.

 

Why not?  They are perfectly good categories.  We also have "good and evil" that I don't think is going away.

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