Nakedness

[WildCatRupe]

Quoting from Genesis, "They were nude but they were not ashamed." Furthermore, because God created it, "The human body can remain nude and uncovered and preserve its splendor and its beauty."

- Pope John Paul II

A series of brief questions concerning nakedness, the human body, and chastity.

All i ask is that, before responding to any other responses, you please post your OWN thoughts and feelings about these questions. I also ask that you really think about these things, rather than just flying by the seat of your pants on gut instinct.

1) Is the human body inherently sexual/erotic? Or is the eroticness of the body a function of some other factor, be it circumstance, environment, mindset or something else?

2) When/where is it appropriate to be undressed?

3) How much of our views on the human body are related to the actuality of the body, rather than culural and social mores?

Just a few questions. more might follow, along with my responses, at some other point. thanks!

Timmy

[Cow of Shame]

[quote name='WildCatRupe' date='Jan 26 2006, 01:14 AM']Timmy
[/quote]


Tihm-may! Tim...Tim...Tihm-may! Tihm-mayTihm-may? [i]Tihm-may[/i]!!

Edited January 26, 2006 by Cow of Shame

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Cow of Shame' date='Jan 26 2006, 12:21 AM']Timmah!  Tim...Tim...Timmmah!  Timmahtimmah?  [i]Timmah[/i]!!
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[/quote]

[Jaime]

[quote name='Cow of Shame' date='Jan 26 2006, 12:21 AM']Tihm-may!  Tim...Tim...Tihm-may!  Tihm-mayTihm-may?  [i]Tihm-may[/i]!!
[right][snapback]866213[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='hot stuff' date='Jan 26 2006, 12:26 AM']
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[philothea]

[Cow of Shame]

[quote name='philothea' date='Jan 26 2006, 01:28 AM']
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very nice lol


THAT smiley I might use.

[missionseeker]

What is it?

[Cow of Shame]

It's a Canadian smiley

[crusader1234]

I was pondering this yetserday night. If God made us in His image, why should we be ashamed when we are nude? I look forward to whoever can explain this...

[philothea]

It's all the Puritans' fault.

I have no problem with nudity. Though personally I dislike being undressed. It's not comfy.

[homeschoolmom]

I thought it was the Victorians' fault...

[philothea]

Could be.

It's definitely someone's fault!

[Cow of Shame]

Don't we have someone who knows Theology of the Body stuff in here somewhere? I know nakedness was addressed....

[WildCatRupe]

i love how i get 12 responses in half an hor, and NONE of them actually answer my questins. lol...i love you guys!

timmy

[missionseeker]

The Quakers?

[Jaime]

Where would I put my cell phone?

[philothea]

[quote name='WildCatRupe' date='Jan 25 2006, 11:48 PM']i love how i get 12 responses in half an hor, and NONE of them actually answer my questins.  lol...i love you guys!

timmy
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[/quote]
Heh, yeah, we're good that way.

I attempted to write a sensible response, but I wound up sounding like even more of an idiot than usual. So I stopped and I'm waiting to see if something sensible shows up.

[Aloysius]

the Christian reason to hide our nakedness is basically because of original sin, just like Adam and Eve's reason to hide their nakedness. Except Adam and Eve formulated it negatively, and the Church formulates it postively. here's how:

Adam and Eve were ashamed for their own sake.

The Church calls us to "be ashamed" (more like, be modest) basically for others' sakes.

The Church's concept of modesty is to admit that original sin inclines everyone towards sin. Hide your nakedness so that your appearance does not cause others to lust after you. Adam and Eve hid their nakedness because through the eyes of their newly tainted natures they saw the bodies as bad because the bodies caused bad thoughts (dualism, anyone? . The Church says to hide nakedness because the eyes of a restored nature give us insight into the tendency towards sin the fallen nature causes and so we should clothe the body to avoid the twisted use sin would cause to the body.

so it's all for the same reason, original sin, but formulated negatively and postiively.

[photosynthesis]

IT'S NAKED TIME!

I haven't started (or finished) the Holy Father's new encyclical, but I suspect it would give me insight into this topic that I don't have at the moment, so bear with me:

[quote]1) Is the human body inherently sexual/erotic? Or is the eroticness of the body a function of some other factor, be it circumstance, environment, mindset or something else?[/quote]
Yes, the human body is sexual and erotic. God made us male and female, and so we are inherently sexual, it is at the core of our being. The eroticness of the body comes from the fact that it is natural for men and women to be attracted to one another, because that's how God made us.... not from social factors.
[quote]2) When/where is it appropriate to be undressed?[/quote]
mostly in the privacy of your own home
[quote]3) How much of our views on the human body are related to the actuality of the body, rather than culural and social mores?[/quote]
Well, if we're talking about american society's views on the human body i'd say they come straight from the Devil himself. A lot of the stuff that's out there in themedia is almost pornographic. Peoples' views on the body often come out of the sinful world that we live in, unfortunately. But for people who seek holiness, they can understand the body in the light of the God who created it.