Justin Timberlake wants to strip off on a nudist beach after spotting
one in France. He said, "I was born naked and I’m going to die naked
so I don’t see anything wrong with it."
AS A WOMAN THOUGH, IF I'M HAVING MY
PERIOD, PRESUMABLY I CAN'T GO NAKED.
Not true. It depends largely on how
comfortable you feel. Naturists understand that menstruation is a
perfectly natural part of life for all women, and you won't be singled
out for special notice! The use of tampons enables women to take part
in most naturist activities. If you prefer to use pads instead, or if
you would just feel more comfortable doing so, wearing shorts is
perfectly acceptable during your period.
IF GOD HAD
WANTED US ALL TO BE NAKED, HE WOULDN'T HAVE INVENTED CALVIN KLEIN.
Guys, have you ever been to a tailor
to be fitted for trousers and been asked what side you 'dress' on? Why
do they do this? Simply because most men know that if you get this
wrong, it can be somewhat uncomfortable! Any woman who's ever worn a
bra will know that lifting and separating might give a pleasing
outline through a sweater, but that the instructions might just as
well say pinch and strangulate. Clothes often force your body into
shapes and positions that don't feel natural. How many men truly enjoy
wearing a collar and tie? How many women have pulled on a girdle
because they really wanted to? Next time you've dressed yourself up to
the nines, take a look in the mirror when you've taken it all off.
Have a look at the crease marks around your waist from the belt that
was too tight, or the deep gouges in your shoulders from your
wonderbra, or the ribs around your shins from socks, and the redness
of your little toes that have been squashed into fashion shoes.
Nudity is the most natural thing in
the world. Despite the fact that the catwalks of the fashion capitals
would have us believe that we cannot do without their latest
creations, we are all born naked! There are those, of course, who
would no doubt prefer all baby boys to emerge pre-clad in a
three-piece worsted business suit, and baby girls to pop out wearing
pinafore dresses and woollen tights. We live in a society that has
grown to view the human body as something to be covered - even ashamed
of. Naturism takes the opposite view. It sees the human body as good,
normal, varied - and something that only needs covering if the owner
wants to cover it. There is nothing lewd, crude or distasteful about
the unclothed body.
This will be
our first experience and we're apprehensive! What should we expect?
No matter how long experienced people
have been doing this, (and for some of us, it has been many years), we
all had a first time. The fact that you're apprehensive tells us that
you're just like the rest of us.
We remember how uncomfortable it was
to think about, before actually experiencing clothes-free recreation.
We know that it takes courage and trust to try nudism.
"You gain strength, courage and
confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear
in the face... You must do the thing which you think you cannot do." —
You Learn by Living, 1960, by Eleanor Roosevelt Yes, it takes trust.
Going without clothes among others allows us to bare everything but
our souls. That takes trust in the people who are helping us get
started.
Women who are experienced nudists
remember worrying that people might stare, or ogle, or compare, or
come on to them. Some were afraid it would be a beauty contest and
they'd be the only one without a "perfect" body (they're relieved to
learn that we're really all pretty much the same).
Men remember being afraid that they'd
get an erection. Once in a while, no matter how much we assure people
that it's not a sexual experience, there's a man who thinks that HE
has so much more testosterone than everyone else, it'll be sexual for
him.
What all of us have learned, is that
the first ten or fifteen minutes, we are so intimidated that our
equipment doesn't work the way we thought it would . . . and most
experienced nudists of both sexes will say that the next thing that
happens, is that you'll FORGET you're naked! Hard to believe, isn't
it? I repeat, almost ALL of us found it to be true, and you probably
will too.
© Charles Myers. Used with
permission. One of our members tells about his first visit to a
"landed" nudist park. He fell asleep on his blanket, on the grass
between the tennis courts and the swimming pool. Upon awakening, he
lay with his eyes closed, feeling the warm sunshine and the gentle
breeze, listening to the sounds around him, the tennis balls volleying
on one side, and the splashes, conversation and squeals from kids down
around the pool.
He thought, "My God, I really am
lying here naked". Then he opened his eyes and looked around a little,
and thought, "And so is everybody else." Then, "And nobody seems to
notice." And then, "AND IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER!"
You'll quickly come to the
realization that nobody who has been doing this for a while pays
attention to you. Unless you're dressed, of course, then you'd stick
out like a sore thumb. As you might imagine, a person who is clothed
differently from the rest of us is the one who feels most
uncomfortable.
We also know from experience that the
easiest way to ease into this is to get your clothes off as quickly as
you can, as if you've been doing it all your life. It is far easier to
jump right in, than to drag out the process. It's like jumping into a
pool of water. Just do it, and get it over with. Very soon, you'll
start to realize that "This isn't so bad, in fact they were right, it
feels pretty darn good!"
Bare Buns has a free orientation,
presented at the beginning of our Rec Center parties, for people who
are attending for their first time. It's packed with information,
sensitively presented, and with a touch of humor to help you relax. It
is designed to help make your first-time nudist experience as
comfortable as we can possibly make it. In addition, we host a "Meet &
Greet" before each Rec Center party at a nearby restaurant.
Many people like being able to meet a
small group of our members over a bite to eat, in a neutral, clothed
environment. Then when they arrive at the Rec Center, they feel like
they at least know a few of the people there. Participation in the
Meet & Greet is optional.
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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