Adamites

[Jochanaan]

In another topic (I refuse to call them "threads"! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif ) I made a comment about "Adamites of the fifteenth century," thinking that it was a single, short-lived sect. (The Bosch painting, "The Garden of Earthly Delights" supposedly depicts Paradise as imagined and practiced by Adamites.) But a Web search discovered, via a couple of encyclopedia articles, that those were not the only Adamites! Apparently sects of that name were extant as early as the second century. Those earliest Adamites, according to secondary sources (many Catholic), practiced nude baptism, worship, and communion but were not full-time nudists, and did not practice marriage. They were accused of extensive promiscuity (although I wonder how many of those charges were fabricated by their religious enemies).

Other sects of that name existed in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, and England. Many Bohemian Adamites were massacred by the Hussites but the group was in existence as late as 1849, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire suppressed them.

Does anyone know more about these historical Christian nudists? It appears that we modern religious nudists are in good historical company! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Jochanaan]

In another topic (I refuse to call them "threads"! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif ) I made a comment about "Adamites of the fifteenth century," thinking that it was a single, short-lived sect. (The Bosch painting, "The Garden of Earthly Delights" supposedly depicts Paradise as imagined and practiced by Adamites.) But a Web search discovered, via a couple of encyclopedia articles, that those were not the only Adamites! Apparently sects of that name were extant as early as the second century. Those earliest Adamites, according to secondary sources (many Catholic), practiced nude baptism, worship, and communion but were not full-time nudists, and did not practice marriage. They were accused of extensive promiscuity (although I wonder how many of those charges were fabricated by their religious enemies).

Other sects of that name existed in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, and England. Many Bohemian Adamites were massacred by the Hussites but the group was in existence as late as 1849, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire suppressed them.

Does anyone know more about these historical Christian nudists? It appears that we modern religious nudists are in good historical company! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Abiqua]

I have heard of the Adamites, but little else about them. At various times it appears that this label was applied to various christian groups whose doctrines might vary widely, but which shared the practice of worshipping in the nude, at least some of the time.

[Trailscout]

The best detailed overview of the history of the Adamite movement can be found at the following Web page:
The Adamites (http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/obscure2/adam.html)

Ironically, Gnostic influence created both severe Puritan-like body-shame and repression and another Gnostic offshoot (of which the Adamites were one) that advocated total sexual licentiousness.

Modern Christian nudism is very much in the fold of orthodox Christian doctrine.

It is probably true that most evangelicals are informally taught that nakedness has shameful subsequent to Adam and Eve's fall from grace. It is also true that some conservative pastors have railed from the pulpit against nudity in the movies, or objected to partial nudity in the form of seductive clothing. Very few evangelicals condemn nudity in fine art such as sculpture and portraits.

Curiously, I have read virtually nothing from theologians regarding the morality of nudity in a non-sexual context. I suppose that it is possible that some denominations have issued no position on social nudity because they are simply unaware of it. In other cases, those who have studied scripture are forced to deal with Bible verses that speak in a positive or at least neutral manner about incidents of nudity, well past the time of Adam's fall from grace.

Christian nudists assert that Adam's shame over his corporal nudity (Genesis 3:10) was improperly transferred from his spiritual condition.

Adamites went naked during worship because they believed that their souls are in a state of Paradise, therefore they return to the nudity of Eden. They also believed that could indulge their every whim and it would not be imputed as sin.

Christian nudists go naked when possible not because we reject the concept of original sin, (Adam's fall from grace), but because we insist that God did not change his mind about nudity. Nude is still the way he prefers us to be!
Since we are made in God's image, our nudity reflects his glory. Clothes cover up God's handiwork and should only be worn when social conditions or climate make it necessary. Nudity is often more comfortable or practical. If it is not wrong, we can opt for its comfort. Lifestyle nudity teaches children healthy attitudes about their bodies and their peers.

Most Christians seem to think that God's provision of animal skin garments constitutes a "clothing covenant". This is patently wrong. Genesis 3:21 does not establish a requirement that all clothes be made of animal skins. Garments of linen were specifically mandated in the law of Moses for ceremonial use.

Neither did the law stipulate any covering of the body for sin. All future references to animal sacrifice did not include using the skins for garments.

Some make much of negative biblical references about nudity, but such passages were in the context of a culture that was already full of body shame. People were subject to ridicule by ungodly neighbors because they lacked clothing for the winter. In other cases, proscriptions against "uncovering the nakedness" of near relatives, does not condemn the nudity, just the fact that it was typically a prelude to sex in ancient Israel.

To balance these verses are other verses where prophets are nude by the direct command of God. Jesus himself was nude for part of the Last Supper as he washed his disciples' feet. Jesus is often called the "Last Adam" and his

A careful objective reexamination of what the Bible has to say about nudity should convince even some Evangelical Christians that physical nakedness is not shameful, a sinful soul is shameful and Jesus covers that already.

All this to say that we Christian nudists have very little in common with the Adamites except nakedness.

I see no evidence that Rev. Ilsey Boone drew inspiration from Adamite thought. Quite the opposite. He seems to have simply seen compatibility between his Baptist faith and the life-affirming goodness of Frei Korper Kultur and the Wandervoegeln.

Some of you might enjoy reading a tract that condemns social nudity. Look for the logical errors in it:

Who's Trying to Remove My Fig Leaf? (http://www.lutheransforlife.org/Life%20Issue%20Info/Chastity%20&%20Abstinence/wtrm_fig_leaf.htm)

[johny]

May be one of You know?

I met once in the web certain picture and article claiming that russian 18th century doukhobor sect had custom to preach nudist style. But now I had need to find it and cant find anymore. Do You know certain good links to explore this question? Thanks if yes!

[Jochanaan]

I first heard of the Doukhobors in several of Robert Heinlein's stories. As you may know, he was very friendly toward nudity in his writings (but also toward free sex, which I am much less happy with), and he mentions the Doukhobors in passing. They settled in Canada about a hundred years ago, and there are still several active groups in the province of British Columbia. A year or two ago there was an incident in a Canadian court in which an elderly Doukhobor woman was arrested for public nudity and then insisted on appearing naked in court. I do not recall if she was convicted or what penalty was imposed.

But, strangely, the Doukhobors' own Web site (http://www.doukhobor-homepage.com/) mentions nothing about their practice of nudity, nor do most of the other sites I found on a search. Other sites mention it in passing. According to one article, an incident in 1907 or a few years earlier was the first mass protest involving nudity (http://rbcm1.rbcm.gov.bc.ca/mh_papers/doukhobor.html). The Sons of Freedom seems to be the activist Doukhobor wing, using nudity and arson to try to advance their cause.

It would appear from the materials I found that the Doukhobors were not full-time nudists (how could they be, in Russia and Canada?), but rather practiced it in limited ways.

[Trailscout]

The more I read about the Adamites, the less they seem to have in common with modern Christian nudists, with one glaring exception.

Both Adamites and contemporary Christian nudists agree that Adam, before his fall from grace, was a role model for the Christian life, including his nudity.

The most commonly-held Christian view is that the fallen state of man somehow makes his physical nakedness shameful.

The contemporary nudist Christian stance is that Adam's attempt to cover his body to address a spiritual problem was actually a mistake and evidence of his sin-clouded reasoning. They further argue that nudity is not a rejection of the concept of sin, but is an affirmation that only God can cover sin and that sin originates from the heart and soul, not the body.

Body-shame is a belief that that was patched into the fabric of Christian thought from heretical Gnostic influence. It has never been compatible with the rest of our faith's teachings and threatens to pull loose. It is no wonder that down through the ages, a few faith groups overcome their conditioning and independently come to embrace the more biblical concept of the goodness of nudity, a natural outgrowth of our appreciation of the creative genius of our God.

[Abiqua]

There is an article about the Doukhobors in the Encarta Encyclopedia, and it mentions, in passing, that some subsects practiced collective nudism and refers to "nudist demonstrations against government-required schooling."

Regarding the Adamites, I recall that the earliest groups which labelled themselves as such were Gnostic, but there have been other christian groups, even into the twentieth century, which were called that, and some of them appear to have be virtually indistinguishable from other christians with the sole exception of going nude, at least during some religious activities.