Why is nudity wrong?

AnotherAtheist

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Why is nudity wrong?

Why is it unacceptable for me to display certain parts of my anatomy in public, while other parts of my anatomy such as my ears are perfectly acceptable to display?

Is this (in my eyes dubious) morality based on our societal religious heritage, or does it have another source?
 

mandyangel

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I'm a christian. I don't think nudity is wrong. I have modeled and typically like to feel free in my clothing no matter where I am so I usually wear shorts or a miniskirt and a tank top because I get hot otherwise. I wear bikinis all the time and I don't think its wrong. God gave me my body and I shouldn't be ashamed of it. It is a work of his art.

People have criticized Jessica Simpson for wearing a bikini in Dukes of Hazzard but I think thats wrong. Shes a Christian and an actress. She likes to be sexy and have fun. Nothing wrong with that in my book.

I'm not gonna tell anybody how to live or dress. I just know what FEELS right for me and I'm sticking with that.
 
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AnotherAtheist

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Thank you for your answer.

However, I'd like to point out that I don't personally agree with the straight jump from nudity to sex and sexuality. If we had commonplace nudity, then I think the first thing that would change is the connection between nudity and sexuality. And personally I believe that would be for the better.

In my opinion wearing a skimpy bikini is more sexual than being nude, because a skimpy bikini draws attention to parts of the body, while in my opinion nudity doesn't. Or at least wouldn't if we were more used to it.
 
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mandyangel

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Thank you for your answer.

However, I'd like to point out that I don't personally agree with the straight jump from nudity to sex and sexuality. If we had commonplace nudity, then I think the first thing that would change is the connection between nudity and sexuality. And personally I believe that would be for the better.

In my opinion wearing a skimpy bikini is more sexual than being nude, because a skimpy bikini draws attention to parts of the body, while in my opinion nudity doesn't. Or at least wouldn't if we were more used to it.

I like to feel sexy and I like to feel powerful. Getting into a bikini makes me feel both. Some people have told me.... geeezz your a christian and THIS is what you wear, you look more like a ...beep...

But they don't know me and don't know what is in my heart. I'm gonna do what I feel is right. They are free to do what they want.
 
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AnotherAtheist

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I like to feel sexy and I like to feel powerful. Getting into a bikini makes me feel both. Some people have told me.... geeezz your a christian and THIS is what you wear, you look more like a ...beep...

But they don't know me and don't know what is in my heart. I'm gonna do what I feel is right. They are free to do what they want.

I have no objection at all if you want to dress in a way that makes you feel sexy and powerful. More power to you. I was just pointing out my own personal opinion on the way that society makes puts too much, I believe, linkage between nudity and sex.

If we did have legalised and common nudity, I don't think that people would continue to associate it with sex. And that there would be other ways that develop that people would dress if they want to feel sexy.

Answering the second point about Adam and Eve - in the account of The Bible, they were originally nude. But, in our societies now, nudity is poscribed/very restricted. Why?
 
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OllieFranz

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There are a number of passages in the Bible -- some more obvious ones being Genesis 3:7-11, Leviticus 18:6-20, and Rev 16:15 -- where having one's secret sins publicly exposed is metaphorically called uncovering one's nakedness. In addition, many rapists rip or cut their victims' clothing to get at the "prize" that much faster, so having their privates so exposed until they can get new clothing is advertising their shame to the world, as in 2 Sam 10:4, 1 Chronicles 19:4, and Isaiah 20:4 (This might also be an alternate interpretation of Leviticus 18.)

It is easy to misread these passages too literally and conclude that physical nudity is shameful in it's own right. The Bible gives us an example of this in 2 Samuel 6, when Michal lights into David for dancing in public in a skimpy undergarment which left nothing to the imagination. On the other hand, many prophets around the time went naked while they were prophesying, so when Michal's father, Saul, in his madness went around naked the joke was that he had become a prophet. In fact, that incident may be a partial reason for her over-reaction.

Altogether, we can assume that nudity in its own right is not necessarily wrong, but we should also take into account the circumstances of any situation, and the sensitivity of the people involved both the principals and the witnesses.
 
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Paradoxum

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I don't think nudity is intrinsically wrong, but considering our culture it might be slightly wrong in public because of how sexual it is. Not that sexuality is wrong in the right context either.

Personally I quite like the idea of clothing and I don't want to us to go back to wearing nothing. I like the mystery, if that's the right word. In fact wearing more than nothing can be more sexy. I guess I'm just pretty conservative on this subject, though I have nothing against people who want to wear less in acceptable circumstances.
 
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bricklayer

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Nudity is not a sin.
Lust is a sin. Beware the one who causes another to lust.

It is not right to do everything we have a right to do.

Personally, it regard an overtly sexy woman as bully. As the father of six daughters, I have little patience for those who practice indifference toward other's temptations or worse relish them.
 
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CounselorForChrist

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Adam and Eve were nude, but there was not sin for brief period and hence nudity meant nothing since "sexual desire" didn't exist.

Now that we have sin people look at nudity as bad because it will cause some to sin in many ways. Whats interesting is I know some that if they seen a nude woman from some trible in Africa they would think nothing of it. But yet if they seen a woman nude in their backyard they may think of it sexually. Its weird. Both are naked and yet only one you might think of sexualy.

I personaly have no problem with nudity. However at the same time I try to avoid seeing it simply because I ask the age old question "What Would Jesus Do?" Would he watch a movie that full of nudity? No. No if the world did not have sin then I am guessing he would watch it because you wouldn't see it as anything sexual.
 
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The Nihilist

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God made animal skins for Adam & Eve to wear, to cover their sin, before they were cast out of the Garden. After the Fall of Man, nudity was a reminder of our sin.

Their sin, not ours. We weren't in Eden, and we can't be held responsible for their actions.
 
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