To the editor:

It was good that Ms. Zupfer submitted her editorial entitled “Leave what is God’s to God” in the April 17 issue of The Journal. That gives me an opportunity to share additional information on the transgender issue and clarify other items. I’m sure the readers noticed immediately the judgmental approach of Ms. Zupfer. In fact, she even went so far as to attempt to judge my soul. By the grace of God, I know that I am going to heaven when I die. I know that, because Jesus Christ, my Savior, true God and true man, came into the world to suffer, die, and rise again for me and all people.

Let’s expound on the writer’s use of Matthew 7:1-6 to get the full context of those verses, and especially the phrase, “Do not judge.” To judge means to form, think, or hold an opinion that something is good or bad. All people spend each day being judgmental. If we see someone being kind or generous to a youngster and you say, “That’s great,” you are judgmental. If you see someone harassing another and you say, “That’s not right,” you are being judgmental. In addition, the executive and judicial officers of a country or city, the heads of every household, the teachers in the schools, the voters in all democratic forms of government — all these have the power and the duty to exercise judgment.

So what is the context of Jesus saying, “Do not judge?” It becomes clear in verse 5 that the Christian is not to judge hypocritically. Here is an example. A parent tells his child not to use bad language, only to find the child learned it from his parents. That’s a hypocrite. In other words, get rid of the plank in your own eye before trying to remove the speck in your brother’s eye.

If you think that a behavior is wrong and sinful and dangerous and needs to be dealt with, or you think that a person needs to repent and change and get help — the answer is, God does too.

The Equality (Inequality) Act would create protected classes based on sexual orientation and gender identity, giving the government power over churches and other faith-based institutions, potentially dictating who they hire, how their facilities are used, and even punishing them for a view of human sexuality that directly contradicts orthodox biblical teaching. It would force all those in the medical community — regardless of their moral, religious, or medical opinions — to offer hormone treatment and transgender surgeries for individuals suffering from gender dysphoria. Texas is one of over 20 states introducing legislation to ban gender transition treatments for minors. The NCAA’s threat of pulling tournaments from states that don’t embrace their radical ideas about gender failed spectacularly, with Florida, Alabama, North Dakota and West Virginia passing bills to protect girls and women’s sports from transgender males. MInnesota, join those states!

Myron Fluegge

New Ulm