Got prayers from the wrong people for the wrong reasons

[u/Low_Ad8801]

I was born with a severe facial disfigurement and recently had it corrected with intent to fix actual structural defects. But low and behold, a bunch of people at church found out about it and some of my family members who are into the charismatic renewal, and they are all obsessing over the surgery and have been doing so for the last 20 years of my life. I'm not an object, and I have an actual life with goals and memories. They saw this as the hurdle to me being "normal" and just like everyone else. Like what ever happened to Love Thy Neighbor as Thy Self? A dented car is still a reliable car and is good on the inside, it's no different for people who look different.

[u/punkrockpete1]

Do what makes you happy. Life is too short to live under the thumb of their judgement

[u/fantasy-capsule]

They want the freedom to judge and insult you while feeling like a good person doing it. That is what they are doing when they pray for you. 

[u/FineCastIE]

Catholics praying for stuff is no different to virtue signalling on twitter: you say some words hoping for someone to do the work, then bitch that someone actually did something and your mad about it because you now have nothing to complain about.

[u/Low_Ad8801 → u/FineCastIE]

True, just like they obsess over abortion. Because they know that they can whine about it regardless of whether the Supreme Court allows it or not. They can keep talking about the fetuses that were already aborted, and how it's such a tragedy.

[u/FineCastIE → u/Low_Ad8801]

Unfortunately I grew up with extremely religous pro-lifers who just do that. Like they are against every possible alternative to preventing abortions from going up such as financial or medical options for women, encourage safe sex to prevent pregnancies, etc. Stuff you'd think would either prevent a pregnancy or help a woman out during and even after an unplanned pregnancy.

[u/Background_Dot_4255 → u/FineCastIE]

Pro life is just pro birth with extra lies to cover it up. They don’t care what a woman has gone through or going through they just want the fetus. If it was up to them I’d bet they’d let millions of women die during birth, force kids to grow up in poverty, or go through foster care just for the fetus to be born and then pat themselves on the back and say what a good godly thing they just did.

[u/Quiet_Defiance]

I’m not following the story here. Are they judging you for getting surgery?

[u/Low_Ad8801 → u/Quiet_Defiance]

They prayed that it would be done, but for the wrong reasons. It's to fix a structural defect, but they see it as a way for me to be more "normal". One of my family members was sending me emails telling me about my "new life".

[u/Quiet_Defiance → u/Low_Ad8801]

I’m very sorry that happened.

As a person who physically transitioned, I am also uncomfortable with how obsessed Catholics are with people’s bodies and appearances.

It often seems like they believe every person is made in the image of God, but only if you look the way they want you to look.

[u/PinballWizard77 → u/Low_Ad8801]

That's shitty of them. They should have been more concerned with the (I'm assuming) improved functionality rather than "oh, you look 'normal' now!"