What is Indecent?

– Image by dkg

Adam and Eve were created in the Garden of Eden without sin. As part of this sinlessness was the absence of shame. They were naked in the garden (and the climate was probably more conducive to a lack of attire) and there was no problem with it. They enjoyed a closeness and oneness that we can never know. They were one with each other and they conversed with a holy God just as they were. Then came sin, and after partaking of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, many things were changed.

1. Their relationship changed: They were no longer two sinless beings, they now had sin in the way. Also, they had chosen to follow each other rather than God– they were stuck in the same boat.
2. They would now die: It’s unclear just how long they would have lived– if not forever– had they not chosen to eat the fruit. They now had both age and pain during childbirth to face.
3. They now had shame: They realized that they were naked, and the first thing that the Bible has them doing after they knew they had sinned is fashioning aprons for themselves out of leaves.

This natural shame, this desire for covering, came from two people who had previously been sinless and did not know that nakedness was anything bad. They immediately sought to do something about it. Today’s society is proclaiming the concept that there’s nothing wrong with being naked, and losing the shame that should be associated with parading around one’s private parts.

Auckland, New Zealand— Thirty topless porn stars bicycled down one of the main streets of Auckland, New Zealand’s Queen Street and the police decided that this, in itself was not indecent, though something done by the bicyclers could be indecent. We have come along way from the bicycle built for a lady, side saddled riding of horses, etc. Now women are trying to call attention to themselves, and not having the natural shame that they should have.

Brattleboro, Vermont— Teenagers in this small town have been spotted riding bicycles, walking, and hanging around the downtown area in the nude. The town only has laws against nudity if it’s intent is for sexual arousal, so when the temperature got hot, the kids got creative with having hula hoop competitions, etc., entirely in the nude. One woman protested, and there was a nude sit in at city hall to protest the other side. The woman was right– there should be some natural shame here, and there wasn’t.

Kathmandu, Nepal— Some women believed that the only way to get rain for their crops was to plow their fields naked, so they did. This is one of those cases that the women did not know the One true God– the Creator of the Universe– and therefore put shame on themselves (probably with a custom invented by some perverted men) and went nude for food.

Bejing, China— In order to get more people to a funeral, the family invites strippers in order to gather a crowd. More people, more honor to the family. Seems logical enough. And yet no one sees the shame of having to hire people to be indecent at the funeral as being antithetical to the whole honor thing. I mean, if you have to “bribe” people to come, isn’t that really a dishonor?

Munich, Germany— A woman is bathing naked in pools of some fountains in Munich, and refuses to stop, even after being fined repeatedly. This woman has no shame, and no desire to have anyone help her.

Tokyo, Japan— An ad agency tried to display the cover to the August Harper’s Bazaar which has on its cover a naked Britney Spears covering her female parts only slightly. We’ve talked about Britney and her lack of more than anyone can tolerate, but these people have no shame in parading around a pregnant, naked mom to sell magazines.

Warsaw, Poland— A mermaid statue in Poland has had to have a makeover because it used to be too erotic. On the city’s crest she’s topless, on the poster she had one breast exposed and one covered– except now there’s a sash over the exposed one. Why? Miss World is coming, and they can’t be too erotic. They have no shame normally, but when someone who might have a problem shows up, they’ll cover up until they are gone.

What has happened? As man continues to grow further and further away from God, the more things that are sin are glorified and accepted as normal. Our sinful flesh desires the immediate pleasure of the moment. It desires the quick fix which becomes not so quick as it needs more and more the next time to result in the same high as the first. Hence why nudity and sexual perversion– once in the closet, then in the brothel– is now in the schools, in the media, and bicycling down the street.

The shock is no longer there– or it’s muted. The shame is gone. The Indecent is paraded around as normal, and we are supposed to accept it or be considered reactionary or out-of-touch. If you want to protect your children and keep them decent, you’re labeled legalistic, for “everyone is doing it.” The lines are constantly moving, and they’re cryptic in their definition. It’s bad to show a breast while breast feeding, but it’s not bad to show one on the beach. It’s bad to participate in a game or sport naked, unless it’s the new strip poker tournament. The list goes on…

What lies at the heart of this is that men and women will continue to justify their sin because sin has pleasure for a season. God calls us to live decent and orderly lives. The question is where and how we want to spend Eternity.