Hi,
I think the article cosmickitty put up is just brilliant! It shows just how screwed up much of our human race is today because of the lack of body acceptance and sexual temperence.
Being known for being an avid nudist and wanting to battle for the right for it to be respected as a lifestyle and a valid form of spirituality is important to us.
As a race, I would dare say that most of us are very hypocritical when it comes to the human body and the way we treat sex.
The naturist movement originally came about by people who were experts in the health and philosophy field. They understood that the human body in itself was not sexual, except in the right cicumstances. In the beginning, naturist groups and clubs had behavioural codes which were not unlike that of your church family: they forbade smoking, alcohol, meat-eating, gambling, and inappropriate sexual behaviour. They weren't anti-sex, but there was a time and place where such behaviour was appropriate.
In cultures and societies where nakedness is the norm, there are many health and psychological benefits that go with it: studies have shown that there is a significantly lower rate of teenage pregnancies, and young people are less likely to abuse alcohol and drugs and have an interest in pornography - which is quite unlike much of our 'textile' culture where these things are a major problem.
Although in our society it is often the man who tends to get interested in it initially, it is usually the girls and the women who tend to be the most enthusiastic participants.
It is true that there are some men who use it for perverted agendas, but these days naturists are a lot more security conscious and will report such people to the police and put their names on a warning list which is then circulated to other naturist organisations.
Naturism and nudity is certainly not dangerous to children, but as long as the adults are not engaging in sexual conduct with them.
In some naked cultures like African tribes, American Indians, Pacific Islanders and Aboriginals, until about 30 years ago it was not uncommon for some of the parents to make love in front of the children, nor were children beaten or reprimanded for delighting in their bodies or their own sexuality as teens.
They had an enormous respect for life and their environment and as a result, rape, murder, organised prostitution, sexual dysfunction and cheating were unknown in their culture.
If such an offence was committed, the whole tribe learnt from it the first time and never made the same mistake again.
Yet most 'civilised' people thought that *they* were barbaric and they sought to wipe them out, and used Christianity as a front for the imperial takeover by nations like Britain, France and Spain.
I think that as Christians, we have a lot more to learn from their own sense of integrity and simplicity than what we are prepared to accept.
There are also some very interesting sites that show naturism/nudism is not incompatible with Christianity, when practised with the proper intentions:
http://www.figleafforum.com (text-only site that deals with Biblical references to nakedness)
http://www.naturistlife.com (a Christian family site emphasising chastity and self-respect within naturism)
http://www.naturist-christians.org
http://cheef.com/melissastarr (a story of how one woman growing up in an abusive atheist house has found peace and self-acceptance through becoming a nudist and Christian)
There are some photos and depictions of nakedness on these sites, but it is not of an erotic or exploitative nature. However, the sites don't seem to give much scope to other Christian matters with the same amount of diversity that this site has. For the non-single guys: I strongly recommend that you surf these sites with your wife or girlfriend. There can be no worse damage to a relationship or marriage than to keep an interest in such activities a secret, especially if you happen to be a porno addict.
Crashedman
