Christian Naturism II

The other thread was sort of dying out, and I've just gotten involved, so I wanted to paste my original note and add it here for fresh discussion.

ANY THOUGHTS???

---------------

Hello all,

I'd like to contribute to this topic by saying that I "discovered" (biblical) naturism more recently on the Internet quite by accident, and that I have since learned (by God's grace) not to associate mere nakedness (whether private or social) with lust, concupiscense, sexual desire, or any such thing. What's more, I have tried it for myself during casual times (in the house, backyard, in-laws' pool) and couldn't believe how exhilirating it was, or how fun and liberating it could be. (BTW, my wife and I are from south central Texas, ages 24 and 26, respectively.)

I agree with the poster who said that nudity in social situations can facilitate immodest behavior; however, I believe this is a function of the attitudes and motivations we have for being socially nude in the first place. In short, lust is not triggered by the mere sight of a naked body, but rather by one's attitude towards nudity.

Here in America, an added negative factor is that we are culturally conditioned to react in certain ways to the sight of "private parts" or extra-exposed skin. When you get to pondering it, all this sort of conditioning accomplishes is the perpetuation and expansion of the inappropriate content market, "sexy" Victoria Secret promos and ads, the clothing industry's obsession with creating new and seductive looking outfits that morbidly focus in on and enhance those areas of the body we've been conditioned to avoid, and the entertainment industry's infatuation with sexual romance and immorality in the movies. By perpetuating the "mystery" of the body, those who pull the cultural strings succeed in enhancing our obsession with the hidden, invisible, and tantalizingly inconspicuous.

Unfortunately, we've been trained that people get naked only to have sex or "have a good time"...and expected to assume that there are no other good reasons to be naked. Well, I believe there are several: relaxation, comfort, fun (skinny-dipping is a favorite of mine), hygienic or therapeutic nudity, and the sheer exhilirating effect of bathing in the sun's warmth or catching a gentle breeze.

Let's not forget, as well, the medical necessity for nakedness in various situations, or the very natural acts of breastfeeding and child bearing. This point in particular profoundly hit home and got my wife and I thinking more seriously about nakedness from a scriptural point of view, as sessions with our certified midwife involved watching videos of fully naked women having natural water births, and of women (mostly from Europe) breastfeeding topless in public. Funny thing: It was so NATURAL, and just seemed...right.

Naturism has helped me immensely in the exercise of my faith in the following two ways:

First, it has helped to shake off more easily the pervasive commercial appeal of seduction that lurks silently around every other corner to grab my attention -- at the mall, on billboards, in commercials...whatever. I am able to control my thoughts far more effectively simply because I can now look at a naked person and appreciate the natural beauty of God's image in man without my mind wandering into the gutter even for the tiniest split second. I can also appreciate the artistic gifts of God's image bearers through the painting, drawing or photographing of nude figures (provided the art glorifies, exalts and honors God's image).

Second, and related to the first, reconditioning and renewing my mind about nudity using the Bible has impressed upon me the inherent GOODNESS of everything God has created, and that it was wrong and unnatural for Adam and Eve to have reacted the way they did to their own nakedness. Take a look at Heb.5:13-14, in fact. Here, we're taught that having knowledge of good and evil is GOOD, as it leads to spiritual maturity. This tells me that Adam and Eve grasped for power and knowledge prematurely (before fulfilling their probation in obedience to God's commands). In fact, in Solomon's famous prayer, he asks God for "knowledge of good and evil", and God grants his request! This tells me that Adam and Eve were immature children at the time they ate of the fruit, and thus were not ready to appropriate or handle that knowledge. They were not yet ready to rule or judge mankind.

As a result, God grants them animal skins. He did not "command" clothes, but accommodated His children in the Garden, until such time as they matured in their knowledge of the world and their own bodies. The skins also functioned as sacramental symbols of God's atonement for their sin. (Now our sacramental covering is baptism; women have an added covering: their long hair, according to I Cor.11.) Third, they naturally needed protection from the cursed environment, which brought with it pain -- "thorns and thistles" and adverse meteorological conditions (e.g., extreme cold and heat).

Basically, I think that clothes have five (at least) needful and legitimate functions: (1) to "protect" us from the environment, (2) to beautify, decorate, or enhance our appeal, (3) to distinguish those in their various occupations and labors (mail carriers, soldiers, clergy, etc.); and (4) and (5) correspond with God's atoning work and accomodation for our original Parents in Paradise.

We don't need a good reason to be naked - only to be clothed!

As a result, my wife and are going to teach our children that nakedness is not something to eschew, condemn, be ashamed of or embarrassed by. We will allow them to be naked when they want (not in places where it's illegal!), and we will enjoy casual nudity as a family from time to time. Studies have shown that children who are taught to have a practical, matter-of-fact attitude about nudity are not morbidly curious little creatures about the "private parts", are able to cope more easily with puberty, and are not tempted by the allures of inappropriate content to the extent that non-naturists are. This is definitely how I want to train my children!

And while nudity is just one small aspect of our human experience (as one poster wisely put it), and certainly won't "change the world" by itself or bring a utopian existence to planet earth (only God, through His Son by the Gospel and Spirit can do this), bringing a Christian world and life view to bear on all aspects and areas of human endeavor can only enhance, enliven, and illuminate our faith in ways that bring us closer to God, both as individual persons and as a corporate body, knit fitly together in Him in the bond of peace by the Spirit of God.

Yours in Christ,
paleodoxy

I suspect, based on my limited interaction with others on this topic, that from a Biblical standpoint, the Fall account in Gen.1-3, probably more than any other pasage, makes people hesitate to embrace naturism as a morally viable hobby - esp. in social situations.

A growing number of scholars, though, continue to poke holes in this theory with great interpretive effectiveness. I have worked on this text long enough, and consulted commentators enough on this issue to feel pretty comfortable with my conclusions by now -- and predictably, I've yet to see any real vital challenge to this alternative (which I briefly introduced in my prior post).

Appealing against naturism based on Paul's exhortain to "modesty" doesn't really work, either, because there are numerous examples of public nakedness by God-fearing Kings and prophets, as well as the apostles Peter and Paul (who penned I Tim.2:9 on "modesty"). It is increasingly recognized that "modesty" is cultural, situational, and behavioral. It doesn't imply that exposure of x amount of the body is INHERENTLY sinful, regardless of time, place or context.

Two other passages most often appealed to against naturism are Gen. 9 (Noah's nakedness) and Lev.18 / 20, which warns against "uncovering the nakedness" of your immediate and extended family (e.g., your father or your uncle). This fails, too, because most recognize that "uncover nakedness" is a euphemism for immorality ("sexual relations"). And Lev.20:11 explicitly confirms this by stating that having relations with one's mother is to uncover your father's nakedness. Leviticus 18 and 20 are explicitly condemning the sin of incest. These passages aren't even dealing with sexual immorality in general, but a specific type of immorality. Therefore, it cannot be talking about mere nakedness.

Having said that, scholars are realizing that the Noah account is a highly compressed narrative that implies the following: "father's nakedness" here means what it means in Leviticus, and Ham committed maternal incest (had sex with Noah's wife) and returned from the tent, holding up some token of his "triumph" that he might supplant Noah's authority and steal Shem's inheritance. Ham's brothers retrieved what Ham had taken, and went back into the tent to cover Noah's shame (evidence of Ham's shameful conduct).

When Noah discovers this, he curses Ham.

In the Bible, having sex with your father's wife is a means of seeking to overthrow his authority, just as Abishag violated his mother to supplant King David.

So anyway, I'm just wondering: Why all the opposition to nakedness? Can't Christians enjoy the freedom of being naked in the outdoors without worrying about the charge of "immorality" or "immodesty" looming over them constantly?

Those who participate on this board and who may be following this thread: What do you think? And why? What is your opinion on the biblical evidence offered for nudity and naturism?

LET'S GET SOME FUN DISCUSSION GOING!!!