Designed to be naked?
Parts of the UK (not where I live) are currently experiencing a short heatwave. A news programme on BBC Radio 4 asked a Professor of Human Physiology for advice on keeping cool. Amongst other things, he said people should wear as little clothing as possible, preferably none. The interviewer asked if he was really recommending that people should be naked, to which he replied, "Of course. After all, we were designed to be naked. We should wear clothes only when necessary." He did not say that he was a naturist and/or a Christian, but I found the combination of "designed" and "naked" interesting. It is not an argument I have ever used, and I wondered what other people thought.
My guess is that the professor is a believer, and will receive all kinds of grief for using the term designed by his peers. Gan Eden (OT) or the Paradise of God (NT) provided for a controlled temperature that was specifically regulated for a naked population. It was only after being driven out of Gan Eden that clothing became the difference between life and death. A perfect example here would be my great uncle who died of hyperthermia while trying to hiding from the British on a cold winter night in Ireland. It's also interesting to note that the Paradise of God is given in the future tense.
"Of course. After all, we were designed to be naked. We should wear clothes only when necessary." He did not say that he was a naturist and/or a Christian, but I found the combination of "designed" and "naked" interesting. It is not an argument I have ever used, and I wondered what other people thought.
I think it hints toward the truth of scripture. The "when necessary" becomes the sticky bit -- necessary according to what criteria? My own beliefs? The weather? Scriptural teaching? Society's mores and scruples? Dictates of codified Law?
In the end, it comes down to my own beliefs and the degree to which I incorporate the other criteria in a way that is honoring to Christ.