Platypus Note: The members of the Bare Platypus team respect that there are people from many different faiths who live together in this world and who also enjoy nudism. We celebrate that. At the same time, we have never made a secret of the fact that our Christian faith is very important to us. This post is primarily intended for our Christian brothers and sisters as we look toward the Easter holiday weekend.
“Nudity is shameful” we sometimes hear. Especially when someone is making a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission about a glimpse of bare breast or buttocks they saw during a Super Bowl halftime show, or TV program.
Bare Platypuses know that their friends within the nudist community will disagree with the statement that "nudity is shameful," but we hope some within our Christian community will disagree also. At least when it comes to the nudity we know and read about during Easter.
See, as Christians we believe that about 2000 years ago the very Son of God, creator of mankind and the universe, chose to come to earth and live like us before experiencing a gruesome death and resurrection that set things right again after we had messed them up big time. During His last week on earth, Christ spent a lot of time naked, but there was nothing shameful about it. Oh no.
On the evening of the Last Supper (now celebrated as Maunday Thursday), we read that Jesus stripped to very little, then proceeded to wash His disciples’ feet, using what little he had on Him to wipe them dry. In doing so, He personally provided one of the most powerful examples in history of what it takes to be GREAT in the kingdom of the Almighty. And that’s being least. A servant. Stripped to the bare essentials of what we need to serve others.
Within just a few hours of that powerful demonstration, Jesus made “nakedness” a gem of honor in his everlasting crown when he allowed himself to be stripped so that his back could be whipped in preparation of redeeming Adam and Eve’s race. And while Roman soldiers tossed dice to see who would get what few clothes he owned. Being hung on a cross---naked or in a loincloth--- was meant to make Him suffer more and to subject Him to humiliation. But Christians recognize that we deserve the humiliation for our sins that made it necessary for Him to be there.
At the moment of Christ’s death a fabric curtain in the Temple meant to be the barrier between God and man ripped in two from top to bottom. No shame with the destruction of a piece of cloth that wasn’t necessary anymore because of what had just happened. Finally, when Jesus arose on Easter morning, the grave clothes were left behind and He was risen. No shame conquering those wrappings either!
No, we have a bit too much faith to say nudity is shameful at a time like Easter.