"I like it here. When I go to the other swimming pools they all look
at my legs. When I come here they look at me."-
12 year old girl with Cerebral Palsy concerning a naturist swim
The Top 15 Way Cool
Reasons To....
Spend a Day or a Weekend at a Nudist Campground/Beach
Written by a teen nudist for teens!
From a pamphlet put out by the
Federation of Canadian Naturists.
1. It's fun! Of course, it's not for
everyone, but then, neither is Madonna nor the Red Hot Chili Peppers,
NBA basketball nor Batman. But once most young couples and
boyfriends/girlfriends try it, they come back. Why? Because it's fun.
You probably know people who have vacationed at nude beaches, who
skinny-dip in their backyard pool or who lounge around the house nude.
Why not?
2. It's healthy! Besides improved
self-esteem, the sun relieves stress, provides you with Vitamin D, a
tan with SPF 4 protection and helps clear acne. Naturists don't overdo
their time in the sun; they tan safely with a sunscreen.
3. It feels good! You know how gross
those jeans and bra straps feel on a hot sticky day? Or that wet
swimsuit when you come out of the water! No more! Trade it in for the
feeling of wind on your back and the sun on your body! Cool!
4. Self-esteem! You'll feel great
about yourself! Nudity helps you become more open and accept yourself
for whom you are, not whether you measure up to the supermodels you
see in ads. Welcome to a place that does not measure value as a human
being by body size! It makes you a stronger, more confident person.
5. Be yourself! You can express your
individuality! Everyone accepts you as you are, whether you have a
disability, are overweight, dyed your hair purple, or have a great
tattoo that your friends hate. People are attracted by your
personality! Everybody's different, and that is respected!
6. So much to do! Volleyball,
swimming, basketball, suntanning, golf, tennis, and all sorts of other
activities. There is just about anything you'd do at any campground or
beach. Only more.
7. You are in full control. You
decide when you arrive and leave. You decide what to do when you are
there! Just like if you went to the beach. But better! If it's your
first visit, you decide when or even if you want to disrobe! It's
normal to feel apprehensive on your first visit, but since you're in
control, you have nothing to lose by checking it out!
8. You can be you! It's so refreshing
to be someplace where nudity is not sex, unlike ads, movies or TV. You
don't have to look like an actor or actress from Baywatch! Nobody's
staring to see if you have a great body or if you're overweight or too
thin! Nobody is checking you out at all! It doesn't matter if your
belly button is an inny or an outy! It's OK!
9. No sex! Everyone in a nudist park
is having an orgy? NOT! That is Myth # 1! (People who think nudity is
about sex find it a lot more convenient to go to strip bars. Besides,
the naturist resort owners don't let those people in anyways.) Lewd
behavior is NOT allowed. Ever!
10. Safety. You're in a no-jerks
zone! People treat you the way you want to be treated. Problems are
taken care of right away, especially for women, so they don't feel
vulnerable. You won't run into problems like at public beaches where
people stare at bathing suits, giving their imaginations free reign.
11. Popularity and confidentiality!
You'll be part of the group! Already, thousands of Canadians are
nudists. But nudist is totally confidential, so nobody knows. Naturist
parks are in discreet, strictly private areas, well back from roads.
Those who go accept newcomers' anonymity. All naturists respect
confidentiality. The only people who know you enjoy nudist are those
you tell. And if you meet someone at a resort you know, don't worry
about it. They're there for the same reasons as you, to have fun.
12. Skinny-dipping! All those
University of British Columbia students can't be wrong! You've heard
about all those great topless and nude beaches elsewhere in the world,
Europe, the Caribbean, Florida. But North America's second-largest
nude beach is Vancouver's Wreck Beach, just at the base of a cliff on
the edge of the University of British Columbia. On a hot summer day
you'll find 12,000 nude people (UBC students wouldn't cut class, would
they?)! There are smaller nude beaches in every province in Canada.
Write us for more information.
13. It doesn't cost a lot! You don't
put out the big bucks for a fun time.
14. NO TAN LINES! BONUS!
15. If people were meant to go naked,
they would have been born that way!!!
Short Reading About Nudist Culture
Discovery
Basically, nudists consider nudity to be
normal, acceptable, and good, and believe it should not be equated with sex.
According to that thinking, I was basically a nudist, but at that particular
time, I was still unwilling to admit it.
Even though it brought me great encouragement
to know that there were others who believed as I did, even other Christians, I
was still not sure if it was pleasing to God or not. I was still asking, "Is it
really right or is it wrong?" "Is the Lord God pleased with such
activity?" I didn't know what I should believe, and on a few occasions had
prayed that God would reveal the truth.
I believe God answers prayer, and know that
God's Word provides answers, but ironically, I never did a study of nudity from
the Bible - mostly because I was afraid of what I would find. It wasn't until I
got hungry for God, wanting to subject every area of my life to His Word, that I
decided to do a serious Bible study on it. I thought for sure I'd find I was
wrong or maybe perverted, but I didn't care, my objective was to do what was
right.
Now I knew of no teachings on nudity (or
nudism) and did not feel comfortable discussing my experiences or beliefs on the
subject with anyone else, feeling they would not understand. So my study
involved lots of prayer, and reliance on God's Holy Spirit. "If anyone lacks
wisdom, he should ask God..." (James 1:5) and "...the Holy
Spirit... ...will teach you all things..." (John 14:26) See also 1
John 2:20, 27 and 5:20.
After a few months of study, and lots of
prayer, to my surprise, I began to discover that I was actually right, and that
it was "the world" that has perverted ideas about the nude human form - God's
"good" creation.
Deeper study
Though, by that time, most of the scriptures
made sense to me, there were still a few scriptures that troubled me. Since I
had also been reading a Prodigy BBS on naturism (nudism), I decided to post a
message there to Christian nudists, hoping they could help me with these verses.
There were many replies, and though one or two of them were people wanting help
themselves, all the rest were tremendously encouraging.
Though people who wear clothes have no special
name for themselves, and I am not fond of having to classify myself as a nudist,
the fact is, I have found it to be the closest thing to which I can relate my
beliefs, and convictions.
For me, I am happy being nude or clothed, and
after two years of prayer and study of God's Word, I have found nudism to be a
way to live out the reconciliation of my beliefs, and convictions about
chaste nudity with the truth in God's Word. In the process, I discovered that
"clothing optional" living is not about "getting naked," or even about sex, but
is about...
- ...living free from unnecessary body shame.
- ...living free from fear over undue
condemnation (because everyone else wants to condemn all forms of nudity).
- ...accepting yourself and others completely,
and unashamedly, based on internal character, and not outward appearance.
- ...being more open, honest and truthful,
recognizing that these things require true humility.
- ...recognizing that nudity and sex do not
have to be related; people are not "sex-object" and neither are their parts.
- ...recognizing that nudity does not have to
be shameful, and people do not have to be offended by it.
Furthermore, the "clothing optional" attitude
allows me to be more practical, comfortable, and healthy by allowing me to adapt
to each situation without worry or fear, and by allowing my body to function
more closely to the way it was designed to work. God designed the human form to
be nude, and through nudism, I have discovered that my whole being benefits the
most from being nude often.
Though most people do not have a correct view
of themselves and others, especially regarding nudity, the Bible makes it clear
that we are to "renew" our minds to be Christ-like in our attitude. The Bible
says that those who live for Him live like Him, for they "have the mind of
Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:16 So far as clothing goes, Christ Himself said, "Why
do you worry about clothes? Do not worship them, worship God!" Matthew 6:25,
Luke 12:22
"Do not let anyone take you captive through
hollow and deceptive philosophy, which DEPENDS ON HUMAN TRADITION AND THE BASIC
PRINCIPLES OF THIS WORLD rather than ON CHRIST. ...Such regulations indeed have
the appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility
and their harsh treatment of the body, but they LACK ANY VALUE in restraining
sensual indulgence." Colossians 2:8, 23
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