My point with all this is to show that nudity isnāt evil
per se, and that it serves many different purposes, meanings, and effects in different contexts.
Of courseā¦but these contexts are restricted by the virtue of modesty etc
BTW, Iām a senior at FUS who is majoring in theology (accelerated) and mental health. Iām also minoring in history and philosophy. In some ways, this discussion touches on all of those. Perhaps the effects of nudity could make an interesting psychology thesis.
My degree from FUS is in Theologyā¦I also majored for some time in Psychology but dropped it for more Theology and Philosophy
I read both the RSV CE and the original text. One must be careful to not treat a certain translation as infallible
of course notā¦but it is very goodā¦and more literal for Englishā¦
, but should, if doing a concentrated study of a particular passage, look at the original language. For this I recommend
www.blueletterbible.org, because there you can see the original words, their general meaning, and other places in the Bible where those same words are used.
one must also understand it in contextā¦and how the Church has understood itā¦Peter was not nakedā¦he was stripped for workā¦he put on his outer garments and jumped in
Even if the RVS CE was infallible, saying āhe was stripped for workā is NOT contradictory to āworking nudeā. Sometimes being stripped for work is the same as being nude, since certain things like fishing were often done in the nude (as far as Iām aware of the habits of that period).
I doubt thatā¦the understanding has been he was stripped of his outer garmentsā¦
This, plus the historical context, plus the fact that āgymnosā usually referred to full nudity, mean that it is reasonable to hold that he was fully naked, but not strictly provable.
he was stripped for workā¦not totally nakedā¦lots of greek words can be understood in differing sensesā¦
John 13:4 said that he took off his garments, then girded a towel around his waist. I donāt think he would have used a towel to replace the outer garment. If he was putting a towel around his waist, then he was probably briefly uncovered in that area. I could be wrong, but itās a reasonable interpretation.
I would think He removed his outer garmentsā¦like a slave or servantā¦and washed their feetā¦not naked ā¦the towel was a āfunctionalā item that was wrapped around what he was wearing under the garments that he removedā¦it was functional for the purpose was then about
But what about Isiah 20:2-4?
you may be correct on this last oneā¦but again this was a culture far far awayā¦which differed greatly than oursā¦God met them where they were atā¦(just as he did in a lot of things that are different now) and later moved them upwardā¦things normal at that time would not be permitted after the fullness of revelation ā¦etc
In any case any examples from Scripture (really the OT) are not then making it ok to have such beachesā¦
And you think that Europeans are not tempted to lustā¦or do not lust on such beaches???
The Church is very clear on the need for the virtue of Modestyā¦do you think that she would go to such efforts as she does to promote it ā¦and talk about the importance of the choice of clothing! and protecting the intimate aspects of personsā¦saying that modesty āmeans refusing to unveil what should remain hiddenā and then say āohā¦well at the beach you can just bare it allā¦cause it is the beach!ā ???
Europe has a good deal of secularism that has taken grip (and I imagine paganism and hedonism like the rest of the west) and there is a great need of the New Evangelizationā¦the Church wants us to evangelize problematic culture ā¦not join it. (Now I know you are well intentionedā¦and your thinking these things outā¦and yes the human body is goodā¦and there is a place even in some art for its form to be displayedā¦but not persons on beaches etcā¦you really need to think again about these ideas)