Christian Naturists
Christian Naturists is a group for those who put Jesus Christ as first and foremost in their life.
- created by Former User
Does your church know that you are a nudist?
Return to DiscussionsMy denomination is very conservative, but the people and local Pastors in general adhere to traditional Lurtheran beliefs of Grace and tolernance. Taking a biblical position we are to do in Rome as the romans do, that all things are lawful, but not all expedient and so often conflicted to admit being nudists and Christians.
What say you? How do you deal with it?
Nobody has asked yet, but I don't see how they could not know, not with a license plate that reads "Naked before God" and a "Nudists relaxe at White Tail Park" sticker in the back window. It's a conservative Southern Baptist church, but not as aggressive about some of the old hang-ups. I've had ladies at picnics ask about and get very excited over my tattoos, so... Who knows, maybe the subject will come up one day, but I'll wait 'til then before I wonder (I refuse to worry). It's good for me to see this church so accepting- they actually seem to try and understand who you are as a person, and not just knee-jerk react to something that they learn about you. My last church did that, and immediately removed my wife and I from all positions the moment they learned we're nudists. God Bless
Well, now we'll have to see how this goes: Yesterday my wife went to spend her first day working in the children's department at our church, and the head of the department asked to speak with her first. It seems that a few people had reservations about her working there,considering her license plate- "Naked before God"- and about the fact of her being a nudist.
They had a brief talk about themeaning of the plate- being fully open to God, as were Adam and Eve,with no direct relation to being a nudist- and when my wife asked if the woman didn't want her to go in, she saidthat she could, but that she might need to change her license plate.
I can understand caution around children, and would actually expect no less, but the thing about the license plate seems silly to me. Will the people with reservations suddenly change their minds if she changes the plate? Probably not...
I have a feeling there may be a meeting with us, the sunday school director, and the pastor(s) in our future, but I have no problem with that. Closed minds and stuffy, unscriptural idealsl'll have a problem with, but l'll wait to see if they show up.
God Bless
k
Sounds like those church members are not educated about nudism. A license plate "Naked before God" could mean "Vulnerable before God" along with that your sins are known to God. It doesn't pay to advertise your nudist status, either as a license plate or a bumper sticker.
This is unfortunate within The Body of Christ.
Upon further reflection, I though of a similar experience I had not in my church, but in a spiritual movement.
I am involved with Walk To Emmaus. Years ago I served on team of a neighboring Walk To Emmaus community. Foolishly I wrote another team member about my visit to Sunny Rest. At the next team meeting I was called to meet with the community spiritual director and community lay director. The WTE spiritual director said to me, "We have some moral standards. I understand that you are into the life style of nudism. blah, blah, blah."
I replied that there is a Christian nudist group. To that the spiritual replied that there also are Christian groups for homosexuals. That analogy is invalid, because the Bible time and again says that homosexuality is an abomination, while there is nothing in the Bible against nudism.
Then the spiritual director demanded that I say that I am severing all ties to nudism. Then was October, so I said that it is getting out of season, and that seemed to satisfy the spiritual director.
Years later, I learned that there is nothing in the Walk To Emmaus guidelines about nudism. It was a case of prejudice in that particular Walk To Emmaus community.
Since then, I have been careful to whom I mention nudism. I never have mentioned it among church people. Also I have never mentioned it to the Walk To Emmaus community that I presently am in.
My denomination is very conservative, but the people and local Pastors in general adhere to traditional Lurtheran beliefs of Grace and tolernance. Taking a biblical position we are to do in Rome as the romans do, that all things are lawful, but not all expedient and so often conflicted to admit being nudists and Christians.What say you? How do you deal with it?
No one in my church knows but i don't exactly hide it either. I go nude. There's no Biblical admonition against it. If your denomination or your brand of Christianity is legalistic, i recommend getting out of it. Jesus vocally and energetically condemned legalism. I might even go as far as to say that any legalistic brand of Christianity is at best not very healthy, at worst, possibly not even Christianity.
my church doesn't. i tried asking a few episcopalian priests on facebook if they though nudism was immoral and they blocked me.
The Episcopalian priests that you asked have the same prejudices that the general public has (i.e., that nudity = sex). But probably not all Episcopalian priests are that way.
what they don't know wont hurt them or me. So I don't volunteer the information. Since I know at least a few people would not understand and refuse to even try. But another member/church elder, with whom I shared mychainsaregone articles with 3 years back, is nudist inclined himself now. although we haven't gone anywhere nude together yet, we talk about it and that time may well come to do something. While my church is usually condemned as being legalistic, it really isn't at all. It's just that we find that when we really love Jesus we will want to and enjoy doing those things that please him. And we find that all those same rules that seem legalistic are just what we want to do for our own happiness and to live in harmony with God and the laws of nature and health. Its just that I've discovered that Jesus doesn't care what I wear or don't wear, just so I'm not turning people away from Him by what I do.
The biggest indicator of "God doesn't care if I go round nude" is Isaiah 20 where He actually commanded his prophet to preach nude 3 years. If we really intend to believe the Bible and take it all for our guide. That tells me there's absolutely nothing wrong with being nude. It's all mans idea that forbids it. Tradition. And I throw tradition in the trash if it goes against what God's Word teaches. (there are some other traditions that are super commonly observed that conflict as well, observing Sunday is the biggest one, that too is 100% tradition and in conflict with the plainly stated 10 commandment law. the 7th day is specified and no place was a command ever issued that it ever changed. Have to look for the change in church history over some 300-500 years after Jesus time. ) Then there's Matt 24:18 the comment Jesus made about field workers fleeing from the destruction of Jerusalem when a certain sign was seen. He told them don't return for your clothes. Huh? Yah! They worked naked back then. So what. Poor people only had one robe and they didn't want to wear it out or soil it unnecessarily fast, since fabric was very time consuming to weave, or expensive to buy. But Jesus was telling them if they happened to be out working when the sign came to flee, to just forget the robe, run cross country naked and God would provide for them elsewhere.
Several years ago our pastor found out that my wife and I were nudists so he came over one day to lecture us about how bad that was. We did listen politely, but I told him that we felt we were doing nothing to be ashamed of and we were not going to change. As luck would have it, he ended up leaving our church several months after that so it became a non issue.