Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Christianity in the buff?

You learn something everyday...

Apparently there is an active Christian-nudist community in the United States that mixes the beliefs of Christianity with the practice of nudism. (Presumably it's practiced mostly in the warmer regions of the country).

Some links (sent by Edward B. Thanks!):

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THE LATEST 'NUDES' ON THE CHRISTIAN NUDIST EXPERIENCE

Christian Nudist Convocation, Planning their Summer 2008 conference:
http://www.cnvillage.org/cnc/

The periodic Christian Nudist Convocation took place in July at the Cherokee
Lodge nudist camp in Tennessee, and according to a dispatch in Nashville
Scene, the group evokes skepticism not only from most Christians (who
dislike the flaunting of naked bodies, even if innocently done) but from
most Cherokee Lodge members, who see them as too intense for naturism's
laid-back attitude. One CNC attendee acknowledged that many Christians would
not approve of Cherokee Lodge, but to him '(I)t's Jerusalem.' Another
compared his work at nudist camps to missionary work: '(S)ome people get
sent to Africa, some people get sent to South America and the Lord was like,
'I want you to go to nudist resorts.' And I'm like, 'Wow, what an
assignment.''
SOURCE: News of the Weird

Christian nudists to build village in Florida by Phil Barnoti Wahba
(Columbia News Service Dec. 6, 2005)
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/pop/articles/1207nudists1207-CR.html

'Naked Before God,' cover story in Nashville Scene. Christian nudists hit
the church—and the hot tub—for three days of wet and wild worship in the
backwoods of Tennessee by Elizabeth Ulrich
http://www.nashvillescene.com/Stories/Cover_Story/2007/08/02/Naked_Before_God/#

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Now I'm not sure about the theology of all this. Returning to the ideals of the garden makes sense, but naked church? Not sure I'm ready for that.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure you could add me to your deconversion stats if this catches on. Or I'd cause the deconversion of many others. Yikes!

Brad Wright said...

That's pretty funny, Casey.

Yeah, I don't know if I would do that kind of church much good myself...

Anonymous said...

if this caught on it would not cause me to leave christianity. the christian value of modesty has been 1. a mainstay 2. forever shifting.
imagine the gasps the first time women came to church without their heads covered. or with a skirt above their knees. this is just the last stop in that continual shift.

in this church, on peak summer days would we hear: "aw mom, i don't want to go to church today. i'll stick to the pew?"

Brad Wright said...

You're right that standards are always changing, but this is a pretty big jump.

Good point about summers. I bet winters would be tough too. (I'd find a church without wood pews).