You may not be surprised to learn that the deacon and I have spent the past week camping at a nudist club campground. This is our second venture into the world of nudism. Our first similar experience was at a clothing optional resort in Jamaica this past spring.
When we were in Jamaica, we were struck by the non-judgmental, accepting attitudes of the people at the resort. The people at the resort came in all ages, shapes and sizes. Some could have been featured on magazine covers, but most did not come anywhere close to that ideal. It didn’t matter. We quickly discovered that, when everyone is naked, people soon stop paying attention to bodies. Another thing we noticed was that nobody at the resort cared whether people were straight, lesbian, gay, bi- or whatever. We simply ate, drank, swam, chatted and enjoyed life without judging each other. Many of us were thrown together by happenstance. Odds are, none of us will ever meet again, unless we happen to return to the same place at the same time next year. A good number of others traveled together as members of formal clubs. They deliberately planned their trips to coincide, and even arranged to have adjoining rooms for their members. They were explicit communities within the looser short-term community of the resort.
During our week in Jamaica, the deacon and I became friends with a couple who had been to several nudist resorts and campgrounds in the Caribbean, Mexico and the United States. They shared stories of their experiences and piqued our interest in exploring the world of nudism some more. Shortly after we returned home from that trip, the deacon began looking online for places where we could enjoy similar experiences this summer. After deciding how far we wanted to travel, we decided to try out a nudist club campground in a neighboring state.
As we’ve met people throughout this past week, I couldn’t help making mental comparisons between this club and churches I experienced throughout my life. I think it’s fair to say that most churches want to see themselves as close-knit communities that are
a) composed of people who are committed to the group’s ideals and members, and
b) open to welcoming new members into their midst.
The people at this campground share those two similarities with church members. The campground is a private facility owned and operated by a member-owned non-profit organization. Consequently, many of the people we’ve met this week have been camping here for many years. Several of them serve on the club’s board of directors, and many of them share in the campground’s operation and upkeep. The club members are committed to providing a place where members and guests (the deacon and I are visiting as guests this week) can enjoy the nudist lifestyle. In addition to being committed to the ideal of providing a safe, secure place for nudists, the members of the club are committed to each other as friends.
On criterion (a), I’ll give both churches and nudists equal points, even though I could discuss, at length if I wanted to do so, church cliques, hierarchies and politics. I’ve enjoyed wonderful friendships with church people, and I’ve witnessed the way some church people support each other in times of trouble and grief. I’ve been both the recipient and the giver of such support, so I know how deep those bonds can be. I’ve seen similar dynamics at play among the members of the nudist club this past week. These people are watching or have watched each others’ families grow up. They know each others’ dogs by name (and there are nearly as many dogs here as people). They eat dinner, cut grass, walk their dogs, do water aerobics, and play tennis, paddle ball and petanque together. They are a community.
The place where nudists seem to out-perform churches is criterion (b). I’ve already described our Jamaican experience, which differs from both the club and church experiences in important ways. But a comparison between clubs and churches is not unreasonable. What I’ve experienced this week is an abundance of warmth and welcome that far exceeds anything I’ve ever experienced in churches. Bear in mind, I’ve attended churches in 9 Canadian provinces and at least 20 US states as either a member or visitor. Now, I realize that the nudist club has a pecuniary interest in welcoming the deacon and me into their midst. I’m pretty sure our membership fees would not be refused if we asked to join. So, some of what we’ve experienced is undoubtedly tied to a sales pitch. But churches also have pecuniary interests have in attracting and keeping new members. That being the case, it’s amazing how often visitors can slip in and out of church meetings without saying a word to anyone in the congregation. I’ll go one farther. It’s amazing how often church members can slip in and out of church meetings without saying a word to anyone in the congregation.
Having vast experience of churches, and admittedly limited experience of nudist communities, I have to say that I’m more impressed with nudists than churches. Nudists aren’t perfect. Individual nudists are undoubtedly as capable of backstabbing, cheating and other nasty behaviors as individual religionists or anyone else. Nevertheless, my impression of the nudists I’ve met here and in Jamaica is that they basically just want to enjoy life and allow others to do the same. In contrast, most religionists I’ve known, either personally or by reputation and media, thrive on depriving themselves and others of life’s pleasures. Given those premises, if you had to choose between these two options, which community would you join?
– the chaplain
Spanish Inquisitor
July 2, 2011 at 11:41 pm
Having been at both (well,at least nude resorts) I’d have to say that I’m far more comfortable at the one that doesn’t expect me to wear a suit and tie.
JohnEvo
July 2, 2011 at 11:52 pm
That girl in the first picture has a hot little shell.
Paul Sunstone
July 3, 2011 at 1:22 am
Closely related to (b) might be the question of how each group relates to the outside world. I have yet to discover a group of nudists who think of non-nudists as “them” or “the other”, and who seek to dominate and control that “other”.
Chappy, if you and the deacon pass through Southern Colorado or Northern New Mexico, you might want to consider visiting Valley View Hot Springs. Valley View is located in the foothills overlooking the San Luis Valley, and it is quite possibly an exceptional clothing optional resort. It is family-oriented, kept as simple and low key as possible, and the use of the facilities is inexpensive.
There is a good chance that a portion of your user fees will be invested in protecting the environment. The experience of nature there is powerful. The wind through the pines often sounds like a rushing river; the mule deer will sometimes graze within a few feet of the soaking pools; the coyotes call to each other half the day; and the nights are an explosion of stars. But best of all, the attitude of the guests is exactly as tolerant and accepting as you describe the resorts you’ve been to.
the chaplain
July 3, 2011 at 9:28 am
I don’t know when we’ll be out west again, but we’ll definitely put Valley View Hot Springs on our list of places to check out.
the chaplain
July 3, 2011 at 9:26 am
SI:
I’ll see your suit and tie and raise you pantyhose and high heels.
Evo:
I thought you’d notice that.
Paul:
A nudist take-over of the world. That would be a great plan if we could get around the nudist propensity to live and let live.
Paul Sunstone
July 3, 2011 at 9:40 am
Perhaps we could work in the take-over between the skins v. skins volleyball game at one, and the guitar circle at eight. But that might not work if it meant cancelling the afternoon sauna. I’m beginning to see the problem.
PhillyChief
July 3, 2011 at 11:00 am
Being the ultra-white individual that I am, the thought of being naked in the summer sun scares the crap out of me.
I have no experience with nudist camps, but I’ve experienced that lack of caring about the nudity through countless life drawing classes. You just get past it.
I think the thing that helps keep churches afloat is the community aspect of them. That should be easily replaced by other things (ie – various clubs, social groups, etc). When you think about it, the rise of social media may perhaps strike the biggest blow against that traditional community model. Aside from the fact that the under 30 are very much non-church going, non-religious or non-traditionally religious and largely against Christian social issues like anti-gay and anti-choice stances, their community is virtual, and contact with even their physical community is largely through texts, Tweets and Facebook. The traditional idea of Sunday churchgoing or church picnics is slipping into the past. You want a community now, you by and large go online. I mean, what the hell are we doing right now?
Sarge
July 4, 2011 at 8:40 am
“Even such is time:
Which takes in trust our youth,
Our joys,
Our all we have,
And pays us but with
Age and dust…”
From Sir Walter Raleigh’s “Own Epitaph”
Sigh…
Back in the early sixties when I was stationed in Germany I went to three “nudist establishments” with my girl friend.
There were…problems…
Oh, not THAT problem,
I kept thinking about how the girls would look in a nice, tight sweater…fitted stovepipe pants…
I was hopeless.
My girlfriend said so,
Today such things are not on the menue because I am:
1- leaving the middle stages of melanoma for the later fun and games,
2- If I did and melanoma wasn’t an issue, my fellow “Sun Worshipers” would take a look at my “natural self” and figure that I WAS wearing something, and I should get it patched and give it a good ironing, toot freakin’ sweet.
I think even nudist have their limits and standards.
I have noticed that unlike the “nudist” experiences I’ve encountered, brief though they were, the church people who are deeply involved in it (not necessarily “pew sitters”) tend to observe each other very closely.
They note each flaw, blemish, and deviation from the “norm”.
These are held up as the measure of the person, but that person, of course, is seen as “of the spirit” rather than “flesh” (though a relative recieved the sobrequet of “The Sneakin’ Deacon”)
The humanity of people, their “sin”, “flaws”, unacceptability, perversity seem to be the norm in churches that I play in. Sometimes the “message” is soft, sometimes grim and hard, but the church “family” and Community seem disfunctional, and more like a somewhat Dickensian childhood.
Lorena
July 6, 2011 at 12:25 am
I wish I had a husband willing to explore that sort of thing. I imagine it would be liberating. I could definitely use an experience like that one.
While we don’t do nudist resorts, we do time sharing. We have time-share points that we use to vacation all over, mostly in the States. We like the hot tub, so wherever we go, we meet folks there. We enjoy talking to strangers who share our vacation interest. We’re all well travelled, so we compare notes about resorts, countries, ethnic food, and whatever.
All that to say that finding people with whom we share a couple of interests is quite rewarding and less troublesome that the church relationships, in my experience anyway. After all, hot tub friends don’t feel compelled to nose into my life to keep me in the straight and narrow.
Spanish Inquisitor
July 6, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Try taking your clothes off before entering the hot tub. That’ll kill two birds with one stone.
prairienymph
July 16, 2011 at 4:51 pm
It is liberating. We described our first nakation as a baptism with fire. I think our brains were rewired too, as in we now have less issues with our own bodies or with other people’s.
Maybe you could time a visit out East and not tell the in-laws. You could go to a naturist campground and your husband could go to church
jonjermey
July 8, 2011 at 6:31 am
Getting back to the original post for a moment, maybe the difference is that nudists are there because they want to be, while churchgoers are often there because they think they ought to be. If it was compulsory to attend a nudist camp every week on pain of social ostracism, I don’t imagine they would be nearly so welcoming.
the chaplain
July 9, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Compulsory attendance may get bodies in pews, but it can’t guarantee good attitudes about the situation.
Sarge
July 9, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Interesting, the compulsion angle.
I was laying up during my 23 hrs. of post op, and a wife and a pastor was visiting one of my ward mates.
They were discussing one of the other patients who had been visited by an orthodox preist, and were mentioning the “oddness” of this.
In Iron/coal/steel country, Pittsburgh, PA. Heh.
But the wife said that she didn’t care what religion a person was, they could even be an atheist, just so the acknowledge the primacy of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
In other words, ya better kow-tow. You don’t have to believe, but you better know know who’s boss around here.
And she also opined that church attendance should be mandatory for everyone under eighteen, It would “be for ther own good”.
I confess that a mistake was made. They looked at me and smiled, said, “Amen, brother”. I wondered about why.
Later, the guy across from me said he heard me mutter, “Jesus Christ”. I guess they mistook it for some form of devotion rather than an imprecation.