Some people say Christianity has always been against nudity. What do they say about the early Roman Catholic art of the Sistine Chapel. Sistine Chapel - Virtual Tour
The art in the Sistine Chapel is not from the "early" age of Christianity, but from approximately 1500 years into Christianity's existence. "Christianity has always been against nudity" is a problematic statement because it's much too vague. If Christianity were "against nudity", then how could it promote or even allow for births, since all humans are born nude? How could parents bathe their children? How could humans procreate?
The bible does not condemn nudity outright. But does condemn nudity when it is related to punishment or selfishness . Such as a person of wealth who does not provide food, shelter or clothing to those in need. That is not a text about nudity. But about not helping others protect themselves from the weather ; IE clothing for cold weather etc. as examples. Over the years the wording in the bible has changed to a more modern style of the times. The original was vague and could have different meanings. And the person / persons translating it rewrote it to how they thought it meant or to make it flow better as it was read.. Sections were dropped. Sections were added over the 2000 plus years. The bible is not just one book . But a collection of many books added together. There are parts that talk about nudity - But nudity itself was not evil . But the events or activities that happened resulting to nudity . Such as slaves or fighters who lost battles . They were often stripped naked as to shame them or as a act of control over them. Sections of the bibles talk about fishermen working nude on their boats or mending their nets. It was presented as being common. They were not damned for it. It was a accepted way to work.
Sounds like Paganism = Another thing the Religion of Christianity has taken from a faith witch is of olde lore - methinks
I dunno...grew up having a very strict Catholic family with eight kids as neighbors behind us. My sister stayed the night there once and she came home white as a ghost. Apparently, nudity among all of them was quite common in the mornings and evenings with 10 people total trying to get ready with four bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms...
Being a nudist for many years, I've seen the guilt religion has given to other nudists, especially when it comes to family nudity. It's OK to be nude with other strangers at the beach or other nudist venues, but to be naked at home with your siblings or parents, OMG, the SKY IS FALLING. Religion, intentionally or not, makes nudity a bad or evil thing.
Having been raised in a religious (leaning towards fundamentalist) environment myself, I don't think my parents would have viewed family nudity as "bad" or "evil"; just uncomfortable and awkward.
Sistine Chapel is not an example of early Christianity, however we do have examples of nudity in early Christianity. There is evidence that baptisms were done nude.
In my own experience (Catholic schools K-12), I have been taught that the human body is a beautiful thing, Catholic teachings and traditions are THICK with nudist imagery and discussions about nakedness. Without my Catholic upbringing and all of the mental imagery encountered along the way, I’m not certain that I would have ever become the enthusiastic nudist that I am today,
So from you are saying, catholics today that are anti-nudity, are just like so many others, that let an unknown force in society rule their minds against nudity. So from your experience, should catholics be more open to nudity because of the religious upbringing? Or using the nudity in history of catholic church make a good conversation to interest others into the naturist life style?
I think you hit the nail on the head in the first part of your post. Puritanical values still mostly dominate social standards in the US particularly as you get further away from urban areas. And, of course, I think Catholics should be open to nudity and naturism because the human body is a magnificent creation of God that shouldn’t be hidden in shame.
Well, speaking of some truly early Christians - and not just some Renaissance-era artwork commissioned by the Catholic Church - here's an example of a Christian sect that incorporated nudity as part of their worship: Adamites - Wikipedia "The Adamites, or Adamians, were adherents of an Early Christian group in North Africa in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th centuries. They wore no clothing during their religious services. There were later reports of similar sects in Central Europe during the Late Middle Ages."
