7. Naked Parades
The radical Spirit Warrior faction advocated avoidance of the trappings of modern society in everything, from the exploitation of animals to the use of electricity. In a tragic twist, their “advocacy” went beyond the adoption of a simple life for themselves. Like a deranged Quaker Al Qaeda in Canada’s back of beyond, they paraded naked to emulate the simple lives of Adam and Eve. They also terrorized, burned the homes, and destroyed the material goods of other Doukhobors who dared partake of modernity. The Canadian authorities had their hands full trying to deal with the radical Russian religious migrants. Mass naked parades would probably raise eyebrows today. Back in the early twentieth century, the Doukhobor splinter faction – who eventually named themselves The Freedomites – shocked sensibilities when they conducted mass protests in the buff.
