Christian Naturism

Christian Naturism

Christian naturists are Christians found in most branches and denominations of Christianity who practice naturism or nudism. They find no conflict between the teachings of the Bible and living their lives and worshiping God without any clothing, believing that covering the body leads to its sexualization. Thus, the common notion that nudity and sexuality go hand-in-hand is seen as a worldly point of view. The Christian definition of the human body should be separate, distinct, and non-materialistic. If clothing truly controlled lust and immoral sexual activity, then these would not be occurring to any great extent.

Many Christian naturists have very little disagreement with the core beliefs of long-established churches, and may even be a member. They feel the error of mandatory dress is cultural, rather than anything related to salvation. Nor is such an error unprecedented. For example, in the 20th century, churches largely abandoned any teaching which promoted racial separation and segregation. Likewise, Christian naturists perceive a gap between scripture and Victorian era modesty (which to some extent is still observed today).

Organized Christian naturism is known to exist in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Brazil mainly as a parachurch. Public rules of conduct are similar to those of family-oriented naturist resorts. Any inappropriate sexual activity (including lust) is considered to be against God's Word. Although Christian naturists may frequent public beaches and secular resorts, most do not accept New Age and humanist philosophies which sometimes occur in other aspects of naturism. This includes all forms of nature worship. (The etymology of the word "naturism" was never related to nature worship, but derived from the French au naturel, meaning "to be in the natural state.")