I was at a funeral the other day, and my wife - with reference to the deceased woman in the casket - asked the female funeral directoress: "Will she be staying here overnite?" The directoress's answer was "Yes she will," after which I softly commented: "Should the corpse be called a she or an it?" to which the indignant possibly-feminist-sexist breast-cancer-biased funeral directoress replied: "Of course she's a she and not an it!"

That got me thinking:

Was the body in the coffin a person or merely a shell? Was the entity in the casket more or less identical to some lifeless female-form manniquin in some department-store Victoria's Secret or similar display window? Had she lain there topless to the mourners gazing down at it and not her, would it and not she have been life-sized porngraphic? Could we legitimately call the deceased lying there by it's and not her first name in contrast to when she was alive and her soul had not departed away from her body by death?

The discussion continued with my wife and mother-in-law on the way home. After thinking about it further during the discourse, I announced that the soul-less spirit-less deceased body in the coffin was NO LONGER a person who we could call by [her] first name as when [she was] alive, but NOW instead a thing, a non-responsive and non-breathing it lying there....a which and a that but no longer a who, though yet associated with a previous name of identification.

Every once in a while I correct my wife to NOT call a human-infant baby an "it" but rather a he or a she. To get a proper mindset about the who-NOT-"it" personage of the human fetus in the womb so as to not be tempted to commit and never "perform" abortion-homicide [murder], the Greek word brephos for babe is used BOTH in Luke 1:41 to describe the pre-born child in Elizabeth's womb AND in Luke 2:16 to describe the already-born child Jesus lying in a manger!

In New-Testament Greek-Text Scripture, the Greek word "it" [Gr. auto and pronounced aw-tah] is applied to the body of Jesus in Luke 23:53....and as you recall, Luke was known as 'the beloved physician' and thus spoke from a medical point of view.

However, Mark 15:46 Greek Text uses the word "him" [Gr. auton and pronounced aw-tahn] relating to the body of Jesus, as does Mark 16:6, John 11:34 referring to the dead body of Lazarus, and Acts 13:30 citing God raising "him" from the dead.

As a semantical preference on my part, I agree with Dr. Luke calling the corpse of Jesus an "it."

Scriptural semantics can be mystifying and perplexing, as when Jesus told His disciples he was going to go and "awaken" Lazarus (John 11:11-14). Fortunately, He clarified such by plainly reinterpreting His strange vocabulary with: "Lazarus is dead" (John 11:14). Helpful re-wording, to say the least. We should apply that sleep-means-death re-wording to other Scripture verses such as "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed" (I Cor. 15:51-56). And: "...the [12-year-old] girl/child is not dead, but sleeping" (Matthew 9:24, Mark 5:39, Luke 8:52). What Christ meant by dead was known only to Him, and what He meant by sleeping was also only known to Him. Laughter was the expected reaction by those who knew that the girl was INDEED dead as both Dr. Luke and they understood "death" (Luke 8:53).

Speaking of death, there are advantages IF such MUST occur. For example, the "Be still and know that I am God" verse is perfectly obeyed by the 100% silent and stilled body lying in the casket. No human can disturb that absolute obedience of total immobility. Also, the verse ordering the deceased to "Avoid the presence of a fool" and "Do not associate with them" is also completely and perfectly obeyed, being that the dead one is no longer tempted nor harassed by impatient, immodest, lying, stealing, vulgar, polluted, gossiping, blasphemous, slanderous, filthy and diseased fools.

Unless one is truly called by God to go to the local morgue or funeral home and resurrect the dead body on the slab or in the coffin back to life, the question arises as to what condition the resurrector would like that body be restored back to life. Would the wrinkles still show? The severed body parts? The handicaps? The again-to-be-fatal disease in a re-established point of detriment in whatever stage? Would the diseased-caused soon-to-be-lethal pain re-commence? And who would want to pay for another funeral expense the next time around? One doubts whether a Christian, having experienced even a bit of Paradise, would want to return (by non-solicited resurrection) to the miserable life and people he or she (thankfully) left behind.

Now, a brief comment on the ridiculous phrase: "a couragous battle with cancer."

One does not "battle" nor "fight" against cancer any more successfully than one godlessly battles and fights against Satan or even being taken down by the common cold or flu. An appropriate way to think about it instead is to be sensitive and immediately responsive to one's own bodily needs and thus by default supplement the body's own God-given immune system....by promptly resting enough when tired all of a sudden instead of pushing the limits of one's body with pride-driven over-scheduling, getting to bed on time and getting enough sleep, avoiding self-abusive vices, eating enough nourishing foods (without destroying one's body trying to fast 40 days and 40 nights eating and drinking nothing hospice-style and please review Mark 5:43), urinating and defecating immediately when needed, trusting in God and living with sensible moderation and consistency, actually fearing God with reverent awe and respect

Life is short, and eternity is ahead......an eternity of [apparently] being perpetually clothed in long white robes:

Ac 1:10 = And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,
2Co 5:4 = For while we are still in this tent, we sigh with anxiety; not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
Re 1:13 = and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast;
Re 7:9 = After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
Re 7:13 = Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?"

Not exactly a scenario of a bevy of beautiful all-naked young-women virgins flying around in the clouds!

Moreoever, nakedness in Scripture is generally seen as a negative and not a positive, with such verses as:

Ge 2:25 = And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed. [Ah, the good old days!]
Ge 3:7 = Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.
Ge 3:21 = And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them.
Ge 3:10 = And he said, "I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."
Ge 3:11 = He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"
Ex 28:42 = And you shall make for them linen breeches to cover their naked flesh; from the loins to the thighs they shall reach;
Le 20:18 = If a man lies with a woman having her sickness, and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood; both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
Le 20:19 = You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister or of your father's sister, for that is to make naked one's near kin; they shall bear their iniquity.
1Sa 19:24 = And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel, and lay naked all that day and all that night. Hence it is said, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"
2Ch 28:15 = And the men who have been mentioned by name rose and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all that were naked among them; they clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them; and carrying all the feeble among them on asses, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.
Job 1:21 = And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return; the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."
Job 22:6 = For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
Isa 20:2 = at that time the LORD had spoken by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, "Go, and loose the sackcloth from your loins and take off your shoes from your feet," and he had done so, walking naked and barefoot--
Isa 20:3 = the LORD said, "As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Ethiopia,
Isa 20:4 = so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians captives and the Ethiopians exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
Isa 58:7 = Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Eze 16:7 = and grow up like a plant of the field.' And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full maidenhood; your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.
Eze 16:22 = And in all your abominations and your harlotries you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, weltering in your blood.
Eze 16:39 = And I will give you into the hand of your lovers, and they shall throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your lofty places; they shall strip you of your clothes and take your fair jewels, and leave you naked and bare.
Eze 18:7 = does not oppress any one, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,
Eze 18:16 = does not wrong any one, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,
Eze 23:29 = and they shall deal with you in hatred, and take away all the fruit of your labor, and leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered. Your lewdness and your harlotry
Ho 2:3 = lest I strip her naked and make her as in the day she was born, and make her like a wilderness, and set her like a parched land, and slay her with thirst.
Am 2:16 = and he who is stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day," says the LORD.
Mic 1:8 = For this I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will make lamentation like the jackals, and mourning like the ostriches.
Mt 25:36 = I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
Mt 25:38 = And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?
Mt 25:43 = I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
Mt 25:44 = Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?'
Mr 5:15 = And they came to Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had had the legion; and they were afraid.
Ac 19:16 = And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, mastered all of them, and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
2Co 5:3 = so that by putting it on we may not be found naked.
Re 3:17 = For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
Re 16:15 = ("Lo, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments that he may not go naked and be seen exposed!")

From the above verses, we clearly observe that it is generally considered deficient, obscene, and/or shameful to be naked, although newborn nakedness is mentioned as a fact of life, plus uncovering a woman's nakedness for pleasure, poverty, or punishment against immorality is obviously suggested (except the denuding of certain relatives) by the sacred verses above. Appreciative detailed description of certain womanly body parts plus pleasurable observation and manipulation of such is found within the erotica-reflective-and-graphically-suggestive Song of Solomon within the recognized Spirit-and-saints-approved authentic canon of genuine 66-book-Bible Scripture [although twisted male perverts and demented female deviates relegate the contents of that book merely to referencing the Lord and His Body-of-Christ Bride, the Church].

One wonders what it would have been like if Adam and Eve had continued on sinless and totally clothes-free, not only in an in-the-buff family setting with completely-exposed family members but also a multi-familial completely-naked community, township, city, county, state, federal, and global group of blessed nudist-colony/nudist-park togetherness.

I for one assume that such groupie nudity would have been quite pleasurable for the men (as I see it from a male viewpoint). Internet-image representations would have been only a small sampling of the sensuous myriad plethoria of voluptuous life-sized, in-motion, 3-D, full-color humans in constantly-repositioning pulchritude. Perhaps without the presence of evil and temptation each man would have nevertheless been faithful as to physical contact with only the woman or women belonging to him alone - whether with one single one or with a non-promiscuous but not adulterous multi-wives or concubinal harem of holy polygamy....and of course each woman would have been faithful to her husband or shared husband as part of his non-immoral, publicly-exhibitionizing, non-indecent-conduct harem.

Even now, the pleasure of men seeing sharp and true-color photos, movies, videos, and sculptures of many different (but remarkably similar) totally-naked beautiful young women on the internet, in magazines, movies, DVDs and elsewhere is mixed with the frustration of not being able to physically follow through with actual mutually-nude exchange massage and genital connections (involving mouth and vagina) for and with each one. Added to that, the satanic disdain against multiple-wife/multiple-concubine polygamy by a gutter-minded society of the many on the broad road to destruction severly inhibits and stifles free acquisition of and connections with multiple women in marriage for each particular man so interested in such, and sinful-immentality licentuous while frigidly-prudish lascivious instead only allow for defiling and illegal escort and masseuse paid prostitution or non-remunerated free-of-charge friendship harlotry.