When the media judges nudists the way they do it could make people feel they are a freak or weird if they go to a nudist resort. There is sometimes a shame involved as well. Educating the ‘public’ that it’s ok to not have a perfect body is an uphill battle especially in the age of social media. But it’s one we need to take on.
i try not to listen to the people that are critical of nudity. i go to nudist resorts in florida and the pocono mountains and it feels so good being naked and free and everyone is so friendly.
To me, it seems like until you become a full fledged member of the social nudity lifestyle, you never really heard anything positive about it. For example, I've lived in NJ since 1984, and never knew until last year that there's a long established nudist resort (Sky Farm) only 20 minutes away. And when the media does do a story regarding nudity it's from a humorous snickering approach of (with apologies to Monty Python) Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink-Say-No-More... It wasn't until I joined AANR and became a member at Rock Lodge Club nudist resort that I found out that most resorts have FB pages. People need to be made aware of such things BEFORE they join the lifestyle. I just wish I knew how to do that. After all, strip clubs advertise on radio shows, so I don't think they'd have an issue with nudist resorts.
I believe religion is a huge one. Just yesterday, my pastor told me I am not qualified to serve at our church due to my stance on Naturism. That is frustrating and disappointing. Even though I have tried to show him that the bible is neutral on simple non-sexual nudity, he will not accept it and has come to this decision.
Puritanism is the primary culprit; there are a lot of good religious naturists. If the naked human body is so bad and sinful, why would God have created it. That's what bothers me as a religious argument.
I don't see how it's Un-Christian to be naked but religious people can take on conservative views that they think are arequirement of their faith. It seems that traditionally people were baptised naked to symbolise re-birth. Peter is described as working naked in John 21 although some translations fudge this saying, for example, that he was 'stripped for work.' He wouldn't have wanted to go home with his clothes smelling of fish. It has even been suggested that Jesus must have been naked after the resurrection because the grave clothes were left in the tomb.
That’s sad brother. Have you considered creating a social group of faith-filled nudists to explore the faith you align with and also be able to be free to be nude without shame? I am a Jesus follower as well. Over here in central TN. I have heard of these groups existing before and would be drawn to one myself. I don’t personally feel to be a pastor or teacher of the way of Jesus in a deep leadership capacity though I am an initiator and know that if something doesn’t exist that we want to see in the world, oftentimes that is a calling to créate it. Maybe lift it in prayer and see what may arise for you, my brother in Christ. :-)
Yes, funny you should mention it. I have indeed been thinking along those lines. Home Christian fellowship and bible study is becoming more of a thing. My online Christian Naturist group has been talking about this some lately as well. And the Home church is much closer to the biblical model than todays churches anyway. I am pondering that possibility, but haven't come to the point where I am ready to pull the trigger. I also am not exactly sure how to go about it but am researching some possibilities. Thanks for the concern and advice my Christian Brother.
If you are offering to talk with him, I would love to keep that in my back pocket for possible future use. I think I would like to exhaust all possibilities with him myself first. I have asked him if he is willing to keep an open dialogue and he said yes. I don't know if Reddit lets us pass emails to each other. I have had issues with the bots so afraid to try to add my email address But if you have experience with that, let me know if I can send you my email.
I think fear and modesty are the biggest reasons. There have been a few people I've been able convince trying it, starting at home. I have a document I created, some of which I plagiarized from Dustin Cox. I called it Jerry's Tips for Being a Nudist. It covers starting at home, then progressing to a nude beach and/or resort. I also introduce them to AANR, and Naturist Hub, and other places they can find good reliable information. Some follow my suggestions and some don't. But I always let them know I'm a resource they can always call for information.
Shyness! Body shame, religious (Biblical and teaching canons) confusions, societal restrictions. For a correct religious understanding of the inclusion of nudity within your home, society etc. consider reading Pope Saint John Paul II's "Theology of the Body." Briefly if one does not lust or objectify the body, nudity is acceptable. Consider the historical nature of nudity over the time of human man. Nudity in warm areas of the world was normal, the fishermen in the Israeli part of the of the world usually fished naked. For the last two millennia religious art has shown nudity (Think of the Sistine Chapel). Baptisms over the centuries often have been done naked. Seventeen years ago my own pastor and Catholic priest said that I could be naked at nudist resorts and socialize with other nudists.
Theology of the Body. Thank you for this. It’s so long! Weird how 300 page writings feel inaccessible for me when I used to read so much. Gosh the times
I'm going to speak to the cost of going to nudist resorts. Growing up my family were members at Lake Como. No one called it a resort. It was a nudist camp. Family style dinners on Sundays. They had a sauna, volleyball court, and of course the lake. They had a few cabins and a campground. It was very well kept but not a resort. Prices were very reasonable.
Somewhere around the 1980s the Nudist Resort came into being. More amenities, pools, hot tubs, hotel rooms, bars, and restaurants. Prices went up. But prices also went up at the former nudist camps. Some added upgrades like Lake Como. Others not so much, but prices still went up absorbently.
Other obstacles are club rules. No singles, or specifically no single men. No married people allowed to join without their spouse. Mandatory nudity on the first visit. First time visitors only allowed to visit on specific days usually on a weekend when it's busy. Limiting number of visits, forcing them to become full members.
The other thing that is both disturbing and turns people away from the nudist lifestyle is the number of former nudist resorts that have turned into the swingers lifestyle club.
I knew about the existence of social nudism since childhood but when I was 18 and independent I was too busy with college sport and academic scholarships to even consider anything else. That ran on to advanced degrees and a highly visible occupation. My wife and I finally decided to risk it at a cross country Resort, and we could easily afford doing that.
Once we got our feet wet we relaxed and came closer to home although I still wouldn't advertise to the general public. We don't have a problem with like minded people.
Some of the other comments detail the religious prejudices, sex concerns, physical appearance, and spouse and singles issues that are real for many.
I think that there is a general move in society away from doing anything in an organised fashion. If you go to church you will often find that the congregation is mostly elderly.
I belonged to a running club on and off for about 20 years and at the end of that time there were far fewer young people taking part although you would think that running was a young persons game.
My wife and I go to a folk dancing club which 50 years ago had a lively group of people in their teens and 20s, including ourselves and today we're still among the younger people there. Some clubs have closed for lack of new members. And I saw a post by someone else who went to a camera club where again most of the members were quite old.
Amateur theatre seems to be the only area that I have been involved with where a wide range of ages is common. I've been in shows where three generations of the same family have been on stage and I have been in three plays with my own daughter.
I've heard that some young people are embracing naturism but maybe this is mostly outside of clubs. On the other hand some teenagers seem more modest than ever.
I think you are right on both counts .... the younger people are, the less they are inclined to be "joiners". Dramatics and music being the exception because there are few one man plays, and one-man bands are awfully vulnerable acts.
As for underpants, under boxers, under swimming baggies ... it is just stupidity masquerading as 'modesty',
It is a great shame that we don't have some input from the 'Reluctant' other-halves ... I'd love to understand their reasons/fears .... just to add realism to my books.
Fear of harm from other social circles once found out (family, friends, classmates, church group, coworkers, etc.). There is no guarantee that they will not be harassed, ridiculed, bullied, expelled, fired, etc. once their practice is found out.
It's actually less of an issue in the context of bathing (spa/hot spring/bathhouse) as participants don't get labeled, but once they go beyond bathing context then they'll start to get labeled.
I'm finding it quite difficult to come up with reasons why others might find the idea of social nudity to be a bad thing, as I've been a social nudist for many years I can come up with reasons why I love nudism much more easily. I can see that there is validity in most of the points already made in this thread, but I'm uncertain how to order them in terms of how they make it difficult for others to join us naked and free.
I can see why its being asked of what is generally a group of people who are active social nudists, or at least interested in learning more about nudism. But, I don't want to feel like I'm speaking for non-nudists by responding in more detail here. While I have textile friends that know that I'm a nudist and we openly discuss my preference to live this way, they have a range of reasons for not being social nudist themselves
When the media judges nudists the way they do it could make people feel they are a freak or weird if they go to a nudist resort. There is sometimes a shame involved as well. Educating the ‘public’ that it’s ok to not have a perfect body is an uphill battle especially in the age of social media. But it’s one we need to take on.
It's a heinous mix of misunderstanding, misinformation, body dismorpiha, fear and prejudice towards nudity, nudism, and nudists
i try not to listen to the people that are critical of nudity. i go to nudist resorts in florida and the pocono mountains and it feels so good being naked and free and everyone is so friendly.
To me, it seems like until you become a full fledged member of the social nudity lifestyle, you never really heard anything positive about it. For example, I've lived in NJ since 1984, and never knew until last year that there's a long established nudist resort (Sky Farm) only 20 minutes away. And when the media does do a story regarding nudity it's from a humorous snickering approach of (with apologies to Monty Python) Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink-Say-No-More... It wasn't until I joined AANR and became a member at Rock Lodge Club nudist resort that I found out that most resorts have FB pages. People need to be made aware of such things BEFORE they join the lifestyle. I just wish I knew how to do that. After all, strip clubs advertise on radio shows, so I don't think they'd have an issue with nudist resorts.
Opposition to social nudity by your partner. Divorce and emigration is my extreme solution !!
I believe religion is a huge one. Just yesterday, my pastor told me I am not qualified to serve at our church due to my stance on Naturism. That is frustrating and disappointing. Even though I have tried to show him that the bible is neutral on simple non-sexual nudity, he will not accept it and has come to this decision.
Puritanism is the primary culprit; there are a lot of good religious naturists. If the naked human body is so bad and sinful, why would God have created it. That's what bothers me as a religious argument.
I don't see how it's Un-Christian to be naked but religious people can take on conservative views that they think are arequirement of their faith. It seems that traditionally people were baptised naked to symbolise re-birth. Peter is described as working naked in John 21 although some translations fudge this saying, for example, that he was 'stripped for work.' He wouldn't have wanted to go home with his clothes smelling of fish. It has even been suggested that Jesus must have been naked after the resurrection because the grave clothes were left in the tomb.
I have shown him this and other evidence. His eyes remain closed to the truth because of the visceral fear of nudity.
That’s sad brother. Have you considered creating a social group of faith-filled nudists to explore the faith you align with and also be able to be free to be nude without shame? I am a Jesus follower as well. Over here in central TN. I have heard of these groups existing before and would be drawn to one myself. I don’t personally feel to be a pastor or teacher of the way of Jesus in a deep leadership capacity though I am an initiator and know that if something doesn’t exist that we want to see in the world, oftentimes that is a calling to créate it. Maybe lift it in prayer and see what may arise for you, my brother in Christ. :-)
Yes, funny you should mention it. I have indeed been thinking along those lines. Home Christian fellowship and bible study is becoming more of a thing. My online Christian Naturist group has been talking about this some lately as well. And the Home church is much closer to the biblical model than todays churches anyway. I am pondering that possibility, but haven't come to the point where I am ready to pull the trigger. I also am not exactly sure how to go about it but am researching some possibilities. Thanks for the concern and advice my Christian Brother.
Wil
Brilliant, you’ll be in my prayers, brother.
As a Minister and a Naturist, I would love to have a word with your Pastor. He is wrong, and he secretly knows it.
If you are offering to talk with him, I would love to keep that in my back pocket for possible future use. I think I would like to exhaust all possibilities with him myself first. I have asked him if he is willing to keep an open dialogue and he said yes. I don't know if Reddit lets us pass emails to each other. I have had issues with the bots so afraid to try to add my email address But if you have experience with that, let me know if I can send you my email.
I think fear and modesty are the biggest reasons. There have been a few people I've been able convince trying it, starting at home. I have a document I created, some of which I plagiarized from Dustin Cox. I called it Jerry's Tips for Being a Nudist. It covers starting at home, then progressing to a nude beach and/or resort. I also introduce them to AANR, and Naturist Hub, and other places they can find good reliable information. Some follow my suggestions and some don't. But I always let them know I'm a resource they can always call for information.
Shyness! Body shame, religious (Biblical and teaching canons) confusions, societal restrictions. For a correct religious understanding of the inclusion of nudity within your home, society etc. consider reading Pope Saint John Paul II's "Theology of the Body." Briefly if one does not lust or objectify the body, nudity is acceptable. Consider the historical nature of nudity over the time of human man. Nudity in warm areas of the world was normal, the fishermen in the Israeli part of the of the world usually fished naked. For the last two millennia religious art has shown nudity (Think of the Sistine Chapel). Baptisms over the centuries often have been done naked. Seventeen years ago my own pastor and Catholic priest said that I could be naked at nudist resorts and socialize with other nudists.
Theology of the Body. Thank you for this. It’s so long! Weird how 300 page writings feel inaccessible for me when I used to read so much. Gosh the times
I'm going to speak to the cost of going to nudist resorts. Growing up my family were members at Lake Como. No one called it a resort. It was a nudist camp. Family style dinners on Sundays. They had a sauna, volleyball court, and of course the lake. They had a few cabins and a campground. It was very well kept but not a resort. Prices were very reasonable.
Somewhere around the 1980s the Nudist Resort came into being. More amenities, pools, hot tubs, hotel rooms, bars, and restaurants. Prices went up. But prices also went up at the former nudist camps. Some added upgrades like Lake Como. Others not so much, but prices still went up absorbently.
Other obstacles are club rules. No singles, or specifically no single men. No married people allowed to join without their spouse. Mandatory nudity on the first visit. First time visitors only allowed to visit on specific days usually on a weekend when it's busy. Limiting number of visits, forcing them to become full members.
The other thing that is both disturbing and turns people away from the nudist lifestyle is the number of former nudist resorts that have turned into the swingers lifestyle club.
Cap D'Agde in the South of France has become notorious for swinging and public sex.
I knew about the existence of social nudism since childhood but when I was 18 and independent I was too busy with college sport and academic scholarships to even consider anything else. That ran on to advanced degrees and a highly visible occupation. My wife and I finally decided to risk it at a cross country Resort, and we could easily afford doing that.
Once we got our feet wet we relaxed and came closer to home although I still wouldn't advertise to the general public. We don't have a problem with like minded people.
Some of the other comments detail the religious prejudices, sex concerns, physical appearance, and spouse and singles issues that are real for many.
I'm not close to any outlet. Stuck with home naturism. Planning trips to try social outtings
I think that there is a general move in society away from doing anything in an organised fashion. If you go to church you will often find that the congregation is mostly elderly.
I belonged to a running club on and off for about 20 years and at the end of that time there were far fewer young people taking part although you would think that running was a young persons game.
My wife and I go to a folk dancing club which 50 years ago had a lively group of people in their teens and 20s, including ourselves and today we're still among the younger people there. Some clubs have closed for lack of new members. And I saw a post by someone else who went to a camera club where again most of the members were quite old.
Amateur theatre seems to be the only area that I have been involved with where a wide range of ages is common. I've been in shows where three generations of the same family have been on stage and I have been in three plays with my own daughter.
I've heard that some young people are embracing naturism but maybe this is mostly outside of clubs. On the other hand some teenagers seem more modest than ever.
I think you are right on both counts .... the younger people are, the less they are inclined to be "joiners". Dramatics and music being the exception because there are few one man plays, and one-man bands are awfully vulnerable acts.
As for underpants, under boxers, under swimming baggies ... it is just stupidity masquerading as 'modesty',
It is a great shame that we don't have some input from the 'Reluctant' other-halves ... I'd love to understand their reasons/fears .... just to add realism to my books.
Fear of harm from other social circles once found out (family, friends, classmates, church group, coworkers, etc.). There is no guarantee that they will not be harassed, ridiculed, bullied, expelled, fired, etc. once their practice is found out.
It's actually less of an issue in the context of bathing (spa/hot spring/bathhouse) as participants don't get labeled, but once they go beyond bathing context then they'll start to get labeled.
I am not close to a nude beach. Will stick to being nude around the house and on the deck.
I'm finding it quite difficult to come up with reasons why others might find the idea of social nudity to be a bad thing, as I've been a social nudist for many years I can come up with reasons why I love nudism much more easily. I can see that there is validity in most of the points already made in this thread, but I'm uncertain how to order them in terms of how they make it difficult for others to join us naked and free.
I can see why its being asked of what is generally a group of people who are active social nudists, or at least interested in learning more about nudism. But, I don't want to feel like I'm speaking for non-nudists by responding in more detail here. While I have textile friends that know that I'm a nudist and we openly discuss my preference to live this way, they have a range of reasons for not being social nudist themselves