Throughout history, people representing a variety of religions have practiced nude worship. Many of these societies have disappeared, but there exist today numerous organizations that continue to practice group religious activities without clothing. In addition, countless people pray, meditate, or offer devotions while nude in the privacy of their homes. Some of these activities constitute churches, as the term is traditionally understood. That is, they are intentional gatherings of people (congregations) in a particular place to worship God or some spiritual or transcendent phenomenon, practice their faith, and enjoy mutual fellowship. In the naturist world, such churches may be freestanding or part of a larger religious organization, although the former polity is the norm and the connectional bonds of the latter tend to be loose and informal.
Naturist Churches Around the World
In this sense of worshipers gathered in a physical location with a ritual leader (pastor, priest, elder, officiant, etc.), many naturist churches function today in the United States and in other parts of the world, with or without ordained clergy. The author of Heretics in Occupied Eden knows of such congregations or fellowships in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. No doubt there are more in other states. They exist also in Australia, the Canary Islands, France, Holland, Kenya, New Zealand, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Some meet in rural camps or wooded retreat centers, some in chapels on the grounds of naturist resorts, some in private homes. Most of these identify as Christian, but among them are inter-religious or universal spirituality groups that consider themselves as more than Christian or not Christian at all. Read about one US-based naturist church that has gotten a lot of press here.
The Natural Christian Church featured in this series is, of course, fictitious although based on real congregations. The fantasy element in the NCC is its extensive denominational structure, but certain descriptions of its practices have been drawn from historical examples.
Christian missionaries, who are themselves naturists, periodically visit secular naturist sites to evangelize or conduct chapel services.
Virtual Naturist Churches
In the age of the Internet, virtual nudist churches provide alternative means of worshiping. These do not meet the definition of church as a physical gathering place, but as organized efforts to study and practice spiritual values that include naturism, they fall within an expanded understanding of what it means to be a church in the 21st century. This broader definition of church was pioneered in the 20th century by the televangelists broadcasting services and organizing their followers through telephone and mail communications.
Some virtual naturist churches conduct services that members can view and listen to online, and even add responses in real time. Others act as supportive communities, providing forums or networking for conversations and instruction about nudity and religion, as well as encouragement for integrating their naturist lifestyles with their religious beliefs. Members of traditional churches who also practice naturism often turn to these online sites to supplement their religious experiences. Bible studies, particularly in regard to the subject of nudity, are a common feature of online forums. This phenomenon has its own acronym, CNNF, which stands for Christian Nudist Naturist Fellowships.
Among those identifying explicitly as Christian, most tend toward biblical conservatism and literal interpretations of scripture. The term Bible-believing is as prominent among nudist Christians as it is among conservative textile Christians. They argue that social nudity is not sexual and advocate traditional morality.
But a significant number of Christian naturist churches and fellowships embrace progressive theologies of liberation and inclusiveness. While agreeing with their more conservative allies that social nudity is not about sex, a few have taken on the mission of directly challenging the unhealthy prudery and sexual Puritanism that characterize much of traditional Christianity by offering body-positive and sex-positive affirmations, embracing the essential goodness of sexual activity and opposing the body-shaming epidemic in modern culture.
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Read more about the fictional Natural Christian Church in the Heretics in Occupied Eden series.
