Are nudist church services morally acceptable?

Archivist said:

The population of the Roman Empire around 25 BC was approximately 56.8 million.

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Source for that number

Darkhorse said:

Extending nudity beyond the family shows all of us how we belong to the greater human family.
Many different colors, many different shapes, but in reality all one tribe, made in the image of God.

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So we need nudity to show us that?

I'm not buying that.. Sorry

I never said "we need nudity to show us that"...

Many things make this evident (DNA, blood types, mixed-race individuals), but seeing a large group of nude people really drives it home.

The many Spencer Tunick photos point this out.

Maria Sweet said:

If people want to prance around naked while on vacation in a nudist-friendly environment, what’s the harm?

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Poison Ivy?.....

Maria Sweet said:

I admit I was just as skeptical about nudism as you were when I first created this thread. But DarkHorse has made some compelling points and convinced me that nudists camps, resorts, and beaches are innocuous. If people want to prance around naked while on vacation in a nudist-friendly environment, what’s the harm?

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Thank you for your confidence, Maria. You are correct, but seeing is believing.
I urge anyone who doubts my experiences (and those of others) to visit one and see for yourself.
You don't necessarily have to be nude - talk to the management of a resort about a quick visit.
Beaches: just show up; keep your swimsuit on if you like. Leave when you're ready.

I remember one service at the nude church in question where an older man in a dress suit showed up. Many people seemed to know him, and many shook his hand. I don't know for sure, but I think he was a preacher from a local church, coming to check us out. He only stayed a few minutes.

If so, he had the courage and discernment to see what we were really like, instead of remaining distant and ignorant.

Maria Sweet said:

If people want to prance around naked while on vacation in a nudist-friendly environment, what’s the harm?

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Someone calling the local mental assylum to have said nude prancers admitted?

Doctor.Sphinx said:

Someone calling the local mental assylum to have said nude prancers admitted?

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Since when is visiting a nudist resort or a nude beach grounds for being committed?

In a nutshell no

Maria Sweet said:

He is from Egypt, a country that is socially conservative and influence by Islam, which is a very conservative religion. Hence his views on nudism.

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But that church described on the OP is in the US, so the views on nudity in Egypt are irrelevant.

Maria Sweet said:

I admit I was just as skeptical about nudism as you were when I first created this thread. But DarkHorse has made some compelling points and convinced me that nudists camps, resorts, and beaches are innocuous. If people want to prance around naked while on vacation in a nudist-friendly environment, what’s the harm?

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I am going more by the title of this thread.

I understand people will do what they want, but doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to God.

His point seemed to be it was morally acceptable for nudist church services.

As a Christian, personally my morality follows God’s commands and the Bible for morals and values

Baby Alice said:

Even so, all this says is that he gave them clothes made from animal skins, isn't it more likely that this was to keep them warm than to cover their bodies which he had just created?

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Not really.

From the description of a mist going up to water the ground at night and no rain falling before Noah, it is indicative that the earth had a full coverage cloud shield similar to what is on Venus. That would have kept the temperature about 70 or 80° F all the time. No need for warm clothing in that environment.

Not really. I mean many have told me its ok because "Adam and Eve were naked!". While true they felt embarrassment after sin entered the world. So to me that shows because of sin, nudity is not acceptable. Why else would God program us to feel embarrassed by it? That and if your naked and always in the sun your risk for cancer goes up ALOT.

Of course some nudity is fine like with a spouse, at the doctor...etc. If I were naked people would be reporting sightings of an obese bigfoot wondering around. I have no desire to be naked. Even if I was skinny.

NothingIsImpossible said:

Not really. I mean many have told me its ok because "Adam and Eve were naked!". While true they felt embarrassment after sin entered the world. So to me that shows because of sin, nudity is not acceptable. Why else would God program us to feel embarrassed by it? That and if your naked and always in the sun your risk for cancer goes up ALOT.

Of course some nudity is fine like with a spouse, at the doctor...etc. If I were naked people would be reporting sightings of an obese bigfoot wondering around. I have no desire to be naked. Even if I was skinny.

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But did God program us to be embarrassed by nudity, or is that because of our social upbringing? If if were in fact programmed by God, how is it that some people go naked with no embarrassment at all?

ToBeLoved said:

As a Christian, personally my morality follows God’s commands and the Bible for morals and values

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Me too, at least that's my objective.

But God has no commands in the Bible forbidding nudity.
The closest He comes to it is the command for Jewish priests to wear underwear during worship. (Exodus 28:42-43)


"Modesty" is a function of attitude and behavior, not covering. I know plenty of modest nudists.


"Causing a brother or sister to sin"

If a person has a moral weakness that nudity would aggravate, Christians should not knowingly be nude around them.
However, it's still the weak person's problem, not the nudist's.

So, if such a brother or sister knowingly goes to a nude church and it causes them to sin, it's their fault, not the nudists' fault (much like an alcoholic going to a bar).


"Everywhere nakedness is mentioned in the Bible, it's associated with sin"

No, not everywhere; check out:

Genesis 2:25
1 Samuel 19:24
2 Samuel 6:20
Job 1:21
Job 24:7
Job 24:10
Job 26:6
Ecclesiastes 5:15
Isaiah 20:2-4
Isaiah 58:7
Ezekiel 16:7-8
Ezekiel 16:22
Ezekiel 18:7
Ezekiel 18:16
Mark 14:52
Romans 8:35
2 Corinthians 11:27

The many references to "clothing the naked" refer to providing poor people with covering for warmth, their nudity is incidental.

Many places in the Bible do associate nakedness with sin, but if you look closely, it's never the nakedness that's called sinful; it's always something else.
(disobedience, parental disrespect, sexual immorality, worshipping other gods, defeat in battle, lack of compassion, curses & punishments, evil spirits, spiritual unpreparedness, etc.)


If you like this word-association game, try the word "dog" in your Bible software.

I found 40 (KJV) or 41 (NIV) references, 34 of which were associated with sin. That's 85% bad.

Doing the same with "naked" (NIV), I found 31 of 49 references linked to sin. That's 63% bad.

Sorry, Fido, you have to go; bad word-associations. Have fun at the dog pound!

Morals aside, I'm a germaphobe and I just couldn't do it lol.

I'll bet nudists are much cleaner than the average person - and they sit on their towels!

(That would be an interesting research project...)

Maria Sweet said:

I admit I was just as skeptical about nudism as you were when I first created this thread. But DarkHorse has made some compelling points and convinced me that nudists camps, resorts, and beaches are innocuous. If people want to prance around naked while on vacation in a nudist-friendly environment, what’s the harm?

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Isn't the title of this thread about "church services" and nudity.

What I find often happens on threads is that people start out in one context asking a question then later completely change the context (ie.. example here about the topic initally being about if nude church services are ok, and now focusing if nudist camps (taking away the important context of Worship in God's House (ie. church services).

I wish these threads would stay on topic and focus.

NothingIsImpossible said:

Not really. I mean many have told me its ok because "Adam and Eve were naked!". While true they felt embarrassment after sin entered the world. So to me that shows because of sin, nudity is not acceptable. Why else would God program us to feel embarrassed by it? That and if your naked and always in the sun your risk for cancer goes up ALOT.

Of course some nudity is fine like with a spouse, at the doctor...etc. If I were naked people would be reporting sightings of an obese bigfoot wondering around. I have no desire to be naked. Even if I was skinny.

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Are you sure God programmed them to be embarrassed? If that was the case, why were they not embarrassed from the beginning? He asked "Who told you, you were naked?" It was the devil who made them feel shame in the state that God created them.