Religious beliefs and nudity. — General Discussion on True Nudists

WulfrunnerOriginal Poster

Jan 16, 2010

So I have a question, and I hope to ask it in a way that does not offend anybody. Also hope that it was not previously discussed and I missed it.

I was raised Catholic by my grandmother. But decided that it was not for me, I had issues with certain parts of the belief that, for the most part are irrelevant to my question, so I won't go into them. I have also tried going to some nondenominational (?) Christian churches, but again did not feel that they were right for me. Anyway, among these many attempts to find a right place for me, I was always told nudity was wrong, especially in a mixed group with someone you are not married to. I was even given grief, by a youth group I was once a part of, over a comment I had once made about a girl's bikini when we went swimming at a member's pool. In case it matters, a girl came out wearing a suite that was practicaly not there and I had said "hey, girl's name, with a suit that small, we my as well go skinny-dipping". I got a couple of evil looks, and had a conversation with some later. No issue with the girl in the bikini, quite a bit of grief over my comment, which was by the way, I admit was a bit inappropriate and I did apologize for it. But I was also kinda testing the water about how receptive they were about the idea. But the main problem with the group was my suggestion of nudity amongst us.

So in a long winded kind of way, my question is;
How do people of any religious belief, especially those with strong stances against being socially nude find a way to get the two issues to coexist within themselves? I hope I phrased it right.

Again, I'm not asking to be the cause of any trouble, to be a wiseass, or to offend. If someone is offened, I apologize, and you don't need to comment if you don't feel like it. But, I am sincerely asking as someone who is ignorant of information and am asking for that information. The only way to learn, is to ask. Right?

Sincerely, Stitch.

ReactReplySubscribe

Replies

ME
Member
Jan 20, 2010
Does religious preferences matter in the TN website? IT MATTERS BIG TIME TO US AND THE MAJORITY OF OTHERS! no one is added to our friends list that has a profile that states they are bi or even bi curious because there are no true Christians who are bi, or of if they say they are atheists! As well we don't usually see atheists with Christians on their friends lists, so yes it in fact matters. As for TN it is quite apparent they are wide open to embracing the American public that claims they are "One Nation Under God" just look at a US dollar bill or coin.
ReactReply
MI
Miss_Linda
Jan 20, 2010
Regardless of your religious beliefs, if you were born without clothes, you should be able to safely assume that is the natural way to be and there is nothing wrong with it. It is man that has written laws against nudity, not some higher being.
ReactReply
ST
Steve
Jan 20, 2010
[quote]Does religious preferences matter in the TN website? IT MATTERS BIG TIME...[/quote] I see now that I have been remiss in filtering my friends. Though I list myself as Atheist, only about 3% of my friends identify in the same way. Strangely, about 30% identify themselves as one form of Christian or another. Of course some of the Christians also list themselves as bi or bi-curious, so maybe I can't count those. I even managed to get one Jew to befriend me. I was obviously asleep at the wheel. In future, I guess I should be more vigilant - only "true" atheists will pass the portal. Free pass if you have a 1956 dollar bill.
ReactReply
ME
Member
Jan 20, 2010
[quote][quote]Does religious preferences matter in the TN website? IT MATTERS BIG TIME...[/quote] I see now that I have been remiss in filtering my friends. Though I list myself as Atheist, only about 3% of my friends identify in the same way. Strangely, about 30% identify themselves as one form of Christian or another. Of course some of the Christians also list themselves as bi or bi-curious, so maybe I can't count those. I even managed to get one Jew to befriend me. I was obviously asleep at the wheel. In future, I guess I should be more vigilant - only "true" atheists will pass the portal. Free pass if you have a 1956 dollar bill.[/quote] Hmmm...not to confuse the issue, but what about....Bi-cycle nudists???Jen
ReactReply
ST
Steve
Jan 20, 2010
Jen - good point. I defer to the "true" experts as to whether the bi-cycle is indeed a satanic invention. Come to think of it, bi-pedalism may be suspect as well. Can we get a ruling?
ReactReply
CA
catbird
Jan 20, 2010
[quote][quote]Does religious preferences matter in the TN website? IT MATTERS BIG TIME...[/quote] I see now that I have been remiss in filtering my friends. Though I list myself as Atheist, only about 3% of my friends identify in the same way. Strangely, about 30% identify themselves as one form of Christian or another. Of course some of the Christians also list themselves as bi or bi-curious, so maybe I can't count those. I even managed to get one Jew to befriend me. I was obviously asleep at the wheel. In future, I guess I should be more vigilant - only "true" atheists will pass the portal. Free pass if you have a 1956 dollar bill.[/quote] I figure that we are all nudists, regardless of whatever faith you happen to be. I admit that in evaluating a potential friend, being a Christian is a plus to me.
ReactReply
TH
Thomas
Jan 20, 2010
[quote]Regardless of your religious beliefs, if you were born without clothes, you should be able to safely assume that is the natural way to be and there is nothing wrong with it. It is man that has written laws against nudity, not some higher being.[/quote] Very well said Linda
ReactReply
ME
Member
Jan 20, 2010
Thank God I'm an atheist......LOL

Steve
ReactReply
MI
Miss_Linda
Jan 21, 2010
[quote][quote]Regardless of your religious beliefs, if you were born without clothes, you should be able to safely assume that is the natural way to be and there is nothing wrong with it. It is man that has written laws against nudity, not some higher being.[/quote] Very well said Linda[/quote] Thank you, Thomas. I've tried to answer the original posters question twice now but that question keeps getting buried by those who are trying to preach and those who are tired of the preaching. Maybe I'm missing something here. I didn't think this thread was intended to be an argument over whether religion is good or not. My recollection is that the original poster asked; how do people of other religions reconcile nudity with their religious beliefs? Few in this thread have been courteous enough to answer that question without straying from topic.
ReactReply
GE
Gerry-4
Jan 21, 2010
[quote]As well we don't usually see atheists with Christians on their friends lists, so yes it in fact matters.[/quote] Hi, vicjane. I am an atheist who is proud to call rsck12 a friend because, as naturists, we're all we've got. If you check out his profile, you will see he is definitely Christian. Indeed, when I showed a picture of myself dressed up as Santa Claus for a children's Christmas party, he "teased" me a bit by reminding me it was a CHRISTmas party!
ReactReply
GE
Gerry-4
Jan 21, 2010
[quote][quote][quote]Regardless of your religious beliefs, if you were born without clothes, you should be able to safely assume that is the natural way to be and there is nothing wrong with it. It is man that has written laws against nudity, not some higher being.[/quote] Very well said Linda[/quote] Thank you, Thomas. I've tried to answer the original posters question twice now but that question keeps getting buried by those who are trying to preach and those who are tired of the preaching. Maybe I'm missing something here. I didn't think this thread was intended to be an argument over whether religion is good or not. My recollection is that the original poster asked; how do people of other religions reconcile nudity with their religious beliefs? Few in this thread have been courteous enough to answer that question without straying from topic.[/quote] Unfortunately, there are two subjects that should always be avoided in polite company. Religion is one of them. The other one is politics. We've just had about 15 centimetres of snow. How's the weather in your area? (See? That's a safe subject.)
ReactReply
NA
NakedBadger
Jan 21, 2010
I'm a Christian.

I like the freedom of wearing nothing whenever it's appropriate (most of the time at home; in public when it's accepted).

Some of the people who get naked with me are Christians and others aren't. Some Christians get uptight about taking off their clothes in the company of others, but others don't.

As I understand Christian faith and Christian community, there's nothing that opposes getting naked. But there's nothing that says you have to get naked, either. Christianity and nudism are not incompatible. (No more than are nudism and Buddhism.)

Naked Badger
ReactReply
ME
Member
Jan 21, 2010
No where in the bible ( jewish and Christian is the same ) you will find prohibition to be naked.
You cant find one rabbi or a priest that will tell you otherwise.
This prohibitions came later in the new testament ( or interpretation of it )and the jewish “GMARA”.
Enjoy your birth suite.
ReactReply
ST
Steve
Jan 21, 2010
I think the original questioh has less to do with an individual's reading and interpretation of the scripture and more to do with the conflict one may have with the practices or doctrines of a religious group. If one "joins" a church (and church can be at any level from the worlwide religion to the congregation around the corner) and that church teaches or preaches against nudity, then there is tension. One must choose which authority to follow, and must also decide whether membership in a group that disapproves of one's actions is warranted.
Not to put words in anyone's mouth, but the question might be rephrased - "If your religious group dissaproves of nudism, how do you handle it?"
ReactReply
TH
Thomas
Jan 21, 2010
[quote]I shall answer this without straying from topic. The question LiloandStitch1 asked was: How do people of any religious belief, especially those with strong stances against being socially nude find a way to get the two issues to coexist within themselves? They can't, unless it's a religous denomination that is open to it. How do you expect to get the two issues to coexist within themselves in the textile world, when they can't even get two issues to coexist in the nudist world? There is always fragmentation and division in every walk of life, as it is well proven in these threads. It is your own personal belief system that has to coexist with nudism. If you believe that your religion is right in saying that nudity is wrong, then you must follow your belief system. If you believe there is nothing wrong with nudism, then perhaps you have chosen the wrong religion to follow. You either go nude secretly in defiance of your religion, dump religion all together, find a religion that allows it, or give up nudism.[/quote] This is very well put. I am fortunate in that the Catholic Church doesn't preach against nudism. I wish I remembered the exact quote by Pope John Paul supporting nudism. All organized religions have rules based on a person's interpetation of something written. The many versions of the bible are due to different people translating it from the original Hebrew. I feel that if you feel it is not wrong to be nude in your heart, then it isn't wrong for you.
ReactReply
ME
Member
Jan 21, 2010
[quote][quote]I shall answer this without straying from topic. The question LiloandStitch1 asked was: How do people of any religious belief, especially those with strong stances against being socially nude find a way to get the two issues to coexist within themselves? They can't, unless it's a religous denomination that is open to it. How do you expect to get the two issues to coexist within themselves in the textile world, when they can't even get two issues to coexist in the nudist world? There is always fragmentation and division in every walk of life, as it is well proven in these threads. It is your own personal belief system that has to coexist with nudism. If you believe that your religion is right in saying that nudity is wrong, then you must follow your belief system. If you believe there is nothing wrong with nudism, then perhaps you have chosen the wrong religion to follow. You either go nude secretly in defiance of your religion, dump religion all together, find a religion that allows it, or give up nudism.[/quote] This is very well put. I am fortunate in that the Catholic Church doesn't preach against nudism. I wish I remembered the exact quote by Pope John Paul supporting nudism. All organized religions have rules based on a person's interpetation of something written. The many versions of the bible are due to different people translating it from the original Hebrew. I feel that if you feel it is not wrong to be nude in your heart, then it isn't wrong for you.[/quote] Here you go, Tx! This was originally posted by Knarfje on thenudist quotes thread"Sexual modesty cannot then in any simple way be identified with the use of clothing nor shamelessness with the absence of clothing and total or partial nakedness. There are circumstances in which nakedness is not immodest... Nakedness as such is not to be equated with physical shamelessness. Immodesty is present only when nakedness plays a negative role with regard to the value of the person... The human body is not in itself shameful, nor for the same reasons are sensual reactions, and human sensuality in general. Shamelessness (just like shame and modesty) is a function of the interior of a person."---Karol Cardinal Wojtyla (later to become Pope John Paul II)Liloandstitch, with your Catholic upbringing this may help you with your reconciliation. Hope this helps! Jen
ReactReply
ST
Steve
Jan 21, 2010
The quote from John Paul II is very interesting, but I fear that it may be taken out of context. Given that the book it comes from was written as a defense of the traditional Catholic view of marriage, it seems more likely that he is talking about private nakedness, in the sense of what happens between a husband and wife. Yet, if one chooses, it can be read it as a poetic defense of nudism. And so, regardless of the context and despite the intended meaning by the author, thesentimentis one that nudists can and do embrace. I would nevertheless be very interested is seeing the context in which the quote sits. Unfortunately, Google books omits that section from its free preview.
ReactReply
TH
Thomas
Jan 21, 2010
Thank you Jen, that is what I was trying to remember.
Thomas
ReactReply
CD
Cheri Donna Dawson
Jan 21, 2010
TNS's websitewww.naturistsociety.comunder Resources is a treatise of 205 Arguments in support of Naturism in which you will find good information regarding religious, sociologic, etc. I am Jewish, my Rabbis, past & present, are aware of my preferred state of (un)dress. In fact, when we adopted a kitten from a SC park and named him Teva, one of the Rabbis said it was a perfect name (it means natural in Hebrew). Cheri
ReactReply
CA
catbird
Jan 21, 2010
[quote][quote][quote]Regardless of your religious beliefs, if you were born without clothes, you should be able to safely assume that is the natural way to be and there is nothing wrong with it. It is man that has written laws against nudity, not some higher being.[/quote] Very well said Linda[/quote] Thank you, Thomas. I've tried to answer the original posters question twice now but that question keeps getting buried by those who are trying to preach and those who are tired of the preaching. Maybe I'm missing something here. I didn't think this thread was intended to be an argument over whether religion is good or not. My recollection is that the original poster asked; how do people of other religions reconcile nudity with their religious beliefs? Few in this thread have been courteous enough to answer that question without straying from topic.[/quote] I have no problem reconciling my religion with nudity. My denomination has nothing against nudism. But I can only speak from the standpoint of a Christian. I can't speak from the standpoint of Islam, Hinduism, nor Buddhism. However Linda answered the original question beautifully. Laws against nudism were written by man, not a higher power. I feel it in my heart that I can be religious and yet be a nudist. Anybody who says there is a conflict, that is a matter of their personal beliefs.
ReactReply
JA
JackNeilson
Jan 21, 2010
I quote from the original question: ***How do people of any religious belief, especially those with strong stances against being socially nude find a way to get the two issues to coexist within themselves?***
My profile reads Other because I don't come under any of the choices given. I am Pagan but not Wiccan which many consider the same. I deviate from the part of the question that refers to strong stances against nudism as mine does not do this. I have learned by personal experience and by studying other forms of religion that some practice ritual nudity. Most of these people are not nudists nor would they likely become nudists but it would stand to reason that they would not have any bias against those who are. I think that a willingness to accept a person's lifestyle should be divorced from religion which is after all man's interpretation of the divine.
ReactReply
WU
WulfrunnerOriginal Poster
Jan 22, 2010
First off, sorry to take so long to post back, sometimes life gets in the way. Secondly, WOW!! Did not realize the response would be so informative and from so many folks. Thanks go to everybody who responded. Your insights see greatly appreciated. Though there was some negativity, it was fairly civil. Felt like a round table discussion, where we could make our points, listen to other views, disagree, but still shake hands and adjourn to the pool and relax afterwards.
We were a bit hesitant about making the post at first. But after reading the responses posted we are glad we did. Wish we had some of this information way back then. Hopefully someone with the same question may come across the site and read this forum, and glean some info on this or similar subjects.
Thanks again all.
P.S. Thanks Cheri, the 205 arguments for nudity is a good read.
Liloandstitch
ReactReply
UK
UKrudegirl
Jan 23, 2010
[quote]How could those etheist discuss in here? They don't believe there is gods or God. Right?[/quote] Perhaps it is because they have a belief in the non-existance of gods that is equally as valid and strong as those who believe in gods my dear. Two sides of the coin as it were. Personally, I consider myself an agnostic - I simply do not know who is right although as far as I am aware I do not have an invisible friend who requires me to be clothed at all times in the presence of others. Love n stuff Rudie
ReactReply
SC
scnudist
Jan 23, 2010
I ran across a great website that was put together by a Catholic.http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/library/nud/nudism.htmThere are articles that he has written based on Christianity and Naturism and how the two can go together including what the Bible says about it and he even examines what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, or doesn't say, in regards to the issue. It's a great read and I highly recommend it. So, if you get a moment, read his articles on "Naked Sin" and "Nakedness and the Catholic Catechism".
ReactReply