Nudity and personal worship...

[KalosSoma]

My wife and I like to do some kind of Bible or book study over breakfast, and lately we've been exploring some books on spiritual practices. The one we're currently doing asks questions from time to time throughout the text, and yesterday's was about what kind of "temple," or space for worship, celebration and meditation, would you create if you could -- what would it include, what qualities would be important to you to make it a special place to encounter God.

When I was describing my vision for a personal temple, I mentioned to my wife that it would need to be a place where I could be unclothed, because that was something that had become very important in my life. I kind of surprised myself by saying this, but she understood and accepted it, which thrilled me. Ever since I have been taking every opportunity to remain nude at home, she has indeed been wonderfully accepting and encouraging, though she has not yet embraced naturism herself. But looking back on yesterday's conversation, I think bringing out the fact that being unclothed would be an important part of a personal worship experience for me was another step forward in her understanding.

And the more I think about it, the more I am drawn to the idea of unclothed worship. Has anyone had this experience, either alone, with a spouse, with a small group or even a congregation?

[Larryk1052]

A couple of years ago I attended the Christian Nudist convocation held at Avalon Nudist Resort in West Virginia. During this time we had nude bible study, worship and fellowship. It was a most enjoyable experience. I look forward to attending again. Perhaps in 2012. I do my nightly devotion in the nude.

[jochanaan]

I've done CNC too, in 2007 in Missouri. I've also done nude Bible studies and prayer with a naturist couple. And since I'm usually nude at home...

[natman]

Right now, our entire backyard is our "Temple" of worship. We have filled it with all manner of sustaining plants, fruits and vegetables and many flowing and aromatic plants, including gardenias, roses, angel trumpet trees and various herbs such as basil, rosemary and citronella. It is a place where all of our senses are involved in our worship of the Lord of creation and in the reading and studying of His Word.

I have also dreamed of having enough land to build an open air, glass roofed chapel that would be surrounded by colorful and aromatic gardens, with flowering trellised vines of bougainvillea , jasmine, lobelia, water falls and prayer gardens, shaped like a traditional small country church and maybe able to seat 20 to 30 people at the most.

[KalosSoma]

Your backyard sounds beautiful - you should post a picture! It sounds much like our vision for our own backyard/porch space; we envision the inside and outside kind of flowing together, and being very spiritually centered by filling it with all the things, natural and man-made, that focus our attention on God, and removing everything that doesn't.

[natman]

Perhaps I will do just that.

[Bare_Truth]

CNC Nude Bible Studies have been mentioned a couple of times above. Just what is the format of these? Ok ok, I get the nude part, but I have experienced "Bible Studies" which were 90+% lecture, almost like a sermon but a tightly focused topical study more like a university classroom lecture. At the other end of the spectrum I have experienced highly informal unstructured studies in which once the topic was put forth and a couple of participants had put forth prepared comments to "prime the pump" everybody got a chance to put in their two cents worth. Sometimes insightful comments and sometimes irrelevant scripture quoting.

So I was sort of wondering what the study format was, and then secondarily how it might have been affected by everyone (or some) being nude.

[jjsledge]

CNC studies are lecture/sermon style with time at the end for questions. The informal study is what the North Texas Christian Naturist group has tried to aspire to. If life will just slow down and we can start meeting regularly again.

In a previous CNC one of the presenters was talking about the Theology of the Body. It was his first time presenting it nude and was also his first time in a social nude situation. He had to practice what he had been preaching.

Jerry

[NakedMan57]

I have never had the experience but would love to. However, I still need to take the first plunge into social nudism. (Should be next Tuesday weather permitting.)

If anyone knows of any groups in the north Idaho, western Montana or eastern Washington area, that have nude worship sessions, please let me know.

As far as at home we rarely pray with clothes on and most of our time spent in the Word is in the nude. We will even get out the guitars and sing praises to God, unzclothed.

Donald