“Post-Christian man views his body as a tabula rasa-a canvas on which to
\nexpress his identity and exert his will. In fact, the more contrary to
\nnature one’s new self is, the more “authentic” it can claim to be. The
\nrecent mania for tattoos and piercings is a case in point. The desire to be
\nfree of the human condition and its limitations has ancient roots. It has
\ntaken Gnostic form in both the ancient and modern worlds. The Gnostic
\nimpulse rejects physical reality as evil. It seeks a higher, hidden
\nknowledge-available only to an elite-in its quest for personal salvation.
\nAnimated by this knowledge, the Gnostic approach creates a kind of magical
\nreality that refuses to admit conditions that resist the human will.<\/p>\n
“Today’s transgender crusade can be seen as the latest manifestation of this
\ndenial. It is inherently authoritarian, as other latter-day Gnostic projects
\nhave been, because it has to be. Nature and common sense oppose it. In the
\n“Gnostic dream world,” as Eric Voegelin once put it, “non-recognition of
\nreality is the first principle.” Critics who persist in drawing attention to
\nreality must be discredited or silenced. Otherwise, the Gnostic fantasy
\nworld crumbles.”<\/p>\n