Bare Facts
Copyright 2000 Lake Edun Foundation, Inc.
Official Publication of the Lake Edun Foundation, Inc.
December 1, 2002
Box 1982; Topeka, KS 66601 Voice Mail: 785-478-BARN e-mail: benude@lakeedun.com Website: www.lakeedun.com
LEF Board Selects New Leaders
At their first meeting following election to the Board by the membership at the annual meeting, the board divided responsibilities. The following board members will assume responsibilities as follows:
Chairman, Bornnude; President, John Ritter, Secretary, Doug; Treasurer, Webb Garlinghouse; Publicity, Bret; Facilities and Conservation, Terrance; Social, Diana and Barbara; Development, Heather; Membership, Dee; At large, ptMike.
We thank all those Eduners who support LEF with their time and resources either as a member of the Board of Directors, with their funds, or in the many other ways Eduners find to be supportive. If you have suggestions for activities for the next year, please let a member of the board know. We are always anxious to improve the way we carry out our mission.
Spotlight On New Board Members
We are fortunate to have some 'relatively new' members who are involved and passionate about our special place. It is because of caring people like them that we are able to get things done and keep our membership rates so low.
Bruce and Barb will be coordinating with families to help get more children at the lake at the same time. The idea is to make things more fun for the kids. If you have children, you will want to insure they know how to contact you. This year, we will be planning days and activities of particular interest to children. We hope that once children meet others their age and have a good time, they will be more anxious to return. Contact us to get your name on their list.
Diana (Carver Dave) will be in charge of social this year. She is working on a calendar for activities for the year. She will also coordinate with Bruce and Barb about social events that will be fun for the kids. If there is something you would like to see scheduled or if you wish to host a party, be sure to contact Diana or any member of the Board.
Next, we have Terrance. He will be in charge of Conservation and Facilities. He has already proven to be quite an asset by offering some very helpful suggestions at our annual meeting. We look forward to the new perspective he will bring to his position.
It must also be said all 4 of these people live quite a little distance away. That takes even more dedication than it does for those of us who live in town. This is the kind of involvement we need and everyone appreciates.
Thank you to these new members who have graciously offered their time to further our educational goals and help make events run smoothly at our special place. When you meet them, be sure to express your appreciation, as well.
Chili Cook-Off Was Hot!
When we made plans for our November 9 chili cook-off, we had no idea what a hot idea it would be! Thanks to all who participated and particularly to both the winning entry from Doug Davis and the hot contribution from Carver Dave. It was truly one of the more memorable days at our special place.
There have been rumors of a Christmas party but, as of this late date, your newsletter editor has heard of no specific plans. If we get word of an event, we will let everyone know by email. If you are not on our email list, be sure you register your email address at benude@lakeedun.com.
Marian's Father Passes Away
We just received the following from Marian concerning her father. Our condolences go to Marian, Chuck and her entire family. Don had visited our special place about three years ago and kept up with our activities through a subscription to Bare Facts.
Donald (Don) Anglin passed away December 6, 2002 at Lovelace Hospital. He was born in Mountainair, New Mexico on April 21, 1932. He was a veteran of 21 years in the military (Army & AF). He is survived by his wife Daisy Anglin, 2 daughters Marian Anglin of Albuquerque, Juanita Anglin/Robertson of Oklahoma City, OK, one stepdaughter Monica Bentley of Old Saybrook, CT and one stepson, Chad Wilson of Topeka, KS.
There will be no services, as he is being cremated. His wish was that we get all friends and relatives together for a party, which will be at a later date. His special comment was "It's not the years, it's the miles and I had a good life."
His wishes would be for all donations to go to the Lake Edun Legal Defense. [In her note, Marian requested no flowers - just support for the Legal Defense Fund. Contributions made in Don's memory should be so noted. We will send Marian a list of all such contributors. -ed.]
Activities designated HN are sponsored by Heartland Naturists
Dec 14; Sat; 4-6; Board of Directors Meeting
Dec 14; Sat; 7-9; Sauna
Dec 14; Sat; 7-?; HN Marge's famous Christmas Bash
Dec 20; Fri; 8-10; HN Swim in Lenexa
Dec 28; Sat; 7-9; Sauna
Jan 11; Sat; 4-6; Board of Directors Meeting
Jan 11; Sat; 7-9; Sauna
Jan 17; Fri; 8-10; HN Swim in Lenexa
Jan 24; Fri; 7-9; Sauna
From The Mail Bag
Our mail box has been busy recently. This month we are running more than the usual number of letters because they seem to illustrate so well the impact our special place has on so many. We are pleased these individuals have discovered how beneficial Naturism can be. We hope more people will discover for themselves the truths carried in these letters.
For the skeptics out there, none of this is made up. All these letters are real! We couldn't make up stories this good. If you would like to share with others your experiences about the way Lake Edun or Naturism has impacted your life, address them to our P.O. Box or email us at benude@lakeedun.com. We will print as many as space permits.
Dear Lake Edun:
Please continue my subscription to Bare Facts. My wife and I were only able to make one trip to Lake Edun this summer but very much enjoyed our time and the people there. - Dennis
[And thank you for your generous contribution to our legal defense fund. - Ed.]
Dear Lake Edun:
It is great to be back home. I spent 10 weeks in Loma Linda, California. I could tell stories for hours of the things that I saw at that hospital. Some good and some sad. Most of what I saw was great news for people with cancer. They have the place to cure cancer. I had very little side effects with my treatment. There were a total of forty treatments for me. One per day, Monday through Friday. I had no hair loss, no strength loss and no weight loss. In fact I gained weight. I played golf, went swimming, and traveled through the San Bernidino mountains and ate at some of the best restaurants. I met people from all over the world. Some I will stay in touch with for the rest of my life. It makes you feel as if you are in a fraternity. I am now of graduate of Loma Linda's Brotherhood of the Balloon. That is Bob for short. I will explain what that stands for at a later date.
I kept looking at the web page while I was gone. It was good to be able to keep up with things back home. Dee called and emailed quite a few times. She is a good friend and a great asset to the lake. Tell all hello. I will be back in the spring. - Eldon
Our First Experience
Dear Lake Edun -
After publishing my letter in your [August] newsletter, I wanted to write back and let you know that we finally made it back for a REAL (nude) visit since the Open House.
My wife wanted to do something she'd never done before on her 50th Birthday. So, on August 27th, we both had our first nude visit to Lake Edun.
I had been gently working on my wife for a return visit since the Open House. It seemed that she always had a really good reason for not wanting to go. I'm sure she was hoping that I would eventually give up on the idea of returning to Lake Edun for a nude visit.
She really wanted to find a place to swim on her birthday, but since school had started it wasn't easy to find a public pool that was still open. Once again, I suggested Lake Edun. This time she took the bait and said, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea!". She'd made it clear that IF she agreed to go back, it would be a time when there weren't many people around. Since this was a weekday, it seemed to be an ideal day for a return visit.
We went out and the crowd was pretty sparse. We met Mike at the barn. Later, we ran into Dan (an out of town visitor from Illinois) and a couple of regulars, Beth and Lane.
Though this was our first experience with social nudity, it was an extremely positive and relaxing experience for BOTH of us - including my wife who had reservations about the whole idea.
I have heard from others, that the nicest people in the world are found at the nudist resorts. Our experience at the Open House led me to believe it to be true, but then our return visit this past Tuesday confirmed it without any doubt.
Mike, Lane, Beth, and Dan (the Illinois visitor) all went out of their way to be very friendly towards us. That sure helped ease our apprehension since we were definitely newbies at this. Beth was very helpful in pointing out that we were welcome to use the rafts, paddle boats, and canoes. They also gave us the lowdown on the good fishing to be had at Lake Edun.
Mike was extremely helpful in telling us about more direct highway routes into Lake Edun and some of his favorite eating places around town. We had a nice visit with him at the barn.
Overall, I can't express what a fun and relaxing afternoon we had at Lake Edun. We had made plans to eat out at a nice restaurant in Kansas City for my wife's birthday, so we had to leave much earlier than we really would have liked.
After our visit, my wife is now more used to social nudity, but she is still wanting to avoid big crowds. We plan on returning for another visit Labor Day afternoon. She is hoping that the largest Labor Day crowds might thin a little by that time. But if not, I think our experience last Tuesday will make her much more comfortable even if some of the Labor Day crowd is still there.
I'm looking forward to meeting more of the Lake Edun members and guests. If others are as nice as the people we've already met, then we're really in for a treat on future visits.
I want to thank you for providing such a Great Place for relaxation and fun!! I'm only sorry we didn't discover Lake Edun years ago!
Best Regards, - Randy
[Randy and his wife joined LEF in September. - ed.]
TNS Membership Rates To Go Up
TNS announced recently that their membership rates will increase after the first of the year. Currently, a one year membership in TNS costs $40. After January 1, this will increase to $45.
Membership in TNS includes a subscription to their well produced magazine, "N" and a membership card that is recognized at all affiliated clubs. It is also a way of learning about and supporting a great national organization.
If you are interested in joining or extending your membership in TNS at the lower price still in effect, be sure we receive your payment soon.
Items We Need
Random Thoughts & Reflections
Why is it? After complaining they lacked access to succeed, female sportswriters were given access to the locker rooms of male athletes several years back where they routinely interview naked male athletes. But, there is no attempt to permit male reporters into the locker rooms of female athletes. Is this because no one believes female athletes are newsworthy?
Recently, L.M. Boyd wrote in the Orange County Register that "blood pressure readings of nudists tend to be lower than readings of people generally. That's nudists as a group. Clearly, you couldn't say that about every new nudist recruit who walks into camp." In addition to all the other benefits naturism offers, its good to know that it tends to promote lower blood pressure also. Perhaps some of our neighbors who get their blood pressure worked up worrying about our activities should take this advise to heart.
Well, it's happened. Bare Facts has recently learned a version of Debbie Does Dallas has opened at an off-Broadway theater in New York City. While this is being promoted as a production without any nudity, it is interesting that it capitalizes on the name and, evidently, some of the story line of the 70's hard core porn flick. We are reminded that the anonymous source that helped bring down the Nixon presidency was nick named "Deep Throat", another 70's porn title.
By Jeffrey Overstreet from Christianity Today, Week of July 16Many Film Forum readers and visitors to my own film-review site persist in telling me that Christians have no place at R-rated movies, due to the prevalence there of bad language, violence, and nudity. Yet others find many "restricted" films to be as meaningful and challenging as films that fall on the "safe" side of the line. It's an important subject, raising questions about the purpose of art, the responsibilities of artists and audiences, the demands of parenting, and the state of the current film ratings system. It also calls into question the proper definitions of various terms - pornography, erotic sex, and lust, to name a few.
Nudity is a timely and volatile subject to explore first. Recently, the action flick Swordfish was celebrated by the entertainment press. Half the film's press coverage dished on the apparently monumental news that the supporting actress was going to appear topless. The film, more commercial entertainment than art, did big business. The studio shamelessly used the nudity as one (two?) of the movie's hottest selling points and even teased us with it in the ads. Rumors flew that Warner Bros. had paid an alarming fee for her to drop her dress. Whatever happened behind the scenes, Hollywood has learned its lesson well: sex sells, and Hollywood is not afraid to capitalize on it. Do such reckless Hollywood directors, producers, and actors spoil the freedoms of artists who have more integrity, and who might use nudity in a film appropriately? Or is there no appropriate case for birthday suits on the big screen? Critics in the religious media were generous in sharing their carefully phrased opinions. It pains me to abbreviate any of their well-rounded arguments; all of them had worthwhile contributions.
Here is a brief sampling of what they had to say, followed by a few excerpts from Film Forum readers.
Critics Bare Their Thoughts
Ron Reed - playwright/actor/Artistic Director of Pacific Theatre in Vancouver, B.C.-defends free use of the human form in art. "The human body - and human sexuality in general-should not be excluded from film, nor should such art be avoided by Christians. God gave us the arts as a way to explore all aspects of humanity and divinity, to consider what it is to be human as well as what it is to relate to God. The individual believer is the one who is responsible before God to decide what works of art they should or should not experience at what season in their life. But being timid and overcautious about what we experience - whether in art or in life - isn't necessarily more likely to lead to spiritual health than is the opposite approach."
Steve Lansingh, Webmaster at The Film Forum, offers a personal testimony: "One of the great lies American Christians tell our men is to stay away from nudity in order to avoid sexual temptation. As a teenager I had no idea there was any other way to deal with lust other than avoidance, and the effects of that tactic still haunt me today. I developed a sort of detachment to life, trying not to let the physical world around me affect my mental or spiritual state. To this day I'd rather write about a problem than help someone with one; I pray intellectually rather than experientially; I remain Gnostic in practice if not in principle, and must fight it every day. Trying to reunite mind and body has been the most helpful tactic for me in fighting the visual sexual temptation of the movies; the more I'm conscious of sex as both physical and mental, the harder it is to be aroused by a mere image. The more I'm aware of God's design of the sexes for each other, the easier it is to see the human body as God's glory rather than Satan's tool. To understand who we are as human beings, and who the God who created us is, we need to address the sexual life. I don't know if it can be done properly without nakedness."
Lansingh draws a distinction between artful nudity and pornography. "[Pornography] doesn't necessarily have to include nudity. There is pornographic violence, pornographic advertising, pornographic sentiment, and pornographic evangelism. As a whole, I define pornography as anything that promises satisfaction from empty experience - from self-esteem through Gatorade to the gift of life through cheap grace." Personal responsibility, he suggests, is the key to navigating these waters. "Temptation will still arrive, from TV ads to tank tops, and must be addressed in a Christian's life regardless of one's moviegoing habits."
For David Bruce, Webmaster at HollywoodJesus.com, it's not a complicated issue. "Secular films are the reflection of the secular world," he writes. "I approach the subject matter like any missionary would. Would a missionary avoid 'half dressed' natives or their native stories? No. Neither do I. We are in the culture as ambassadors for Christ. Movies are stories of the secular culture. I truly do not sweat nudity."
J. Robert Parks, film critic for the Hyde Park Herald and The Phantom Tollbooth Web site, has strong words for the Church in this matter: "The contemporary church's obsession with nudity is misguided, misleading, and even harmful. Misguided because we all know that we can be provoked to lust by a lot less than nudity. The James Bond films have certainly taught us that. Misleading because the emphasis on nudity (and swearing) distracts us from equally egregious temptations. The Bible is much more concerned with money and materialism than it is with nudity and lust, and yet few Christians are concerned with Hollywood's blatant glorification of materialist excess, a problem I believe has greatly infected the church. Finally, harmful because our focus on the negative aspects of nudity and sex often skew our perspective and lead us to denigrate something that God sees as beautiful and sacred. … I don't believe that seeing a naked woman or man is necessarily wrong. However, if looking at nudity provokes me to lust, then I have to examine my own heart and allow the Holy Spirit to redeem that part of my life and/or flee from that temptation."
Matthew Prins, freelancer and reviewer for The Christian Century: "Need I refrain? It depends on my state of mind, who I'm seeing [the movie] with (seeing it with my wife, for example, could color the situation differently), [and] how my relationship is with God. I don't see a difference between a man lusting after Halle Berry, Mona Lisa, or The Little Mermaid's Ariel. I don't think the essentialness of the nudity to the story is going to dictate whether someone is tempted to sin because of it. My short answer then: there is no short answer."
"I wouldn't encourage adults to skip movies with nudity in them any more than I would recommend avoiding art galleries or spas or health books or any representation of human existence," writes Doug Cummings, the Chiaroscuro Webmaster. "The problem is generally not nakedness itself, but the commercial glorification of false ideals. Our culture is obsessed with body image and physical self-worth. It results in everything from anorexia to body modification. Human nakedness (and by implication, sexuality) is a beautiful thing to be cherished, but we can distort it through our fallen perspectives." He would re-direct our concerns to the effect of the work as a whole on its audience. "What movies are ultimately saying - and how we read them - is a lot more important than rigid classifications of their content. A film like Eyes Wide Shut may even be billed as a spicy erotic thriller, but when it's all said and done, adult viewers leave the theatre chewing on the importance of marriage fidelity and commitment. It's one of the most morally minded films I've seen in years."
Holly McClure is a syndicated movie critic for the Orange County Register and for Crosswalk.com. Her latest book Death by Entertainment - Exposing Hollywood's Seductive Power on You and Your Family - will be in stores in August. For McClure, the determining factors lie in "how [nudity] is used - if it is in context with the story and not if it's used for the sheer purpose of titillation. Films where nudity is exploited or used to seduce the audience is what we should avoid. … A creative director doesn't need to use full nudity to get a passionate scene. Romance works better when the audience has to use [its] imagination."
Michael Elliott, critic and founder of Movie Parables, argues, "I don't believe any critic (or noncritic for that matter) can determine for another individual what is or is not appropriate for viewing. Each of us responds differently to stimuli, with different levels of spiritual maturity. Some may find a scene containing nudity to be salacious and offensive; others may not be offended by it at all. How a director uses nudity will certainly be a factor in how it will be perceived by the public." He cites Swordfish's nudity as an example of mere indulgence. However, "Requiem For a Dream depicts the downward spiral that occurs when people become dependent upon drugs. The level to which a young woman sank, debasing her body in order to get a 'fix,' was horrifying and sent as effective an anti-drug message as any film I've seen."
Peter T. Chattaway, published in various Vancouver newspapers, Books & Culture and Christianity Today, and an associate editor at BC Christian News, writes about his favorite film of 1999 - The Dreamlife of Angels. "To shy away from the nudity, in a film that is all about relationships, and in a film where a few of those relationships happen to be sexual, would work against the film, not for it. That was a film that had profound significance from a Christian point of view."
Personally, as I scan most movie reviews in Christian publications, I am frustrated at how quickly they discredit films merely because they include nudity … or bad language, or violence, or any occurrence that may well reflect the truth of the world around us. If censors removed nudity from some of the cinematic stories that have powerfully affected my thinking about good and evil, ethics, and relationships, those films would not have worked. In The Unbearable Lightness of Being, a pleasure-seeker almost ruins his chances at one true love by his exploits. The sexual matters there are also metaphors for the film's spiritual, social, and political context. La Belle Noiseuse portrays an aging artist making a masterpiece as a nude model poses. We observe how paying attention to a person can change them, and how being seen can change the observer. It never cheapens its subject by stooping to predictable, shallow sexual conflicts or tensions.
On the other hand, the nudity in American Beauty seemed unnecessary, even destructive, to the film's lessons about freedom and responsibility. Lester Burnham (Keven Spacey) finally decides his lustful advance on a vulnerable teenager is inappropriate. Yet his sexual fantasies and a momentary dalliance with the unclothed teenager are served up to the audience in a way that is packaged for our aesthetic pleasure. This is hypocritical and inappropriate. As the movie asserts, we should indeed learn to appreciate creation's beauty. But as the movie preaches one thing, the music, the camera's lingering on the nudity … it all seems designed to celebrate the inappropriately rash display of a teenager's nudity, coaxing us to join Mr. Burnham in his lust. The nudity is not the problem, but the way it is used, and the context of its display, provoke my objection. Still, I've received testimonies from many Christians to whom the film deeply spoke.
Readers React, Respond, Reveal
Some readers are wary of the consequences that might come from viewing such imagery. A few argued from their own experience, it is best to avoid the contact entirely.
"The right response for myself is just not placing myself in the position of viewing images I don't want to recall," responds Scott Green. "As parents of five children, I believe my wife and I are to be held accountable before God for their moral training. What message does it send to a child when Mom and Dad see 'R'-rated movies, but they can't?" (Chattaway, addressing the same issue, compared this dilemma to the issuance of a driver's license. Does it send a bad signal to your children if a parent can drive, but the child must wait until they are older and have developed certain disciplines and maturity?) And Jason Cusick argues that nudity is often detrimental to the work: "Nudity and sex scenes actually take away from story narratives. People get attached to characters but when a sex scene comes, they suddenly see the two actors having sex." He argues that "there are many more creative and equally artistic ways of showing sexuality and sexual relations in movies."
But Troy M. Miller argues the "proper context" perspective, and suggests: "3.4 seconds of gratuitous female nudity … put into [a] movie just to drag the men into the theater … isn't much of a reason not to go see it, as it tends to be so silly it's mostly ineffective." Jay Phillippi, youth missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York, contributes this testimony: "I'm not a devotee of the 'For God's sake, cover up!' school. I've been watching movies for years as a youth leader and father of a daughter. So far I haven't been struck blind or been morally corrupted by the flash of a bare breast or bottom. As with so much of what we argue about, we seem to overlook the point that God made that breast (or whatever) - the question is how we use it. It can also offer a wonderful starting point for the discussion of 'why,' especially with teens."
Ted Boodle responds with a simple question: "If the Bible was made into a movie … would Christians boycott it?"
The Bible on Birthday Suits
Is there consensus here? Critics agree that lustful thoughts are to be discouraged, and thus individuals need to exercise restraint and responsibility, acting responsibly in view of personal weaknesses and temptations. In a wonderfully extreme exhortation, the Bible says we had better pluck out our eyes than be led into temptation. But that refers to all temptation: perhaps it's that SUV in front of you on the highway, or whatever is in the glass of the person next to you at the restaurant. Should an auto enthusiast barricade himself in his house to avoid seeing that SUV that makes him jealous? Or should an alcoholic avoid all restaurants to avoid the temptation to order that margarita? Perhaps. But wouldn't it be better to develop self-control and wisdom that would nip that sinful desire in the bud? Jesus was adamant about avoiding temptation, but he was also strong enough to know how to enjoy wine, dancing, and the company of sinners, and he exhorted his disciples to go, to be "in, but not of, the world."
J. Robert Parks says, "A critical aspect of all of this is a proper understanding of Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 and 10. We as believers must recognize that we have very different weaknesses." Michael Elliot refers us to Philippians 4:8, where we are exhorted to focus our minds on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, and worthy of praise." For David Bruce, it's important to remember Acts 17:16-34, and, like Paul, go out and engageour neighbors, listening to their stories in order to better understand how to serve them and love them as Christ would. Doug Cummings reminds us of Mark 7: 'Hear me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him.'" And Steve Lansingh offers these scriptures: "On the glory of the created body: Genesis 1-2. On the necessity of examining human sexuality: Song of Solomon. On the importance of flesh to God - the incarnation of Jesus: John 1:1-14. On the usefulness of stories in teaching truth: Luke 10:25-37, 15:11-31. On the diversity of choices within the Christian body: Romans 14:2-8. On the revelation of God through sinful people and actions: Gen. 1-Rev. 22."
Sounds like the Scriptures have quite a bit that is valuable for "teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness" - even in ways that can inform and enrich our experiences at the movies.
- Montaigne, Apology for Raymond Sebonde LEF LEGAL DEFENSE FUND NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT NOW!!!!!
REDUCE YOUR TAXES - SUPPORT LAKE EDUN BEFORE YEAR-END!
The Lake Edun defense fund needs your financial support now - more than ever!
Contributions to the legal defense fund are used for legal expenses to keep Lake Edun open. Our permit expires Dec.31st. We have hired an attorney who has experience but we need funds to pay him.
We CAN keep Lake Edun open but only with your support!!!
Ways you can help:
Make a direct financial donation (it's tax deductible!)
Join or renew your membership if you've allowed it to expire!
Renew your membership early.
Help organize fundraisers
Participate in fundraising
If you'd like to make a donation now, or renew your membership please mail to Box 1982; Topeka KS 66601 or email benude@lakeedun.com
If you'd like to assist in fundraising activities or have any experience or interest in grant writing contact Heather at 224-5847.
There are many of us interested in maintaining our freedom at Lake Edun. We all realize how beautiful the place is and how healthy our association can be. A relatively small contribution from each of us will go a long way toward keeping our special place available for many years to come.
Each of us are different and have financial means. If all Eduners will review their situation and make a generous contribution of $20, $100, $500 or $2,000, we will be in good shape for the challenges that lay ahead.Late Flash: The Naturist Society has pledged $1,500 to our legal defense fund and has challenged us to match their pledge by raising at least $1,500 from our own membership. Mail your contributions NOW to our P.O. Box or you may charge your contribution on your Visa or MasterCard. With all of our members and supporters, we should easily surpass their challenge.