Don Merritt is writing about living the naked life.  A life stripped of all barriers.  A life of real relationship in real community.  Community without fear.  Community with God.

It comes with discomfort – the thought of being “naked” before God.  We have been taught the shame of sin – we do and God cannot.  Taught the hierarchy of control – we aren’t God is.  Taught the taint of spiritual genetics – we were perfect and now we aren’t.

Whether that is The Garden or some other God-breathed reason – we are taught shame.  We are not good enough for God.  Not without a steam-clean wash and regular de-lousing.  The One True God who wants to take away our shame (that we have been taught).  The shame we must have so He can take it away (we are taught).  All because the bible says so.  And the bible is God.  The Word is God and God is revealed by Us in the Word.  No one comes to the Father but through Us.

Right now God Soft Hands Jesus draws me to this injustice time after time.

This God of Mystery.  This God whom none can know unless through us explaining The Son of God made man.  Here is how you really know Him. The Him called I Am.  You know Him through Us, the Qualified Teachers of God.

And after we have taught you well, you will be dressed in The Knowledge of God.  You will be fully clothed and presentable – washed clean enough to be forgiven.  Just say the words and the deal is done.  Salvation is yours and you are one of Us.  So long as you turn up each week and tithe and support the Church.  Because faith is not enough.  Even tithing is not enough.  You must have Deeds as well.  Must bring others to Us.  That is how you become a  disciple.  That is how you know I Am.  Because no one comes to I Am except through Us.

If all that is me being cynical …

Why the discomfort when Don talks about living a naked relationship with God?  Why the need for that language and imagery?  Why the “gulps” in the comments?  And (to change the subject and blogs for a minute) …

WTF is “complementarism and/or egalitarianism”?  So being naked before God can’t even happen before deciding who is in charge of spiritual matters at home?  Are “church” and “home” that separate?  Or is that why the church mirrors home: we need to decide who is in charge first?

Gotta be scripturally correct in all things – or God will be pissed!

I Am married.

I know when I Am naked in relationship.  And I know when I Am not.  I also know when my partner is or isn’t.  And I need no teaching to know that.  Naked is easy, stress free, absent of control, absent of confession, forgiveness and worship, absent of master and disciple, absent of leader and follower.  Our grandchildren call it “nake nake”.  Clothing is irrelevant.  Shame is unknown.  Safety is all.  Living in the moment and engaging with those in that moment is everything.

Everything.

So why do we teach a complicated God?  A God who loves us before we are even born and without condition thereafter – so long as we accept all the conditions of unconditional love.  All so we can lose the (taught) clothing of shame to live naked with God in the new (taught) clothing of being saved.  How can I ever live naked if I always have to wear someone else’s conditions?  God is simple.

God is nake nake.

God is the child.  One who is able to live in the moment.  All I have to do is the same.  God is the one who is fun.  All I have to do is to to have fun too.  God is nake nake with me always.  And I know what nake nake is.  I have always known what nake nake is.  I Am nake nake.

So why do we teach all this stuff of shame and sin when God doesn’t and God isn’t?

Why?

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