Norwegian bishops and 30-plus Christian groups sign declaration against gender ideology

CNA Staff, Oct 15, 2024 / 16:05 pm

The Norwegian bishops have joined more than 30 Christian communities in that country in issuing a declaration in support of “biological reality” and against movements such as gender ideology and “queer theory.” 

The Ecumenical Declaration on “Gender and Sexual Diversity,” issued on Tuesday, cites both “the confession of the Bible as the word of God” as well as “biological reality” in criticizing those movements.

In their statement, the 31 signatories — including the Norwegian Catholic Bishops’ Council, the Norwegian Lutheran Missionary Society, Foursquare Norway, and the Value Alliance — point out that there are “only two biological sexes: male and female. A person’s sex is decided at the moment of conception.”

“The idea that there is a subjective gender and a self-chosen ‘gender identity’ that is freely chosen and based on feelings is the result of ideology and has no foundation in biology or science,” the statement says. 

In recent years in many countries, authorities have promoted gender ideology to young students. The signatories in their letter describe it as “extremely problematic” to “confront children and young people in the classroom with the idea that there are ‘boys, girls, and other genders.’” 

“This influence can lead to confusion, insecurity, and destructive life choices for many children and young people,” the statement says. 

The statement argues that “government bodies and public authorities abuse their mandate and power when they try to pressure citizens and organizations to conform to ‘queer theory’ in relation to gender, sexuality, and marriage.”

In addition to its criticisms of gender ideology, the statement also criticizes artificial insemination and surrogacy, calling their use “a breach of God’s creative will and the rights of the child.”

“A human being is created from the egg of a woman and the sperm of a man,” it says. “Neither mother nor father or other family members are dispensable or superfluous in the life of a child.”

The signatories write that they are “against bullying and exclusion, manipulation and coercion, harassment and hatred, ostracism and violence in all its facets,” but they stipulate that they ”will not make any concessions at the expense of biblical truths, even if these truths conflict with political guidelines or current social trends.”

“We believe that much of what is known under the modern terms ‘gender diversity’ and ‘sexual diversity’ is not based on medical knowledge and natural science,” they write. “This gender ideology is also incompatible with our Christian faith and understanding of reality.”

‘The Christian anthropological vision’

In a Tuesday interview with CNA Deutsch, Trondheim Bishop Erik Varden, chairman of the Nordic Bishops’ Conference, said the declaration’s background is based on the theology behind a similar 2016 declaration on marriage signed by about three dozen Norwegian Christian groups. 

“[It] is important to show that the Christian anthropological vision, its vision of what a person is, what it means to be a woman or a man, is consistent with empirical data,” the bishop said. “A Christian understanding of life is eminently concrete.”

“Trying to adjust reality based on personal perception is a risky undertaking, especially when it begins to make impossible promises to the vulnerable, lonely, and wounded,” the prelate pointed out.

The signatories “have no illusions about the complexity of human life and relationships,” the bishop said. “We want to accompany complex situations compassionately and creatively.”

Varden noted that a growing number of people harmed by gender ideology are beginning to speak out about it. He pointed to the Tavistock gender identity clinic in England, which for years treated children as young as 10 who were experiencing gender dysphoria with “puberty blockers” and hormone treatments. The government closed the clinic down in 2022 following a critical independent review.

“The consequences of the Tavistock clinic affair in England are a well-known example of dealing with these injuries; it is by no means the only one,” he said. “The choir of voices that want to be heard is getting louder and louder. That’s a good thing.”

The bishop said the signatories of the letter are seeking to “contribute constructively.” 

“Our statement is neither angry nor over-the-counter,” he said. “It arises, in prayer, from our commitment to our nation and our desire to build it.” 

“We reaffirm the preciousness of life, every person — in whom we want to recognize a sister, a brother, a potential friend, by seeing them as far as possible as God sees them, that is, with immense hope,” he said.