Art meets Religion: Naked Morality

The human figure has often been regarded as the highest form of subject matter in the arts, above landscapes, above the still life.  Nudity in regards to the human figure in Art has been a hot button issue since the Middle Ages (or before, if you really want to argue that).  The Ancient Grecian/Roman tradition states that the nude human form is something to be celebrated.  In the middle ages, a nude was something shameful.  The nude in Art had its rebirth in the Renaissance, again in celebratory fashion.  Ever since, the argument about where the line between classical nudity and pornography has raged on.

This question of morality of the nude in Art hit home for me last year in an upper level Drawing course on figure rendering.  This class was actually my first introduction to the private male anatomy that was not immediately blocked from my memory.  It was here that I learned the professional detachment from and sheer aestheticism of the human figure, male or female.  At this point, I figure that if the purpose of the nude is Art, then there is no perversion on the part of the artist.  There were no emotions, no reactions, none of the discomfort or sense of shame that came from tracing the outline of the naked human form. 

If my experience had ended there, on the side of the artist, I would have learned only one side, but I would have been happy, if yet blissfully unaware.  Staying in the art program at any number of universities provides one with the most interesting of opportunities.  For me, I was asked by a fellow art major to pose nude for the sake of his senior exhibition.  This decision requires much deliberation and more soul searching that I would have ever guessed.  I would like to take you through the short list, whirlwind tour of the thought process behind someone's decision of whether or not to pose as a nude model for the sake of art.

First, there are professional concerns, things like: this could end up in a gallery or professional portfolio.  The model has to, in a sense, give up the rights to their image (literally in this personal case as the medium is photography).  Am I comfortable with my peers seeing me naked, on a wall in a gallery?  What would I represent by being there?  What is my body going to be used to say?  Will it be something I can agree with?  All of these questions run through my head as an artist, and oddly enough, are answered by the character of the eyes behind the camera.

My friend, the artist, whom we will call Lloyd, is an artist in the truest sense of the word.  I am very familiar with his work, and have seen how he has treated nude models in the past.  He takes care not to objectify women, which is a plus for me, as a woman.  Because of his professional detachment, I feel oddly at ease about my concerns with his "political" agenda.

There are more middling concerns, about the actual event of the modeling session.  Does he just want to see me naked?  Will he get some kind of sexual thrill out of this?  Will I?  Is that experience okay for the sake of Art?

My concerns on this note were honestly somewhat unwarranted.  Lloyd is very open and out about his homosexuality, which eased my concerns about his possibly getting a sexual thrill out of this.  Also, my being asexual and not attracted to him at all helps me to not have to worry about this situation possibly becoming sexually charged.

Finally, there are immense personal concerns.  Am I comfortable enough with my body to allow someone else to see it?  Take pictures of it?  Don't I have too much fat?  I don't fit what modern America calls "attractive." 

These concerns are the ones that cannot be answered as easily as the rest, because, by nature, they can only be answered by the one asking them.  I have body issues.  You'd be hard pressed to find any female in America who doesn't.  I have stretch marks from weight fluctuation.  I am short and have breasts that are uncomfortably large for my small frame.  Believe me, I am not boasting.  I find nothing about me to be visual appealing or striking, but of course I'm biased.  So, to get past this last hurdle, I did what the cautious part of me looses sleep over.  In my mind, duty and responsibility always win out over comfort, so I said "yes."  I agreed to model nude for my friends senior exhibit, because when am I ever going to get to do it again?

So, here I am, waiting for the call about "are you free to come to the lighting studio?"  I've already battled second thoughts, but so far, the "ayes" still have it. 

Stay tuned for the follow up post to find out how this story ends.

A Picture that is Irritating

http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=52350

Go look at this picture.  Right now.  You have nothing better to do, just go.  Come back to me once you've taken a good hard look at it.  I'm not going anywhere; I'll be here when you get back.  Go on.

Did you see it?  I mean really see it?  Scary isn't it (and I don't mean the kid in the mask)?

First, let me just say that this picture does call out those luke-warm Christians  who have no cause to champion.  All Christians have been called by God, and while most have not been caused to lead the war on abortion rights, some have, and I appreciate them.  I do not believe that I personally am called to combat abortion rights.

Abortion does not continue because Christians don't care, it continues because humans have this wonderful thing called "free will."  This idea of "free will" is what allows us to love and act in compassion, but it also allows us to do other things, like stealing and indulging in chocolate.  It allows us to do things we want, like enjoying the beauty of an Appalachian sunrise or voting in an upcoming election.  Free will also allows people to get abortions, and carry signs condemning their fellow Christians for not throwing the country into chaos over what some women do with their lives.  Let's take a look into the Bible real quick.  The Bible is filled with prostitutes.  Prostitutes who were redeemed, FORGIVEN! even.  Jesus himself forgave a prostitute who would have been stoned otherwise.

You know, I think our emotions end up misplaced very easily.  We can do nothing after someone has an abortion.  Nothing we can do is going to bring that child back to life.  So what good does it do to condemn our brothers and sisters for something they have no control over?  Instead of holding up signs like these, how about we start holding ones that say: "Christians, Remember to love your neighbors!" or "Nothing can separate us from the love of God."?

This whole idea of people holding signs talking about how much "God hates YOU!" really pisses me off.  I know that there probably is a place for it, but does it seriously work?  Go look at Westboro Baptist Church, the "Christians" who protest soldiers' funerals, saying that they died to protect profanity and corruption.  How can people who have experienced the LOVE of CHRIST, condemn the world outright?  True we are called out of the law of the world, but we stay in the world to be the light.  Who in their right mind will run towards the light if all it does is condemn them.  These people tell the world that there is no loving God, there is no forgiveness, there is no abundant life, only judgment and death and condemnation.  Oh yes, that's what Christianity is ALL ABOUT!  (Please note the sarcasm.)

So, that's why these people piss me off.  Yes, they challenge us to examine our lives and consider our own apathy, which is good, but we are told to reproach our brothers in love, not judgment.

Convents and Sisterhoods

Okay, so:

Just as a thought, I have considered devoting my life to God and becoming a nun.  Part of the problem with this is that I have no desire to convert to Catholicism or Buddhism.  There is good news though, there are indeed protestant convents.  Again there are problems, they are all orthodox denominations: Methodism, Lutheranism, Anglicanism, etc.  Being part of a Christian church, and no, not DoC, I don't really want to convert per se.

So, here in lies the problem: should I decide that this is the path for me, and I'm not 100% sold out, I have nowhere to go.  I could make the vows on my own to God, and I believe that they would be binding and honored by God, but not by man.  Oh well though.  Just a thought.

Biblical Sexualities: part 5

The final installment of this series on sexualities is finally here. "What is it?" you may ask, and you are about to find out. We have looked at what the Bible says about Heterosexuality, Homosexuality, Bi-, Pan-, Poly-, and Asexuality; so what's left? Really? The one thing that all of these have in common is that they are a certainty in one's life. Ergo, the last thing to discuss is the most fluid sexuality, the one that is still. . .

Questioning.

Many adolescents go through phases of uncertainty regarding their sexuality, as well as many other things about their life, including their faith and what not. Now, I want to take the approach of likening these things: faith and sexuality. There is a certain point when decisions start being made about whether or not to adopt their parents' beliefs. By questioning one's beliefs in God and religion, we determine where we as free-thinking individuals stand with God. We develop our own unique relationship with God, and in doing we either affirm our parents' beliefs our refuse them.

The same can be said of sexuality. From childhood we are presented with models of sexuality that we can either internalize them or reject them. By taking the time to truly question our sexuality, we can determine our own identity, what is truly in our hearts and not just what the world tells us to believe, who to love. Obviously the Bible does not talk much on the topic questioning one's sexuality, however, I did find something to talk about.

Genesis 1:"21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.' 23 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day. 24 And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good."

So, God tells us to "be fruitful and multiply," which we often take to mean that God also designed the sex drive, which tells us to "get happy." And because Faith and Sexuality are interconnected, questioning one's sexuality should be just as natural as questioning one's faith. There is a preferred way to deal with sexuality should you wish to follow the "multiply" portion of life not realizing the fact that our world has too many mouths to feed on such poor leadership, Heterosexuality is the way to go, buy hey, I can't tell you how to live your life.

So let me close out this series with a passage from Romans 14:

"22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin."

Biblical Sexualities: part 3

What did the American Psychological Association consider to be a mental disorder until 1973? What do many fundamentalist Christians, including Dr. James Dobson, believe can still be cured? That's right; today I will be discussing homosexuality.

Homosexuality

Okay, this short essay is going to be set up a little differently. I will be addressing each verse dealing with homosexuality one at a time, starting with the story or Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19.

"v4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom--both young and old--surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.' 6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, 'No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.'"

These verses are generally pointed to when someone wants to use the Bible to condemn homosexual acts. That view however, overlooks an even more grievous crime (in context of the time): disrespecting the laws of hospitality towards guests. The ancient Hebrews, like many ancient civilizations, had strict standards regarding how guests are to be kept. Hosts took them into their homes, provided them with the best meal they could, and let them sleep under their protection. If a guest broke a law in the town, it was often the host's responsibility to pay. Lot offered up his two daughters to the crowd because public multiple rape was less of an atrocity than violating guests.

Romans 1:25-27: "25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion."

Now here, Paul talks about men "being given over to shameful lusts." He talks about exchanging natural relations for unnatural ones, but he also says than each receives their due penalty for their perversions. Now, from a human standpoint, and also taking into account other passages (Romans 14) discussing stumbling blocks, if each person holds an account of their own perversions, do they really need me breathing down their necks telling them that what I believe says they're wrong? No, they've got enough to deal with considering that they're still openly persecuted. As I mentioned in the last edition, Homosexual people need love, just like any of the rest of us.

Leviticus 18:22 "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."

This is the big one now isn't it? Paul also discusses in later in his epistles. The funny thing is that people seem to forget that this law is written down with others like "don't eat a calf in it's mother's milk." Now each of these Levitical laws had it's place in the day they were written. Due to the technology of the time, it was dangerous to eat most of the animals because of communicable diseases. Many of the laws governing sexual relations had the purpose of preventing common incestuous birth defects and disrespectful affronts to elders in the family. At the time, reputation was key to political influence and honor was what made and kept the family. It was highly dishonorable to one's family to sleep with a close relative or someone of the opposite sex. (Also, and no disrespect to the homosexual community here, but many diseases have often been associated with homosexual relationships [AIDS], which gives this passage more credibility being placed besides laws governing food to control diseases.)

Now to deal with Paul and his epistles dealing with sexual immorality. First, we must remember that Paul was trained as a Pharisee, which mean that he had grown up learning all of the classical Jewish law: the Laws of Moses. Christ himself tells us that we are no longer bound under the law (but if we love Him we will keep His commandments). Most Bible scholars have no problem with saying that the laws we are freed from include the Levitical food laws, but not the Levitcal sexual laws. Now, does that sound like picking and choosing to anyone else? Paul is advocating the laws he learned; preaching Jewish laws to a Gentile community, because that's what he knows. No one is going to fault him for deferring to what is familiar, we all do it. However, there are also reasons why "sexual immorality" is not so desirable, including various health reasons. AIDS is most prominent among gay men, therefore one good way to keep yourself free from AIDS is to avoid sexual contact with gay men. That's not to say that just because a man is homosexual means he has AIDS or is a person not to be associated with. On the contrary, I have many gay friends who do not have any STDs and they are quite intelligent and good friends.

In conclusion, as I've stated before, seeking love is not a sin. No one should be put down because they want to feel loved, but we should all remember that true love first came from God and there are reasons behind the commandments He gave us.

Biblical Sexualities: part 2

"What is 'The Kinsey Scale?'

The Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale, sometimes referred to as the “Kinsey Scale,” was developed by Alfred Kinsey and his colleagues Wardell Pomeroy and Clyde Martin in 1948, in order to account for research findings that showed people did not fit into neat and exclusive heterosexual or homosexual categories." (http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/research/ak-hhscale.html)

Bisexuality and Pan-sexuality

Bisexuality and Pan-sexuality, in Biblical terms are a bit harder to deal with because they are orientations never specifically mentioned. On the other hand, hey may also be the easiest to deal with, because they are rather nonspecific. What I mean to say, is that Bisexuality and Pan-sexuality are much more fluid that strict heterosexuality or strict homosexuality. People who identify as Bisexual claim to be attracted to both males and females; Pan-sexuals are attracted to people regardless of gender (consider it as being attracted to men, women, transsexuals, neutrois, the androgynous, etc.).

First let's deal with Bisexuality only; life is easier this way. Okay, to begin with, the Bible never actually mentions bisexuality. The problem is that the Bible discusses Heterosexuality favorably (arguably, as discussed in the previous edition), and Homosexuality unfavorably (as we will discuss in the next edition). Because Bisexuality spans both Hetero- and Homosexuality, it is a bit unfair to say that the Bible either condones or condemns Bisexual behavior. It would be arguably more accurate to claim that the Bible smiles upon those who engage in heterosexual behavior, yet frowns on those who engage in homosexual behavior. Therefore, could it be said that the Bible does not frown on Bisexuals who date those people of the opposite sex? On the opposite hand, few fundamentalists would disagree if I said that the Bible DOES frown upon Bisexuals who date those of the same sex.

So, as long as Bisexuals deny, discipline, and/or try to overcome half of their sexuality, they pass under the radar, because as far as anyone knows, they are functionally Heterosexual.

Now, Pan-sexuality is a slight bit harder to deal with. In an effort to better illustrate some issues that are exclusive to Pan-sexuality, let me tell two short, real (as in they've actually happened) stories. First, an example from my own life:

I was in a relationship with a man for over four years and most everything was good and pretty much normal. This was, until my boyfriend informed me that he has come to terms with his being transgendered. He was a woman in a man's body. She has now legally changed her name and begun hormone therapy. Hypothetically, had we continued dating, would that have constituted Homosexuality, because she is now technically female?

Another story, in which I will change the names to protect the innocent, begins with a friend of mine from school. Meagan began talking to this guy on the internet. She liked him and he liked her, and everything was fine and normal. This was, until Richard told Meagan that he was transgendered. He was born female, but had now been through the whole process of hormone therapy and is male except for the actual sexual reassignment surgery. Because Richard was born female, does his dating a woman constitute Homosexuality?

As food for thought, I would pose these questions. Are these events the same? Do they really constitute events of Homosexuality/ same sex Pan-sexuality? Is dating someone who is transgendered/neutrois defined under the blanket term of sexual immorality?

These people are not unlovable. In fact, they need the love of God just like everyone else, perhaps even more so. Perhaps there is a reason that there are people who are willing to seek love in any format. There is no sin in wanting to be loved.

Faith, by Jesus

I was told this story once. It begins with the common knowledge that sermons are often borrowed and reused, rather than a preacher always writing their own "new" material. One preacher in particular decided that he was just going to get a copy of a particular sermon and read it verbatim to his congregation. Now, during his sermon, one particular church member thought that this message sounded awfully familiar, but he could not place where he had heard it before. After the preacher finished and the service was concluded, the man asked the preacher where he got his material from that morning. The preacher opened his Bible and pointed to Jesus' sermon on the mount.

I think it is amazing how little "Christians" actually know about what Jesus taught while he was here on Earth. We all know about his miracles. I would be willing to bet that any regular church goer could list off at least three of Jesus' miracles without much thought. How many though, could tell you what Jesus thought about politics, history, people in general? What did Jesus say about the Law of Moses? Etc. Etc. Etc. . .

All this makes me wonder why when people claim to have a relationship with the living God, the God of the Universe, who walked through the pages of the Bible, they will not even take time out of their day to read what He actually said. In a way, it sickens me. I think that it is detestable to claim that you love God and have a relationship with Jesus Christ and have never once read for yourself what He, himself came all this way to teach us. I mean, really!