How precious and rare is life in all its forms. Yet, as moral creatures, human beings who live together on this tiny planet in a vast expanse of dark and cold space—how much more important is every single individual, created and loved by God.

Divine Truth and Human Experience

When human beings experience events with the intellect, we gain a unique perspective on ourselves and the world around us. The world, the universe, exists independently of the mind; therefore, there is a truth that exists beyond us. As Christians, we subscribe to the truth of Jesus Christ, resurrected—fully God, fully man. God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The human condition in no way impeded, corrupted, or changed the Divine Truth, given to us in the person of Jesus: “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). The Divine Truth is not defined by outward appearance that anyone could claim as an ideal or perfect beauty, nor as a material goal to which we ought to strive.

Body-Soul Unity and Original Sin

St. Thomas Aquinas noted that bodies arise from the material principle (Summa Theologica I, q. 118, a. 1; q. 92, a. 1), and this is indeed biblical. The potter’s hands shape the clay, as Adam was formed from the dust (Isaiah 64:8; Genesis 2:7; Ezekiel 37:8). Yet, to have life is to possess the animating principle of the body—the soul—as the Divine breath. Ensoulment at conception (Aquinas, Summa Theologica I, q. 118, a. 2) is such that body and soul grow together from the seed, beginning the sacred journey of becoming over time.

Original sin, as established by Aquinas (Summa Theologica I-II, q. 81, a. 2), is a privation of original justice—a gap between the invisible divine image in humanity’s soul and the outwardly visible body. This is like a veil, symbolised by the curtain in the Holy of Holies: “The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place” (Exodus 26:33). The body and soul are one, Holy and Most Holy. The subtle body, which symbolises the record of our actions—our thoughts, words, and deeds—is like a robe or clothing that we may put on or take off. This must be so, for the breath of God is an emanation of Himself, remaining pure and simple. In Scripture, this unity of divine breath and the material body is symbolised by the divine feminine, Wisdom, always seeking the one whom she loves. As Eve came out of Adam, so did Wisdom come out of God. The cross has become the bridge that restores humanity’s relationship with the Divine image within us.

Essentially, the male and female dynamic is symbolic of unity, of two becoming one, as body and soul are one—the material and immaterial united as a single entity.

The Human Will

Therefore, all persons born possess this animating principle of life within them. This is the call of the deep calling to deep, which we as Christians have answered through the person of Christ, having “put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). By His work, this grace is present to us. This is the body’s grace—through the peace of Christ, which the world cannot give (John 14:27), we find ourselves belonging to the presence of the moment that we are.

The human will, which chooses our path and directs our attention and actions toward what is good for us or others, is grounded in the body-soul unity, not merely the soul, because humans are an integrated whole, shaped by both material and immaterial instincts. This unity acts as a fulcrum, allowing the will to turn toward the divine or the worldly, making it free and holistic. Material instincts, such as hunger, may prompt the will to choose what to eat based on desire, necessity, or even to override for fasting. The soul’s hunger is satisfied in the Eucharist, and by attention to God and His word in silent spaces, church, and daily prayers. This is an interdependent relationship, where discernment helps, as the will is shaped by desires and beliefs arising within this body-soul unity.

Discernment in a World of Deception

Yet, we may still be deceived, as Jesus taught with the metaphor of sheep in wolves’ clothing (Matthew 7:15). The works of evil distract us from the good, diverting our attention from truth toward lies. This is the real battle every Christian faces: discernment in a world of distraction. As people who wrestle with God, we are on a journey of becoming less worldly to be more like the Divine. This aligns with the Church Father Gregory of Nyssa’s concept of epektasis—the continual stretching toward God.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

The human body is essential to realising the soul’s full capacity, especially in knowing and loving God, as seen in Genesis’ account of humans created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26–27). Privation in the body, such as disability, might hinder intellectual or revelational understanding of God but cannot obscure the purpose of our humanity—to love.

Compassionate Care and the Lamarckian Error

Changes that impede bodily function or errors in belief may hide our relationship with God, but they cannot negate God’s power to meet us wherever we are. Thus, while the body may limit our understanding of God’s nature, we can still comprehend and act on love for one another. God’s wisdom may not be revealed through intellect in some individuals but can be expressed through all by the fruits of the Spirit, such as love, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23).

When reason fails or is beyond our grasp, we are not left as orphans. Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8) and comes naturally when our common humanity is recognised in another. Love—rational, non-rational, or irrational—and the body’s role in that choice make the will a dynamic part of the body-soul unity, not merely a soul power. This unity drives our transformation over time through purposeful, embodied choices that align with or diverge from God’s plan.

If a belief or misconception about ourselves or others—arising from experiences or socially constructed ideologies—impedes our relationship with God, healing through education or medicine can redress and correct it. Such healing, which may or may not involve suffering, aligns with Professor Robin Gill’s principles, drawn from the healing miracles of Jesus: compassion, care, faith, and humility. Compassion in the face of suffering is often instinctual, but overriding reason with feeling, ignoring proper care, faith, or humility, is a grave error that leads to sin—separation from God. Compassion without care is evil, and vice versa.

Given that there is no gendered, disembodied soul within the human body, and that neither behaviour nor experience alters the material reality of a body’s nature (a false Lamarckian theory discredited by Darwin and all subsequent evolutionary biology), cognitive behavioural therapy, which has a high success rate for addressing anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation (American Psychological Association, 2020), ought to be considered of prime importance to those suffering.

Professor Gill’s compassion manifests practically in acts of service—healthcare, counselling, community support—that honour the soul’s sacredness, even in those who have turned to worldly desires. The sacred ground of the body-soul unity aligns with the Church’s pastoral care, which applies doctrine’s truth with mercy, rooted in the unchanging teachings about human dignity and sin.

Should an adult choose to adhere to ideas of sex-specific behaviours that belong to social archetypes or stereotypes considered as not belonging to the condition of their birth, this is a matter for them to decide, as long as it does not claim a right that prejudicially affects the rights of those who have the natural right to equal and equitable participation in their human activities.

It ought to be noted that archetypes are universal patterns not confined to one expression of being either male or female, and here is where non-judgement in the expression of masculine or feminine identities is of paramount importance.

In St. Anselm’s prayer to St. Paul, he appeals to our greatest mother:
“And you, Jesus, are you not also a mother?
Are you not the mother who, like a hen,
gathers her chickens under her wings?
Truly, Lord, you are a mother;
for both they who are in labour
and they who are brought forth
are accepted by you.”

The conflation of eunuchs with non-binary or transgender identities is a “Lamarckian error,” invoking the discredited theory of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who proposed that acquired characteristics (e.g., physical changes during life) could be inherited or fundamentally alter an organism’s nature. In the context of gender ideology, assuming physical or social changes (e.g., castration, hormone therapy, or gender presentation) can redefine one’s sex category is a similar error, as it mistakes acquired traits for an alteration of biological reality.

Theologically, the Lamarckian error aligns with gender ideology as a form of idolatry, where the body is reshaped to match subjective identity, prioritising self-perception over God’s created order. This “swaps truth for a lie” (Romans 1:25), echoing St. Augustine’s view of sin as a misappropriation of the will—turning from God to self (City of God, Book XIV).

A Lamarckian analogy highlights the scientific and theological fallacy of equating physical or psychological changes with a redefinition of sex, reinforcing the argument that transgender claims to womanhood (e.g., by trans-identifying males) violate categorical truth, harming groups like biological females.

Truth, Justice, and Universal Dignity

Including male bodies in the female category erases the meaning and definition of sex; therefore, male inclusion is female exclusion, and vice versa. Replacing sex with gender leads to the marginalisation of females and their sex-specific needs, breeding confusion and injustice.

God is good and meets us wherever we are, for He always longs for us. However, in Church and society, for purposes of clarity, it should be determined that the term ‘man’ is equal and equitable to the condition of being male, and likewise, ‘woman’ should be equal and equitable to the condition of being female.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38–39); therefore, we assume an ontological definition of dignity: the universal value of a human being arises from existence itself. To be human—existing in time—carries inherent worth, independent of circumstance. This dignity remains unaffected by suffering or status.

The mind is not the entirety of the ‘true self’. If all being is true, then truth, beauty, and goodness exist independently of the mind. The beauty of what exists in the world has an ontological ground in which we participate. Beauty is tied to the nature of existence itself, pointing to the eternal and universal, requiring our unknowing—for our knowing sets limits and draws lines.

We are incomprehensible to ourselves alone. As St. John Paul II stated, “Man becomes the image of God not so much in the moment of solitude as in the moment of communion” (Theology of the Body, Audience 14, December 5, 1979). We understand our true selves—our divine image—through self-giving love to others, mirroring God’s relational nature.

This also reminds us of the relational nature of language, through which the world and the divine become intelligible (1 Corinthians 14:9–10). Language must have meaning. If the claims of a few prejudice collective rights, such as protections for females and young persons, this is unacceptable, representing a profound injustice. Truth must not be exchanged for a lie, as this fractures the nature of society rather than fostering communal wholeness.

Holiness infuses the whole person; the soul’s longing for God is an expression of being set apart. The body-soul unity is the sacred ground, its wholeness of being and becoming marked by God’s image in every thought, action, and breath, reflecting divine glory.

As difficult as it may be for individuals to face the reality of the immutability of sex, it is imperative that truth is not swapped for a lie. This helps no one. What is paramount is the acceptance of persons regardless of outward appearance—being equally valued and loved by God. This embraces the marginalised through the universal dignity of the human person and inclusion by participation in love, yet remains faithful to the truth.

A theology of inclusion grounded in the universal dignity of the human person, a concept deeply rooted in Christian anthropology, seeks Christ-like progress and transformation, not perfect form (1 Samuel 16:7; Isaiah 53:2). True inclusion invites people into the Church as they are without affirming identities that invite lawlessness and disrupt soul formation and transformation within the heart.

Words are important. We aim always to speak the truth, yet this does not mean we curse sinners or accept wickedness. The evil spirits that prowl the world, seeking the ruin of souls, are devoid of love. Yet, through our love, we keep ourselves holy. “Do not imitate what is evil but what is good” (3 John 11). Perhaps in this process, we will fill some of that emptiness, like lights shining in a dark place, at the very least sowing good seeds. Though some will not change, we pray always with hope and trust in the Lord.