Nudity In The Bible
This is a group for those who are looking for, or wish to share stories and verses, in the Christian Bible, about nudity.
- created by JosiahWeber
Nudity in the Garden of Eden
Return to DiscussionsI have written a few blogs about this on the AANR Naturist Hub site. There are several verses in Genesis Chapter Two and Three worthy of exegesis. The last verse of chapter 2, verse 25, "They were both naked, Adam and his wife, and they were not ashamed." I am using a Hebrew Bible, the original text and the last word can be translated as I rendered it, but can also be rendered, as embarrassed or unaware. As I understand it, this means they accepted their nakedness without any thought, it is simply how they were created. Then in chapter 3, everything unravels. Eve eats the fruit of the forbidden tree, then Adam eats the fruit and immediately, "The eyes of both of them were opened and they knew they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves and made loincloths for themselves". Notice that neither Adam nor Eve covered their upper body. When they hear noise they hide and when God calls, Adam says, " I heard your voice in the Garden, and I was afraid for I was naked, and I hid myself." At this point, however, Adam was not naked, he was clothed. So he must be talking out the previous verse! Now Adam was embarrassed at his nakedness, or possibly embarrassed by being clothed. He did not know how God would react to his being clothed, so he hid his nakedness from himself, and Adam also hid himself from God. This is the beginning of mankind's separation from God. In putting on the fig leaves, Adam and Eve denied the state of their creation and rejected God's plan for them. Howso? God immediately asks, "Who told you that you were naked, did you eat of the Tree that I forbade to you?" How did you come to realize that you were naked? Where did those clothes come from? I did not give you clothes when I set you in the Garden! The only reasonable conclusion from God's question is that God intended humans to remain naked. We were never supposed to be clothed! Adam and Eve not only 'sinned' by eating the fruit, they also 'sinned' by covering up.
For people of faith today, social nudity is the atonement and restoration of God's original plan for humankind - living nude as much as possible. So who is the 'sinner'today-the clothed or the nude? My conclusion is social nudists are the true believers in the Word!
Great post.
I guess our desire is to be naked and unashamed, to get back to Eden with nothing hidden. However I suspect the hindrance of doing so is that we sought and still live with the consequences of eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Getting back to Eden requires redemption and restoration and its clear we cant do that on our own strength. We need rescued.
I, like you see nakedness as liberating and stating that there is nothing hidden. Im unashamed and naked. Is it aspirational for all Christians? Certainly at some level physical, emotional, spiritual we need to be real and stop hiding. Should social nudity be the goal though? Im not totally sure given our fallen state. We see how easily it can go wrong.
The kingdom isnt fully here. We are torn, living here but being citizens of heaven. We should be as intended to be but must also walk wisely.. We need to be intentional, careful, discerning, and real.. we need to shine as cities on a hill but we also not compromise ourselves or others.
I feel like we tred this world with an end goal aspiration but not quite there yet.