Why is nudity offensive?

American TV morals:

Show the human body as it is, BAAAD.

Show people killing each other, blood and knives and general horror, GOOD.

Is there any wonder so many kids are messed up?

MehGuy said:

IDK Adam and Eve were naked and God gave them clothes. Something to do with the fall, sounds stupid but its how clothes were invented.

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Adam and Eve had already made a first attempt at making clothes (with leaves), and were ashamed of their nakedness. Some point out the clothes made of animal skin as pointing toward the first sacrifice to cover their shame.

MehGuy said:

IDK Adam and Eve were naked and God gave them clothes. Something to do with the fall, sounds stupid but its how clothes were invented.

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God didn't clothe them because they were naked. He clothed them because they were ashamed to be naked. It was an act of mercy, not a moral prescription.

MacFall said:

God didn't clothe them because they were naked. He clothed them because they were ashamed to be naked. It was an act of mercy, not a moral prescription.

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I don't see how one can come to that definite conclusion but ok... some others could easily interpret it the other way, all I was saying is people shouldn't automatically assume the interpretation fits early 21st century progressive liberal thought.

A lot of supposed "liberal thought" is merely the learned application of linguistic and historical context (exegesis and hermeneutics) to a doctrinal issue. Unfortunately, there is a resistance to that discipline in Western pop Christianity. Consequently, a lot of ideas which previously existed only on the fringe in Protestant Christianity (such as the guilt associated with nudity and sex) have burrowed into what is now mainstream.

MacFall said:

A lot of supposed "liberal thought" is merely the learned application of linguistic and historical context (exegesis and hermeneutics) to a doctrinal issue. Unfortunately, there is a resistance to that discipline in Western pop Christianity. Consequently, a lot of ideas which previously existed only on the fringe in Protestant Christianity (such as the guilt associated with nudity and sex) have burrowed into what is now mainstream.

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I'll have to see this myself then.. keep in mind I'm not on one side or the other, simply someone in the middle that is very skeptical about some of these liberal claims coming from a book that condones slaverah and a bunch of other things. I just kind of find it funny that some people think God is their hip down with the current times liberal friend.

I think most people are not interested in knowing the mind of God or what these Biblical people were about. I'm not even saying that in a condescending way.

Why is nudity offensive?

I can't speak for anyone else but, I find most nudity offensive for a number of reasons. The chief one being that, outside of marriage, it is someone willfully revealing their physical sexuality to one or more people whom they are not married to. Apart from the fact that this person is sharing their sexuality on a visual level with people whom it is inappropriate to do so, they are willfully committing an act that causes others to sin. I find this offensive. Unless it's an emergency situation or I am just plain turned off by her, if a woman is standing naked in front of me, willfully revealing herself, then I am going to have sexual thoughts in my mind whether I want them there or not. I'm inclined to believe that most men (probably women as well) would be prone to have the same reaction.

I have no problem with the human body. It is the most amazing and beautiful thing God ever created. But, like it or not, human nature and inclination is to sin. If nudity were the norm, how many men and women would have to do as Jesus instructed and literally "gouge" out their own eyes and be blind just so they could walk through the grocery store without sinning? I'm a dude with the mother of all libidos, waging a war to hold onto my virginity for my future wife. I've got more problems than I can deal with in this sex-charged society. What I don't need is for every woman in the world to suddenly start walking around naked. If that happened, my best bet would be to go jump off of a cliff before my head imploded.

Another reason I find public nudity offensive is that it's a blatant, instantaneous, in-your-face revealing of the most private and intimate aspects of, a persons physical being. To be as blunt as I can (hopefully without being crude): If you do not give me permission to see your sex organs, then I should not be allowed to see them. Likewise, If I do not give you permission to show your sex organs to me (or my kid!!!), then you should not be allowed to show them. I imagine people can come up with all manner of cunning and crafty arguments, theories, and philosophies to counter this but it doesn't really matter because, fortunately, most of the rest of the world holds the same view that I do.

Situations where I would not be offended by nudity:

- If I ever get a wife and we are alone together

- An emergency situation (as previously mentioned)

- Seeing someone else or they seeing me by accident

- A medical situation or other situation where it's necessary

- A gym locker room where it really isn't feasible or remotely practical for everyone to have their own personal private space

A couple of situations where I would definitely be offended:

- If it's Big Bubba behind the counter at Burger King wearing absolutely nothing but one of those goofy paper crowns on his head, flipping Whoppers and deep frying taters, all while huge slimy beads of sweat are rolling off his chest hairs and his hardware down below is flopping and dangling out in the open air of the kitchen, then you better believe I'm going to be offended. In fact, my first inclination would be to grab a club, hop over the counter, and just make that insanity stop however I could.

- Someone exposing their nakedness to my kid (or any child). If I saw that happening I do not know if I would be able to stop myself from trouncing them or not. I would very likely kick their naked rear end up one side of the street and down the other and stomp a mud hole into them before covering them with a blanket.

People mention that Adam and Eve were naked in the garden of Eden and it was OK. Well of course they were naked and it was OK! Apart from the fact that their eyes hadn't been opened to sin and evil yet, they were a newly wedded husband and wife, who were all by themselves, in the privacy of their own home, with absolutely no other people around. Why would they be anything other than naked?

There aren't any accounts in the Bible of Jesus willfully parading around naked in front of others. I've always been under the impression that we are to follow His example. If The King of Kings and Lord of Lords never saw fit, found a reason, nor had occasion to willfully disrobe in public, I seriously doubt anybody else has a valid reason or justification for doing so either. As far as Jesus being unclothed at the crucifixion, that wasn't something he did to himself, it was something that was done to him for the purposes of humiliation and degradation.

Thought on Jewish nakedness. Jews washed before going into the temple. Not just their hands and feet, but their whole body. It was a baptism. Self administrated. Archeology has found a considerable number of pools close to the temple. The men did this naked.

Secondly, think about the warning at the temple gate that any Gentile entering would be killed. The Jews had gaurds to keep an eye on this. Noe these gaurds knew the local men who were Jews, but when there were festivals and people came from all around Rome. How did they know? There was one test it was if they were curcumsied or not. They would have had to show they manhood right at the enterence to the temple to enter. Interesting how I've heard this mention and none seems to point out the implications.

We in our culture as so shut of from out bodies. We have aur own bedroom to put our clothes on in. Even in public places there are private bathroom stalls. The poor countries I've visited didn't have the money for all this. They see each others nakedness quite often. They don't have the money to sperate themselves like we do in rich countries. In the past it was no doult even harder. They had to make their own cloth to be clothed. That was hours of work. No 10 buck to buy underwear in a quick trip tot he market!

Ya, our culture is making nakedness ofensive. I find its causing more problems than its solving personally.

Being offended by anything is a choice. I'm not offended by nudity and I don't really understand why other people would choose to be offended by something so natural. Also, nudity in and of itself has absolutely nothing to do with sex. If you think it does, that is an association that you are choosing to make.

Schneiderman said:

Being offended by anything is a choice. I'm not offended by nudity and I don't really understand why other people would choose to be offended by something so natural. Also, nudity in and of itself has absolutely nothing to do with sex. If you think it does, that is an association that you are choosing to make.

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+1

Nudity is offensive because the culture of the West has made it so. Adam and Eve were created nude, we are born nude. David danced nude before God, some Prophets in the Old Testament were told by God to preach nude. Public baths were common in the Middle East in that day, and there were public Roman baths used by all and they were coed and nude. There is nothing in the Bible to contradict the practice of communal or public bathing. When I was younger I went to a nude beach expecting some kind of erotic experience. I did not find that, rather I saw people as God created them swimming, playing ball, and just enjoying there bodies as God made them-nude. After a few minutes, I realized that our Western culture lied to us about nudity being sinful. It is not.
As a hospice volunteer once, I bathed a woman who who was dying. Both of her breasts were removed, and she asked me to bathe her. She did not mind being nude in front of me and I honored her request. She died in my arms and I held her body for a few minutes and just prayed. Nothing that God has created is sinful and that includes our nude bodies. Thanks, Rev. Ross

amen, preach it brother.

This comes up all the time on here.

The bottom line I feel is this: those who seem to suggest that there is nothing wrong with nudity and are all for it (nude art, looking at drivel like Sports Illustrated front covers with models on the front with the sorry excuse that it's "tasteful", saying it is a "cultural" thing)...
Tomorrow morning - don't bother putting clothes on, just get out of bed and go to work, uni (or wherever in public) naked and I will interested to see if anyone comes back on here saying they did. Seems they are all for it, but won't walk the talk. If there really is no moral obligation or Biblical passages condemning it...do it. And see how far you get.

No amount of Bible verses will convince some people nudity (aside from exceptional circumstances such as doctors, carers etc) is sinful outside of marriage.

Our naked bodies are not sinful. It's what we do with them, in the context of culture and society, that becomes sinful. Unless you can walk around naked without causing anyone else to be tempted, you need to keep your clothes on. And unless you happen to live in a "naked body? no big deal" society, then acting as if your personal opinion dictates what's appropriate and inappropriate is just ridculous and arrogant.

Babe of Broadway said:

unless you happen to live in a "naked body? no big deal" society, then acting as if your personal opinion dictates what's appropriate and inappropriate is just ridculous and arrogant.

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This isn't arguing against you, as I already generally know your stance, but you brought up an interesting point. How does one make a "naked body? no big deal" society? If we were going to see a society like that, it seems there would have to be a process of changes.

Balugon said:

This isn't arguing against you, as I already generally know your stance, but you brought up an interesting point. How does one make a "naked body? no big deal" society? If we were going to see a society like that, it seems there would have to be a process of changes.

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The same way any society changes - rally people who believe the same way you do, organize yourselves, promote your ideas, and attempt to change laws and policies through activism and votes.

And thanks for not arguing, lol. I really like and admire you as a young man, and I know we disagree on this topic, but I do consider you a friend

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Well, I agree with THIS PART - that this is largely a cultural and contextual issue.




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welshman said:

This comes up all the time on here.

The bottom line I feel is this: those who seem to suggest that there is nothing wrong with nudity and are all for it (nude art, looking at drivel like Sports Illustrated front covers with models on the front with the sorry excuse that it's "tasteful", saying it is a "cultural" thing)...
Tomorrow morning - don't bother putting clothes on, just get out of bed and go to work, uni (or wherever in public) naked and I will interested to see if anyone comes back on here saying they did. Seems they are all for it, but won't walk the talk. If there really is no moral obligation or Biblical passages condemning it...do it. And see how far you get.

No amount of Bible verses will convince some people nudity (aside from exceptional circumstances such as doctors, carers etc) is sinful outside of marriage.

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Actually, some of us would (well, I know of at least one other CFer) if we wouldn't be arrested for doing so. Well, I'll admit I have body image issues, but that and the law are what stops me...not some idea that the naked body is somehow sinful and something to keep hidden except from a spouse or caregiver. Oh, and I'm not interested in debating the sinfulness of the naked body. I just couldn't stop myself from responding to what seemed like an accusation against those who think differently.

I think it depends on the context. Our society and culture has blended nudity with sexually, and while that is true to a point, nudity is nothing more than lack of clothes. Take other western cultures (hint Europe) who go to the beach naked and see nothing wrong with that, but in the U.S. we think "Red Flag, avoid those beaches, especially when you have children" (because children understand human sexuality [sarcasm]). Then there are African and Amazonian tribes that are either all nude or don't wear much at all, and same concept; red flag to us when it doesn't bother them in the least.
I'm just going to say that the naked human body (outside of a sexual context) is actually rather unpleasant to look at in my opinion.

In Canada, bearing your boobs is legal.