Christian naturism and Christian nudism are sinful and heretical
In Summary -
Old Testament
From being naked and unashamed, to being afraid of being naked. God makes garments (Genesis 2-3)
Nakedness associated with sin, paganism and lust (Genesis 9, Leviticus 18, 20, Exodus 32)
Clothing is associated with righteousness and splendor (Job 29, Psalm 45, Psalm 104, Isaiah 61)
The Priests of the Tabernacle are given strict clothing requirements to make sure their private parts are not seen (Exodus 20:26, Psalm 132)
The body is confined to marriage (Song of Songs)
King Saul (first King of Israel) is oppressed by a Demon and strips naked signifying loss of Royalty (1 Samuel 19:24)
The Prophets use nakedness to signify shame and national humiliation (2 Chronicles 28, Isaiah 20, Isaiah 47, Jeremiah 13, Ezekiel 16, Lamentations 1, Micah 1)
New Testament
Jesus refers to be clothed with righteousness (Luke 24:49)
The Apostles develop the idea of flesh against spirit (Galatians 5), the flesh is seen as warring against the soul (1 Peter 2)
Further reference to clothing oneself with righteousness (Colossians 3), against the flesh (Romans 13)
Reference to rejecting the natural man and becoming the spiritual man, unpresentable parts of the body treated with special modesty (1 Corinthians 2, 1 Corinthians 12)
The Body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6)
Jesus and the Apostles warn against scandal (Matthew 18, 1 Corinthians 8)
Jesus warns against being naked when the Day of the Lord arrives, the saved are given robes, fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints (Revelation 6, 16, 18)
Why Christian Naturism is wrong -
At the beginning of the Bible we have the story of Adam and Eve, our first parents. Now it expressly says they were naked and unashamed (Genesis 2:25).
Yet after the fall they felt shame - Genesis 3:10 “He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
When God confronts Adam's shame over his nakedness, He does not say "You shouldn't be ashamed — nakedness is fine." Instead, He links the awareness of nakedness directly to disobedience.
Indeed, God made clothes for them - Genesis 3:21 “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them”.
From this we have the concept of Original Sin.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states 418 As a result of original sin, human nature is weakened in its powers, subject to ignorance, suffering and the domination of death, and inclined to sin (this inclination is called "concupiscence").
Baptism of course removes original sin, not its effects
CCC 405 Baptism, by imparting the life of Christ's grace, erases original sin and turns a man back towards God, but the consequences for nature, weakened and inclined to evil, persist in man and summon him to spiritual battle.
Nakedness is no longer just a state of exposure but a symbol of sin's curse. The solution is not a fig leaf but the righteousness of Christ. The prohibition is not merely against an act but against the lustful thought. And the final hope is not a return to innocent nudity but being gloriously and eternally "clothed" in the life of God.
We have mention of the Bible of the flesh lusting against the Spirit
Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
Time and time again we read of the importance of Clothing in the Bible
Romans 13:14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
Here we read not to indulge in sensual pleasures and indulgence but to be clothed with Jesus Christ who preached chastity and continence. Jesus Christ warns against being naked in the Book of Revelations. Here He warns against us being in a shameful state. Therefore, we can see that putting on Lord Jesus Christ and being with the spirit is directly related to being clothed rather than unclothed.
Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Revelation 6:11 Then each of them was given a white robe …
Coverings are seen as vital and important for spiritual combat
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Covering nakedness is seen as an act of Mercy
Matthew 25:38
37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
Indeed, we even see clothing take on a Sacred Dimension
Psalm 132:9
“May your priests be clothed with your righteousness; may your faithful people sing for joy.’”
Indeed, there were permanent consequences when Ham saw the nakedness of his father Noah - he was given a strong curse
Genesis 9
Noah’s Shame and Canaan’s Curse
18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. 20 Now Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. 21 But when he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his drunkenness and learned what his youngest son had done to him, 25he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
The Principle of Kavod (Honor): Even if one follows the simpler reading—that Ham merely looked and told his brothers— Jewish tradition derive a critical principle. The act of "seeing" was not passive; it was an act of disrespect. By looking upon his father's vulnerability and publicizing it, Ham violated the fundamental commandment to honor one's parents. Shem and Japheth, in contrast, are praised for their extraordinary sensitivity: they "walked backward, and covered the nakedness of their father." Rashi (the preeminent medieval commentator) explains that even turning their faces away was an act of piety. This story becomes the paradigm for the prohibition of ona'at devarim (verbal oppression) and for the importance of shielding others from shame.
Leviticus 18, 20 Uncovering nakedness
The entire legal framework begins with the repeated phrase in Leviticus: "do not uncover (galot) the nakedness (ervah).”
The Talmudic sages in Tractate Sanhedrin 69b-70a engage in a meticulous debate to define what act constitutes this forbidden "uncovering."
The Debate: Is the prohibition against the act of sexual intercourse itself, or is it against seeing the nakedness? The conclusion is that the primary prohibition is against the act of intercourse. However, the sages derive a secondary prohibition from the language of "uncovering": it is also forbidden to gaze upon the ervah of a forbidden relative. This is derived from the verse "None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to uncover their nakedness" (Leviticus 18:6). The word "approach" (kerovah) is interpreted to mean coming close for the purpose of seeing, not just for the act itself.
The Definition of Ervah: What parts of the body constitute ervah? The Talmud in Berakhot 24a defines it for the purpose of reciting holy words (like the Shema). It states that a man cannot gaze at a woman's "fingerbreadth" of flesh that is normally covered. This includes the thigh, the upper arm, and more. While this specific context is prayer, it establishes a cultural and legal baseline for what is considered immodestly exposed. The Talmudic sages understood ervah not just as the genitals, but as parts of the body that, when exposed, incite lust and destroy personal sanctity (kedushah).
Tzniut (Modesty of Dress and Conduct): The laws dictate that a married woman's hair is considered ervah and must be covered. Clothing must not reveal the form of the body or the parts of the body defined by the sages. This is not about shame of the body itself, but about guarding the sanctity of human interaction and preserving the specialness of intimacy within its proper context. The body is seen as a holy vessel, and its holiness is protected through modesty.
Revelation 7:9-14
“9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”
Revelation 19:8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Revelation 3:17-18 (to the church in Laodicea) — "For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked (gymnos). I counsel you to buy from me... white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness (gymnótētos) may not be seen..."
Revelation 3:17 — The Naked Church "...you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked."
The church at Laodicea is rebuked for its spiritual complacency. Among its conditions of disgrace is nakedness. The Lord's remedy? "I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire... and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen" (v.18). Even in eschatological and spiritual language, nakedness = spiritual disgrace, and clothing = righteousness and dignity.
The clothing analogy is used again to put on Jesus Christ - Letting His character, attitudes, virtues, and power shape behavior (similar to "putting on the new self" in Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10) & treating Jesus as spiritual armor or protection against sin
Galatians 3:27: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
Ephesians 4:21 Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him—in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus— 22to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
And
"I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49)
And
Colossians 3:12-15
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
And
Romans 13:14 Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.
This quote relates to all sensual indulgences
Nudity is seen as something shameful
Isaiah 20:4 so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
And
Ezekiel 16:37
therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked.
And
Ezekiel 22:10 — Nakedness and Social Corruption "In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity."
And
Nahum 3:5 “I am against you,” declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will lift your skirts over your face.
I will show the nations your nakedness
and the kingdoms your shame.
And
Jeremiah 13:22-27
And if you ask yourself, “Why has this happened to me?” It is because of the magnitude of your iniquity that your skirts have been stripped off and your body has been exposed.
And
Lamentations 1:8 Jerusalem has sinned greatly; therefore she has become an object of scorn. All who honored her now despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns away.
And
2 Chronicles 28:19 – “For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD.” King Ahaz is condemned for "making Judah naked," used as a metaphor for moral and spiritual degradation.
And
Isaiah 47:3: A taunt against Babylon: "Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one."
This again uses nakedness as the ultimate symbol of a fallen, disgraced power.
Now if nudity is of the flesh, the Spirit is seen constantly warring against it
1 Peter 2:11
Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.
Romans 8:5-8
Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. / The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, / because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ...
Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Expressly, the natural man is mentioned here
1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
We are even told parts of our body should not be presented to others
1 Corinthians 12:23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,
As seen in the catechism - CCC 2521 Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity.
The image of clothing is again used for virtue
1 Peter 5:5
Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
We see the nakedness and the flesh to mean something bad. Ever since the fall it has been associated with shame and negative connotations. Clothing is seen as something good and virtuous. Never in the Bible do we see nakedness to mean something remotely positive after the fall -
The Prophet Isaiah walked naked for three years as a "living sign" to symbolize the future humiliating defeat, captivity, and naked exile of Egypt and Ethiopia by Assyria. (Isaiah 20:2-3)
King Saul stripped his Royal Clothes as a sign of divine disfavor. He was also associated with having mental and spiritual illness
First Samuel 16:14 says, “The Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.”
1 Samuel 19:24 He stripped off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel’s presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
The act of the king lying naked is presented as a bizarre and undignified state, something so unusual it became a proverb. It shows how far outside the bounds of normal royal decorum the situation had become.
Micah 1:8 "For this I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will make lamentation like the jackals, and mourning like the ostriches." Here, the prophet voluntarily strips naked to embody the shame and utter devastation that is coming upon Judah and Samaria because of their sin. It is a performance of national humiliation
Isaiah 61:10 refers to the Garment of Righteousness “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
Psalm 45:13–14 – The king's daughter is described as clothed in splendor, with garments interwoven with gold — another positive association of clothing with honor and dignity.
Clothing again is seen as something strong, pure and good
Isaiah 52:1”Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, holy city! For the uncircumcised and unclean will no longer enter you
The Song of Songs has poetic descriptions of the female body, but it is confined to marriage.
Jesus cured a naked demoniac who was insane
Luke 8:26-39
27 As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in the tombs outside the town
In 2 Samuel 6:14, King David was not naked when he danced before the ark, instead wearing linen
NB: In John 21, the Greek gymnos does not always mean fully naked and can include wearing undergarments.
Those who engage in naturism bring to mind the following passages
Jeremiah 6:15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall; at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith Jehovah.
1 Timothy 4:2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
The parallels with paganism are stark themselves, with pagan cultures glorifying the body much like Dancing before the Golden Calf
Exodus 32:25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked, (for Aaron had stripped them by occasion of the shame of the filth, and had set them naked among their enemies,). The phrase "had broken loose" (פָרֻ֖עַ (para)) can also be translated as "were naked" or "were shamefully uncovered." Many ancient commentaries (like the Targum Onkelos - the primary Jewish Aramaic targum of the Torah) interpret this as the people being naked in their frenzied, idolatrous worship. Their spiritual nakedness before God manifested in a physical state of disorder and shame before their enemies.
The Body is Seen as a Temple of the Holy Spirit. In the Temple of Jerusalem there were coverings of heavy, ornate veils (or curtains) that separated the sacred spaces, symbolizing a boundary between the divine presence and humanity. The Inner Veil (Parochet) and the The Outer Veil. The Tabernacle also had coverings. The Temple Priests were forbidden from exposing their nakedness. There were strict clothing rules
1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
Indeed - God wears Clothes
Psalm 104:1–2 — God Clothed in Splendor
"You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment."
The Mystical Dimension in Jewish Thought: Nakedness and the Divine Light
The Kabbalists, particularly in the Zohar, saw the physical world as a metaphor for the spiritual. The concept of nakedness took on cosmic significance.
Adam and Eve's Garments of Light: Before the sin, the Zohar (Vol. 1, 36b) teaches that Adam and Eve were not physically naked in a shameful way. They were clothed in "garments of light" (or), a divine, spiritual radiance. The sin caused this light to depart, and they were left with the frail, physical skin. Their "nakedness" was the loss of their divine spiritual protection. The fig leaves were a crude, physical attempt to replicate the lost spiritual glory.
The Shekhinah in Exile: The prophets' imagery of Jerusalem's nakedness (e.g., Lamentations, Ezekiel 16) is interpreted in the Zohar as the nakedness of the Shekhinah (the Divine Presence). When Israel sins, it's as if they have stripped the Shekhinah of her divine garments, exposing Her to the taunts of the "nations" (the kelipot, or forces of impurity). The rectification (tikkun) is achieved through the performance of mitzvot (commandments), which are seen as "garments" that clothe and restore honor to the Shekhinah and the world. Therefore, a person's own physical modesty is a microcosmic act that helps restore cosmic harmony.
Exodus 20:26 And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.’
Leviticus 8:9 And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Leviticus 6:10; 16:4 – Priests were required to wear linen garments while performing their duties.
Ezekiel 44:18 – Priests are instructed to wear linen garments, covering themselves while in service to God.
Exodus 28:4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests.
Is carrying on nekkid really honoring God?
Romans 12:1: "Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."
1 Corinthians 6:20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
What if someone’s naked body causes lust?
Matthew 5:28: "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Public nudity could easily lead to lustful thoughts, which Jesus equates with adultery.
Job 31:1: "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman."
Demonstrates personal responsibility in guarding one’s gaze.
All in all we find here that nudity is near-universally considered bad in the Bible and clothing near-universally considered good. Based on these scriptures it is patently obvious that naturism is a heresy by denying original sin, and also sinful behaviour. Participants must not do it, and indeed risk scandalizing the little ones. Indeed, one wonders what spiritual dangers children are exposed to in these environments. Adults can consent, but children cannot. A child who is forced or coerced into such a lifestyle cannot protect themselves. Naturism is unusual as an alternative lifestyle in that it involves children - who considers their best interests? Are these children getting the best spiritual start in life? Indeed, there are several problematic issues here.
Matthew 18:6
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
Naturism may look bizarre to non-Christians and cause scandal
1 Peter 2:12 Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
1 Corinthians 8:9: Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
Galatians 5:13 For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
Ephesians 5:3–4 — Not Even a Hint
"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people."
Luke 17:1-2 Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! / It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
2 Corinthians 6:3 We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no one can discredit our ministry.
On what basis can Christian naturism be allowed? It is freeing, liberating? Surely, these feeling can be achieved while wearing clothes. Everything the naturist does naked, can be done with clothes on, thus satisfying the requirements for Christian living. Any issue related to immodesty requires a why to be justified - why are they doing this and do they have a good reason? It seems the naturists have no good reason. A nurse might bathe an elderly patient - they have a reason. So might a doctor. But a naturist has no such reason. It seems they are selfish and oblivious to the effects of their behavior on others.
Therefore to avoid harming the consciences of others and to avoid scandal, as well as to fulfil the requirements of Christian living, again it is obvious from scripture that naturism and nudism should not be practiced and are sinful.