Nudity and morality: what's your opinion?

Question

Just nudity, I mean: not sex: nudity without a sexual context, I'm mainly asking about.

Does it bother you to see a natural representation of full or partial nudity in a movie, e.g. someone stepping out of a shower or getting dressed? Do you consider it "sinful"?

Do you feel that art depicting a naked woman or man (such as Michaelangelo's "David") would be unsuitable for young children?

The David statue:
http://community.iexplore.com/photos/journal_photos/david(2).jpg

Do you believe there's something bad or "sinful" about the human body and/or your own skin?

Answer 1

Nothing wrong with it at all. Americans are too focused on this type of thing.

Answer 2

This is a great question!

In my opinion, nudity by itself - the simple fact of being without clothing - is neutral. In certain situations it can be extremely positive (like enjoying an awesome day at the nude beach, which I love) or extremely negative (like parading naked to disrupt a legitimate activity such as a church service, or to imtimidate impressionable children.)

We can never seperate the act of being naked from the context in which it occurs if we're looking to make an intelligent judgement.

One thing is certain - nudity in and of itself is not always linked to sexuality. It can be (and frequently is), but to equate all nudity with sexuality and then condemn it for being immoral is totally false. I personally love being nude in appropriate places, like a nude beach, friends' pool or hot tub, etc., and do not consider myself immoral at all. The individuals who encounter me naked in those situations are not hurt by the experience in any way.

However, if an individual uses his or her nudity to inflict harm upon others, that is certainly immoral and needs to be prohibited.

Bottom line: it's not the nudity that's either positive or negative, but rather the context in which it occurs.

Bare hugs to all...

Answer 3

There is nothing wrong with nudity, or sex. It's all a natural part of life. Prior to clothes being around, everyone was nude... society has made it into an immoral thing over time, and people should be more mature and intelligent about such things.

Answer 4

I'm not "religious" per se, but my opinion is this: The human body is what it is. It can be beautiful, or it can create feelings of sympathy (for example, a severe burn victim), etc. An individual is in no way responsible for the feelings someone else has in regard to seeing a representation of the nude body, so there's nothing "bad" or "sinful" about the display - only "sinful" reactions, if someone is of that faith or morality.

Answer 5

Actually, I don't find nudity itself as a problem. I like going to 'the sticks' and spending some time where the sun shines and wind blows where it normally doesn't. The only problem is the shoes and the biting bugs and too much sun--sometimes we need clothes to protect us from our environment. Of course with small children having not perfected, and older adults losing control of, certain bodily functions, we have clothing to protect our environment from us.

I saw a cartoon story once where some futuristic world had movies where there were no machines or clothes showing, just people without their props and covers and carrying on the story. It was a fun story too, of a man screaming in frustration because of his cramped and busy world. He gets on a bus, and all the people are essentially floating in these neat little rows, and rides out of town. He gets dropped off out on the edge of a field. In a moment there is no one in sight anywhere. He lets out a similar scream in frustration of his loneliness. I used to dream of TV programs and movies where everyone was nude but carried on the business of their story oblivious to the fact. The skill of the actor was required, almost as with a pantomime, to pull of a sense of normalcy. Maybe some day we might try it on those triple-digit chanels.

Answer 6

Looking at clean nudity has actually gotten me to see that the human body is such a bad thing and that nakedness dosen't mean "wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean, know what I mean?" I think it's great that some people aren't so self consious and can be nude without being embarassed.

Answer 7

I am not bothered at all by human nudity. I cannot see how that can be considered immoral. As a matter of fact, I don't even think sex is immoral, as long as of course, it is practised only by consenting adults.

But then again, I'm not a religious person. I have not been brainwashed into that kind of prudish thinking.

Answer 8

No not at all but some people feel that letting children see the naked human body might incline them to get curious about their own bodies which can lead to some tribulations for parents.

Answer 9

Nudity is beautiful to me........unfortunately we are brainwashed into thinking that looking a naked body is bad, or sinful, but we have no problem watching random violence, whether it be in movies, television shows, or on the news.........

Answer 10

Not at all. Formulas of classic appealing shape are contained in a well maintained human body. I do think people who have let their bodies get out of those shapes should spare the rest of us however. G.Q.

Answer 11

It isn't the nudity in and of itself that bothers me, but nudity will necessarily incite lust in some who view it. Lust is a sin, and at that a quite besetting one that many people struggle with on a daily basis. The human body is best left covered except in the marriage bed (or on the marriage pool table or in the marriage shower....)

Oh yeah.... the David statue: It's OK for children who already know the difference, but I wouldn't take my 4-year-old daughter since then I would have explaining which I'm not ready to do.