Nudist/Naturist Truisms

1. It's just a penis; every man has one

There are penis-equipped people who are not men. I'm not just talking about boys because that distinction is pointless in this conversation; rather I'm referring to trans people (including enbies), intersex people and some not-so-common chromosomes and genes as there is A LOT more than just XY cis male and XX cis female in the human species. Conversely it goes without saying that there are men/boys who do not have a penis. All of them should be kept in mind when designing aphorisms for all nudists to adhere to.

2. No one was every harmed by seeing a member of their own species without artificial adornment

I agree, and this is way more important than "we all got this specific part" because it's all-encompassing and inclusive. Often we hear people say "we're all guys here" meaning "it doesn't matter if we see each other naked solely because we all have the same parts" and that clearly falls apart the second you step out of a men's locker room, and sometimes even IN there.

3. The most shocking thing about human genitals is that anyone is shocked by them

I agree with that. More than that, I think some people have weird rules for their functions and anatomy. Like you can have a penis and it can be visible and it is all good but you can't have your blood flowing through it causing an erection. Oh no that's shocking.

4. If we were supposed to be naked, we would have been born that way

I'd be careful saying things like this because it implies that there is something we're supposed to do with our lives, which is outside of the scope of nudism. Sounds more like a personal, supernatural belief that one might hold but ultimately a claim that cannot be demonstrated. It's not like we can look under a rock and find what we're supposed to do. Perhaps the original intention behind this sentence is that clothes are not necessary for the sustainment of the human species or the development of human civilizations as we know them?

5. My body is good, fearfully and wonderfully made, and the temple of the set-apart spirit

Not all of us believe in that, and no one has ever been able to demonstrate that spirits exist. I wouldn't put that forward as a nudist truism like some kind of truth that all nudists believe in. As for fearfully and wonderfully made, I'm not sure what that even means. I guess my parents did have a wonderful time making me but I don't think they were afraid of anything at the time.

6. Modesty in the Bible is about not being OVER dressed with jewelry, hair-dos, and fancy clothing

Please leave your religion out of this. Not all of us believe in that either. This is a secular space in the sense that no one is going to block theists from posting but you shouldn't try to impose the texts you believe in on all of us either. Respect goes both ways.

7. No one ever got into trouble in the Bible for being nude

No one ever got into trouble in the Christian Bible for enslaving people either, or for beating their slaves so long as they didn't die as a direct consequence, or for manipulating temporary servants (indentured Hebrew males) into permanent, inheritable property (full-fledged slaves like everybody else), or for raping little girls so long as they bought them from their fathers as wives and property. The truth is, the Christian texts depict morals from the Bronze Age Middle East and those are not the same morals all of us uphold today in the whole world. I don't know where you live or whether you do uphold those morals, but the point is not all of us do. I personally follow a more humanistic approach to morality where the well being of human beings is above arbitrary statements, and the continuous betterment of the moral system itself is better than words written almost two thousand years ago that do not update themselves.

8. The only people in the Bible who did get into trouble regarding nudity were those who were upset about, bothered by, sexually turned on by, or who made a big deal about nudity

People in the Christian Bible got in trouble for a LOT of things that should not be problems. Eating seafood, growing more than one kind of crop in the same land, wearing more than one kind of fabric, being gay, believing in other gods, believing in no gods, believing in equal rights between men and women and other people, being born outside of Israel. Putting forth such a weak reason for nudism works against us rather than for us. Plus, again, using religion is divisive in such a big, cosmopolitan, all-welcoming, secular world. Please be considerate. You can imagine we're all sitting in a circle in one big room, all naked because that is the single thing that unites us all here, and you're looking in my eyes and telling me I should follow your scripture. Then you look into the eyes of the person who's sitting to my right, who's a Muslim, and you tell them the same. Then you look into the eyes of the person who's sitting to my left, who's a Hindu, and you tell them the same. And when you're dong talking, it's somebody else's turn to speak and they are a Satanist and they get to tell YOU that YOU should follow their scripture. This is an us versus them thing caused by people bringing their personal beliefs into a space that is not meant for that.

9. I neither designed nor made my body; I have cause for neither pride or shame

People can design and make their bodies. Not from scratch, obviously, but they can change their body types and weight and tan intensity and hair density/length/curvature and the size and shape of some body parts. There are exercises and surgeries and meds available for all kinds of aesthetic treatment. Then there are jobs and activities that are not intended for aesthetic crafting but do cause it as a byproduct. People can be proud of their achievements if they like. I do of course believe that on the other hand nobody should be ashamed of their body. The thing is that you don't need to be either proud or ashamed, as that is not a true dichotomy. You can simply be neither. So I'd rephrase that as, there is no body type to be ashamed of, and no reason to be ashamed for, and all bodies are valid.

10. If you see something that offends you, gouge your eye out; the offense is inside you, not external to you

I'm 100% with you on the intention behind this, but not what that CAN mean. "Something" can be "anything" really. It can mean a lot of things which I'm sure you do not intend it to mean. If I see something that is offensive to me I'm not gouging my eyes out. I may or may not be stepping up to end it depending on how dangerous it looks or how absurd it is, and hopefully you're stepping up with me.

11. Clothingism: The false teaching that clothing is better than yahway's* design

You're implying that Yahweh is real. Please demonstrate that, otherwise it is only rational to treat him like any other proposed character in any other book, like Voldemort or Joffrey Baratheon. Those characters are in no position to design anything and it is moot to deem true or false the teaching that clothing as better or worse than their design.

12. Anthropologists agree that complete nudity in unclothed societies carries no suggestion of sexuality

Citations aside, what does that matter? Sexuality flows through our rapidly firing neurons before we even think to look at or away from something, let alone have a boner or engage in masturbation or coitus. For those of us who are sexual (read: not asexual people), it is undetachable from our lives and our bodies in totality, so the thing where we behave like we're not having thoughts or spontaneous reactions etc. is just pretending. Furthermore: sexuality is not all about genitals. You're walking on a nude beach with your wife or your husband or your girlfriend(s) or your boyfriend(s) etc. looking for a spot to lie down, and you're holding their hand, and that right there is sexuality. A minute goes by and you pass by a couple with matching chairs and you think to yourself, I should probably get her/him/them a matching set for our next trip as a surprise, it will be a nice gesture and it will make them happy. And that right there is sexuality. It is romance which is an interpersonal connection based on whom you're attracted to. Then you pass by an attractive person and you think what if I married that person instead? And that right there is sexuality. Of course it doesn't need to be imposed on everybody, and it certainly shouldn't be imposed on some people. My point is that whether nude or clothed we are sexual and sexual does not necessarily mean sticking your dick in a hole in somebody. It certainly means that some of the time, but not always.

I propose more flexible, inclusive, and straight to the point words.

1. To be nude is just as valid and moral as to be clothed.

2. To be seen nude by others is just as valid and moral as to be seen clothed by others. (By recursion this also applies to you seeing others nude.)

3. Some people like being nude. Or being nude is pleasant to some people.

4. Anything that brings pleasure is better than anything that brings suffering.

5. By virtue of being just as valid and moral as being clothed, being nude brings no one suffering, generally speaking but with exceptions.

6. All human body parts are equally innocuous/harmless. A penis, a vagina, a chin, a forehead, a nipple, they're all on the same moral level.

I do realize that I repeated myself in these proposed sentences in several slightly differently presented wordings but ultimately it is all just one axiom. Which is really all that matters and why we're all here. In fact I'm pretty sure I'm actually repeating what YOU said in item #2. I really like that one.

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It's great to see how much thought has gone into these contributions. Here are a few I can add:
All of us entered life naked, unashamed, and with a clean mind: modestly. Any immodesty is acquired in an unclean mind; there is no other way to get that. ~ Mark Twain rephrased
He who seeks nakedness, seeks the truth. He who fears truth, fears nakedness. ~ Erik Holm
If anything is sacred, the human body is sacred. ~ Walt Whitman
The body is a sacred garment and never lies. ~ Martha Graham
The clothes of the body were sweet silk, but this nakedness is sweeter. ~ Jalal ad-Din Rumi
With nothing left to hide outside, it's easier to be whoever we are inside. ~ Stuart R. Ward rephrased
Man is the sole animal whose nudity offends his own companions, and the only one who, in his natural actions, withdraws and hides himself from his own kind. ~ Michel de Montaigne
Naked doesn't always equate to sex or showers, but sometimes a naked person takes a shower. ~ Alex in Anaheim
To be naked is to be oneself. ~ John Berger
We're shocked by a naked nipple, but not by naked aggression. ~ Lepanto
Why be a royal fish trying to wear pants? ~ Hafiz

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It's great to see how much thought.Thanks for the additions. I'll add them to my list.

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Rather than offer explanations for our nudity should we not turn questions around and ask non nudists who question us to explain their illogical acquired phobias relating to their natural bodies and sexuality?Sounds good. Do you have any suggestions?

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Outside of my home, it pretty much leaves me in a thoughtful mood with my pants on.I long for the day when I can just be me. There's nothing shameful or obscene about any part of my body -- I don't have any private parts.

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