Ranger ~ From what you say, your friend has concern for you in the spiritual realm but doesn't understand nudism. Maybe it is time to bring him to a nude resort -- though I doubt he will go, fearing his own loss of Heaven if he makes the trip. Have him walk a mile in your shoes - or in this instance out of your shoes - let him learn the freedom and beauty and wholesomeness of being better-connected to the Universe, and possibly he will see the truth, that God gives us clothes to stay warm when we need to, or out of the elements when it is too sunny or raining. There is no good reason for a person living in Christ's shadow to wear clothes and live in a clothed world unless they have no control over themselves. I think it is mostly due to temptation that clothes have taken over most of the world, that the animal in us takes over when we see someone who has a body we find desirable. Nudism brings us all closer to God, clothes push us away from the inherent beauty in all of God's creations.
One important word of caution ~ oh my goodness be careful what nudist resort you bring him to (yeah, I know he isn't going to go anyway - please bare with me :) ). If you want him to understand what drives you to go nude, stay far, far away from the resorts that cater to adults only, where he'll likely witness Sodom and Gomorrah gone wild. To deny that there is an undercurrent of sexuality in some nudist places is ridiculous. That kind of place is why so many in the clothed world see all nudism and nudists as immorality on display, happily following their genitals around like a tiger on a leash and the leash is fraying. Why can't we ever seem to stop our clothed friends from calling our resorts 'colonies'?? It's because of places like adult nude resorts where sex is the main reason for being there.
I don't think you're going to make much headway with him if you go the scholarly direction since it sounds as if his deep studies in language and biblical writings have ingrained him in the textile world too deeply. Trying to quote scripture to him that supports naturism (and it's in there) can always be countered by some other part of the Bible he'll quote back to you that may or may not pertain to what you're offering. I'm looking at my partner's Bible right now, sitting next to my bare ass on the couch (her Bible is here, not her sweet ass), and with almost nine hundred pages to read from, there's always more to quote. The Bible is a very big place and includes writings from who knows how many people interpreting their God's words, and as such is replete with contradictions. You could go around and around in there for hours with your friend about Noah's drunken nudity and John the Baptist's attire in the river Jordan. But that only plays into his thinking instead of opening his mind to other possibilities.
He is presumably hoping to drag you away from the 'precipice of debauchery' that is nudism because he cares about you, but he doesn't have a clue about what you've learned from being nude. If he wants to get out of his comfort zone (and I'll wager he won't go for it), he needs to leave behind the books and the cloth and experience the wonderful world his God made in all its glory, without hiding His most beautiful creation, the human body, behind textiles.
Those here who are suggesting you simply kick this guy to the curb aren't being helpful. Sure, the world has a billion people you can be friends with, so why bother trying to convince anyone so stuck in a biblical rut the benefits of being nude? It is easy to see that you care for this person and your own soul. You are asking us how to bring someone you love and who loves you the understanding of why God isn't against nudism.
I'm not really into Christianity. I'm what's called an evolutionist, though that might be hard to believe when you read what I'm writing. I go to one of only nine nudist churches in America and so far the lightning bolts haven't hit the steeple during a sermon I'm attending. Even without much religion in me, I almost always find something in the sermon to bring away that supports my spiritual growth. Our congregation is small but it is the backbone of our bare community, and I enjoy the fact that we support each other and many others around this area, even outside the gates of our buck naked resort. There is room in this splendid Universe for nude religion. I wish you the best of luck with your friend.
Thankfully, he recognizes that the cultural regulations from the Old Testament do not follow into the New. He has an accurate grasp on the fact that Jesus never did away with any morality laws but only made them stricter (e.g., it was said to not commit adultery, but I tell you that to even look at a woman with lust is a sin . . . ). Trying to convince him that nudity laws are done away with like dietary laws and such would be a bad way to go because he knows that morality is not relative. In other words, he doesn't feel like every single thing that was ever written in the Old Testament is something we need to follow today . . . but he does realize that sexual immorality is still as wrong now as it was then. The issue is to show him that non-sexual nudity is not immoral, and the only way he will accept that is to show him that it was not even immoral back then.
He was thinking of the Matthew 18 premise of bringing someone along to talk to a brother who is in sin. It was actually pretty respectful of him to contact someone who was a pastor and friend. I had often mentioned him, and I even had given him his number a few months ago about a ministry issue--so it was not really as "behind my back" as it may have seemed. A better way to view it was that he was contacting a mediator I would trust.
Ask him to prove his case. Make it a "Change My Mind" type of thing.
Greg is absolutely right here. The rule is: The person making the claim has the burden of proof. You do not have to prove anything. The burden is on him. If he makes an unconvincing case, you just say, Sorry, thats just not at all convincing I too have investigated this, and am convinced that nudity iteself is no sin. But the burden never was on me to prove that to you.
just food for thought...
American Association for Nude Recreation, an organization with deep Christian roots. AANR, once named the American Sunbathing Association, and the American League for Physical Culture before that, was led by Ilsley Boone in the 1930s. Boone was a Dutch Reformed minister and a driving force behind popularizing Christian naturism in the U.S., where he preached a religiously enriching nudism.
A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still... Or so said one of my teachers at school many years ago now.He said he is open to reading any literature I want to give him, but he has done his own extensive study of nakedness in the Bible and concluded that it is always sin except for a married husband and wife. (He even thinks that a male doctor seeing a woman while she is giving birth may be sin). I told him that his preconceived perspective significantly affected how he interpreted scripture, but I don't know that it did any good. He says he is "totally open" to being convinced otherwise, but I am not at all sure that is true. He has spent years learning Greek and Hebrew and doing in-depth studies, so it would take a pretty hefty scholar to write something that could convince him; no simply description would do. I am just feeling a bit discouraged.
Maybe this is what you need:The Problem of Figleaves
It is very long, but that is because it is thorough and is quite the best argument I have ever seen for Christians not just tolerating simple, non-sexual nudism, but possibly even encouraging it. Do read it ALL, I have and it's well worth it.
Remember, when the Puritans sailed to America, they were not fleeing persecution - they were intending to persecute and Americans have been paying the price for that ever since.
Anyone who goes behind your back to discuss your beliefs and spiritual wellness is not to be trusted. Conversation with you and a respectful exchange of views is as far as things should go. No matter how advanced he is in theology studies, he overlooks some fundamental Christian tea chings: Adam and Eve were created naked in the garden and only clothed themselves out of shame. As well, Christ said, "Judge not lest ye be judged." Lastly, anyone who believes that an Obstetrician delivering a baby is potentially sinful is, in my view, a twisted, uninformed, and idiotic individual. Oh, lest I forget, toxic too.
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