AN adult individual walking or performing naked in public might feel strong enough to challenge or dare the society, but at the same time takes many risks unawares.
While the modern era (post-post modernist and post-secular) has reduced the naked human body to the level of an animal’s, having nothing sacred to it, we humans become participants in life-changing and destiny-changing actions when we show our nakedness to the world.
All women are mothers of society, childbearers and nurturers valued and venerated as pillars of family; therefore the public nakedness of a woman humiliates society.
And because feminine nakedness impacts everyone in more ways than the public nudity of a man ever can, rape in war situations is a tool of emotional and psychological destruction of a society and its cultural foundations.
The lives of the naked or semi-naked woman, and those who look upon her, are changed. Nothing remains the same for both; and this is why public female nudity always sparks conflict.
Why would anyone wish to display his or her sexuality to every eye? Why would a woman want to make a sexual statement to the public?
Some spinsters might do so because of advice which says ‘marriage will come your way if the right man sees you nude or half-nude.’ Such advice does not take into account that most times, the kind of man who approaches a nude or semi-nude woman offers pretentious love. He is a player.
Some might display themselves because the husband has dishonoured them by straying into an extramarital affair.
Some might expose themselves as a protest; since uncle raped me in my childhood, since grandpa or big brother violated me, I have had nothing to protect and preserve.
Observe this, that there are demonic spirits behind incest, which cause girls to suffer such violation and then grow up bitter, hardened and self-exposing. Among the ancient Greek gods which are still popular in the West today, for example, incest is rampant.
Think about the Greek titan god Cronus and his sister Rhea, who had six children whom Cronus ate – this is an incestuous relationship among the gods (demons) which still engineer incest today.
Cronus was himself born from Uranus, a titan who had 12 children from his mother. Cronus eventually killed his father Uranus but carried on the incest. There is much spiritual truth in what are widely termed myths in our time, and the gods of old are much in vogue and referred to today.
Another venerated god was Erebus, the personification of darkness, and son to Chaos, who with his sister, Nyx, produced 14 children in all. Zeus fathered at least twenty-one children to nine different goddesses including his sister Hera,another sister Demeter, and his aunt Mnemosyne.
Greek is today a tiny state grappling with severe economic difficulties – fallen from its glory years as an empire that shook the world, downed from within by incest and other kinds of indulgence. Yet the gods that failed to uphold the empire are gaining ground again.
If as a woman you have suffered from incest, it is even better to seek legal assistance and inner healing instead of self-flagellation (self-punishment) by dressing in a manner that undresses you.
The legal aspect is near-impossible in Zambia, but let us at least start with the inner healing which is genuinely possible through Jesus Christ. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is able to heal damaged emotions and to set in order the scattered mind.
A self-devaluing or self-demeaning spirit is a broken spirit; like the shattered spirit of African slaves who were paraded naked in the marketplaces of America, Europe or Arabia for buyers to inspect and assess.
Women servants and slave-girls of Mali were in the 1300s also reported to do all their work totally nude.
Again, if as a woman you parade yourself that way, allowing underthings to be seen by eyes unfit to see your intimate parts, you are saying you have lost your rights to dignity and it is entirely up to slave traders to choose or ignore you if they like.
Beyond all that, public nudity is an act of worship and various gods or demonic spirits are appeased – such as aphrodite, the goddess of sexual love, from whose name we get the term aphrodisiac.
After 2200hrs on February 2016, the Satanic Temple endorsed a new movie, The Witch, by way of 10 nude men and two nude women addressing the media at the Jane Hotel ballroom.
The story featured a dominatrix, a woman who is brutally dominating (even sexually) towards her spouse.
Importantly, national spokesperson of the Satanic Temple, Ms Jex Blackmore, said: “Some of you came here looking for a spectacle tonight. I can assure you, if you are comfortable, you are already under attack.”
Further, a man and a woman wearing only tights welcomed guests, saying, “This is the sign of your awakening,” drawing an X on each visitor’s forehead.
If you are comfortable in today’s untamed spiritual atmosphere, know that you are already under attack. But again, if you are uncomfortable being fully and normally dressed, have you had an ‘awakening’ that has changed the way you see you, and others? What has caused that ‘awakening’?
Various civilizations in ancient times saw key events celebrated by nude women entertainers. Egypt and the Mediterranean cultures were among them, and today one equivalent is in dancing queens who accompany musicians with much sexual dancing.
Today there are nude beaches where people can walk around in the nude; people seek entertainment there.
In certain lands, such as Rome, public nudity was offensive but allowed at public baths; today we speak of sauna baths.
Today there are massage parlours which advertise female masseurs sexually; meaning that the massage is intended to end somewhere else.
Greece was known for nudity in public sporting events, be they for men or women.
It was taken that athletic excellence was an aesthetical (artistic) offering to the gods, therefore the winners would be presented naked in a temple. Male gods Apollo and Heracles which were seen as patrons of sport, for example, were credited with athletic accomplishments.
Nudity honours the gods – demons.
It is on historical record that the Olympic Games staged certain sports with participants competing in the nude, such as boxing, wrestling and their combination; pankration. Others were long jump, javelin throw and discus throw and their combination; pentathlon.
Controversy has often raged about this aspect of Greek history, with some schools of thought denying that such ever happened, though many statutes and other artworks depict sportsmen of those times nude and sportswomen partially clothed.
The city-state of Sparta hosted such sports performances which highlighted love for beauty and virtue, nature and arts, and philosophy. Importantly, the Greek word gymnasium means ‘a place to train naked.’
Little wonder that when both genders (male and female) go exercising and doing aerobics in such places, the attires spark a sense of ‘nakedness’ which draws and attracts one to the other. Not only will feminine curves stir masculine appetites, men’s ‘six packs’ also stir female longings.
In fact, naked male athletes have controversially featured on posters for Olympic Games in Stockholm 1912; Antwerp 1920; Paris 1924; Helsinki 1952.
Even Roman arts at some points started depicting emperors nude.
A statue is in many ways a historical article which raises the question: For what would you like to be remembered? Your self exposure?
OFFERINGS
When Apostle Paul wrote Romans 12:1, he may have observed such ‘offerings.’ He wrote (NIV), “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices.” Some versions say “Present your bodies.”
If as a woman you display yourself naked in public, or exposed in a way that makes men calculate your body, you have ‘offered’ and ‘presented’ yourself before an altar. If as a man you wear feminine or semi-feminine attires that create an effeminate impact on other men, you have ‘offered’ and ‘presented’ yourself before an altar.
Nudity in worship is required of pagan rites. But then this has seeped into church.
One of the first reports of a nude church in the US came out in February 2014.
White Tail Chapel, located in Southampton County, Virginia conducts services with attendees participating in the nude.
Pastor Allen Parker, the leader of the church, said that he found the clothing requirements of other churches overly pretentious. So he wanted his own flock to be able to let go of such materialism if they desired to, and preaches totally naked.
He argued about the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus: “When He was born He was naked, when He was crucified He was naked and when He arose He left his clothes in the tomb and He was naked. If God made us that way, how can that be wrong?” Parker asked CNN.
That church observes naturist rituals, not worship of Yahweh who clothed Adam and Eve and who clothes His people with glory (Isaiah 61:3). Do not copy such works.
DISGRACE
A poet in Rome, Ennuis (239-169 BC) said, “Exposing naked bodies among citizens is the beginning of public disgrace.”
We might add here that some people have no sense of shame or disgrace about wrongdoing because of an upbringing where they were not taught to shun things inappropriate, unsavoury, unpalatable, inconvenient, unacceptable and indecent.
Dress and the values of decent covering need to be explored and taught afresh.
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