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“The irony could not have been lost on her.

And as the Duchess of Cambridge received an intricate beaded necklace from a gaggle of bare-chested locals she couldn’t help but let out a giggle.

The Young Royals were garlanded with the traditional jewellery during their visit to the tiny village of Marau in the Solomon Islands …

It was a world away from the storm that has engulfed the couple because of topless pictures of Kate published by a french magazine Closer last week. The Duke and Duchess’s lawyers are in a Paris court today seeking an injunction to prevent the further spread of the images.”

It’s culturally acceptable in some places for women to go about topless, while doing so in others will get a woman slut-shamed or make her prime tabloid fodder. Some others fall somewhere between the extremes. So where’s the line? What’s our barometer?

God’s word.

I can think of no verse that speaks of women going about topless in biblical times, but I can’t think of any either that oversexualize women’s breasts the way we do today.

If breasts were so hyper-sexual, there’s a chance Jesus won’t have uttered the word as he was led to the Cross. They won’t show up so much in non-erotic parts of Scripture.

I bet if we viewed breasts the way they were viewed during biblical times, ANRs would be less taboo. If we saw breasts as nurturing organs first, it’ll be more acceptable for a woman to use them in service to her husband.

In hindsight, I now realize that every date of mine who agreed to an ANR had God led us to marriage, has been the maternal type who didn’t completely buy into culture’s prevailing ethos on breasts. They all viewed breasts as beautiful, natural organs to be used for the benefit of the other, not self.

Nudity is to be defined in its cultural context, while mindful of God. Any Western pastor would look foolish for telling Himba women of Namibia to cover up, or shouting at Solomon Islander women that they’re going to hell. The Bible has had a refining influence on women’s topfreedom ^[1], but said tribal women who see no sexual offense caused by their bare breasts have some sort of admirable innocence than those who sexualize them and have been conditioned into thinking breasts are extremely sexual organs that make people uncomfortable.

Don’t get sucked in and stuck to your cultural norms. Also, don’t become a slave to religion. Use God’s word as your plumb line.

If God views breasts as nurturing organs before sexual ones, so should you.

See also God’s view of the two functions of breasts, breasts versus other body parts (upcoming) and Free from Religion

Reference

1. When Did Bare Breasts Become Taboo?

The Line