This opinion piece by Andrée Seu Peterson from WORLD brilliantly applies the classic children’s tale, The Emperor’s New Clothes and mass hypnosis theory to the issue of  biological males competing as women in sports. Join us in praying that the masses would realize the truth that God made us male and female.

From WORLD. Once there was an emperor who loved clothes; he was obsessed. A couple of swindlers saw an opportunity and told him they could create for him the most magnificent suit ever—finery so magical, in fact, that it would be invisible to any of his officials or subjects who were not fit for their posts, or who were very stupid.

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The swindlers went to great lengths, burning the midnight oil while working at looms with thread that did not really exist, to weave fabric that did not really exist. The emperor personally came to check on their progress, and of course saw nothing on the looms (because there was nothing there). But greatly alarmed to think that his failure to see the cloth might mean he was unfit or stupid, he pretended to be delighted.

The swindlers urged the emperor to show off his completed raiment in a parade, persuading him to take off his regular clothing and helping him on with his new trousers, coat, and mantle. The officials following behind him in the procession pretended to pick up his train and carry it. The citizens along the road pretended to exult in the spectacular display.

Then suddenly a child in the crowd said, “But the emperor has nothing on!”

There are many applications of this parable in our day. One close to home concerns “transfemale” Lia Thomas on the University of Pennsylvania female swim team who is cleaning the clocks of rival school teams—and of his own teammates. (I will say “his” because this is in accordance with reality.) A middling athlete while on the Ivy League school’s male team for two years before realizing he was a woman, Thomas is now a superstar when competing with girls. In Ohio he finished the 1,650-yard race 38 seconds before the second-place finisher….

The Bible just calls it a “strong delusion” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12) or “debased mind” (Romans 1:28), and says this confusion is the end state of those who refuse the truth….

But sometimes, thank God, ideology runs up against the hard rocks of reality.

What are some others areas of “strong delusion” we can pray about?

(From WORLD. By Andree Seu Peterson. Photo Credit:  Unsplash)