May be slow tonight, but I'll be there!

Boyd

Great chat last night (Monday Night Chat). We had four of us on board, and we discussed naturism with a reluctant spouse.

We also discussed just how far a Christian Naturist should push their naturism in a legal situation. If it is illegal to be nude running down the street naked, then just how far can one go and set the right example as a Christian?

Should we live according to our faith, or should we just be "law abiding good little citizens" whithout ever setting an example of faith and courage?

I'm not saying we should all run down the street naked, but I do go into my backyard and sometimes venture out to the front and other parts of my yard that would be questioned by authorities had I been caught. Is that OK or not?

We chatted till around 10PM EST (maybe 10:15).

Hope to see you all next week (of course, all week on the Forum)

Boyd

I stopped by the site briefly last night to see how many people were chatting. I noticed 4, just as you said. Unfortunately, I could not chat. We had too much to do, and if I had taken the time to chat, my reluctant spouse would only have gotten upset that I took time for my nudist friends, and not her.

Anyway, concerning laws...

First off, you do not want to break some laws at all, i.e. laws relating to moral issues. For instance, although the law says do not steal, do not murder, do not give false testimony in court, etc., you should not want to do any of that anyway.

As for other laws, I have a basic rule of thumb for most cases, stick with the "allowable limit." That is, what does the law say, and what is actually allowable? For instance, the speed limit may be 55 mph, but the "allowable limit" is usually higher. In this case, I am not trying to go as fast as I can go, but I want to at least "go with the flow" and the flow may be going much faster.

As it is, many laws exists that do not even get enforced, and so the allowable limit may be as though the law does not even exist. For instance, spitting on a sidewalk, riding your bike on the wrong side of the road, jaywalking, etc. In many of these cases, people may not even realize there is a law against it.

Of course, if you do not know what the allowable limit is, then you probably want to play it safe and obey the law...or take your chances (or exercise your faith...whichever way you see it).

Whatever the case is, you are not necessarily trying to see how much you can get away with, but you are trying to find the balance between what you should be allowed to do and what you are actually allowed to do. It is really a matter of common sense, and respecting the sensibilities of the people around you (which the law is supposed to help you do). Of course, in some cases, you won't know how people feel (what they will allow) until you either ask them or you test the waters.

Greg C

We are glad you stopped by anyway, but of course, take care of the wife! There is no law against that for sure!

I agree with your view on the law. Often we take some laws literally and some people enforce them to the point of sheer annoyance. Such as shoes must be worn in a certain place. If I can get by with it, I will. Funny thing is, my wife has been warning me of all kinds of little things and one of these long dry days, something will happen and she'll say "I told you so!"

Well, I'm sure if we say "Jesus is coming today" everyday for the rest of human existance, I'm sure someone will get it "right".

Many laws are changed because people were willing to challenge them and have them changed.

By the way, the "spitting" law was actually refered to chewing tobacco, not standard spitting we do with siliva. At the time of the law, chewing tobacco was the vice of the day. I have seen an old church that not only had marks on the side where arrows hat hit it from attacks of indians, but inside, you can see the holes in front of the pews with stains around them. The holes were for spitting tobacco in during services and of course, the dark stains around them gave proof of the use.

I think there are four types of people.
the ones who make the laws.
the ones who right them down for all to see.
the ones who obey them
and the ones who ignore them.

And life goes on.

Boyd

I heard from an old army guy once that there are two kinds of supply sergeants:

There are those that use every rule in the book to keep from doing anything for you and anyone else.

Then there are those who use every rule in the book to find a way to get you what you need.

I am not saying that rules and laws are meaningless, generally they are needed. But they should never be made to stand alone without wisdom and mercy to interpret them.

I think we have a lot of untapped opportunities for expanding nudity into mainstream society. And in many cases, there is much more that we can do to strengthen our grip on what freedoms we already enjoy.

When I visit our community recreation center for the purpose of swimming, I undress and take a shower. The pre-swim shower is a pool rule that is sometimes ignored without penalty, but I obey it for a couple of reasons. I do it out of respect for those who swim after me, but also to assert my right to public nudity in one of the only ways sanctioned by my county's laws. I also hope that this simple act will help normalize nudity for the young guys who happen to be there. To be sure, many of the guys I see are already fairly well adapted to this instance of everyday nudity.

I have sunbathed nude in my back yard in the summer on several occasions. A couple of my friends and family are aware of this. They have not seen me nude; I use a privacy screen, but the thing that really counts is not whether they have seen me nude, but that they know that I do it for good health and to enjoy the outdoors.

I have conversed with a small number of friends about being nude at secluded spots on Cumberland Island, (skinnydipping or enjoying an open-air shower in the wilderness area campground). I made my case effectively and was assured of their support of this type of practical nudity. I have gone skinnydipping with a few of my closest friends (who happen to be textile). They enjoyed it too!

I am thinking hard about ways that I can elevate public acceptance of nudity with minimal offense. I hope others will join in with their thoughts.

I agree that setting the example is good if done in a positive manner. At the local Y while in the locker room I am nude as much as possible. I am also one who says hello to everyone I see (clothed or nude). I go from the shower area to the towel area at the other end of the locker room to get a towel before getting into the sauna. I like to talk to those in the sauna and wonder to myself why some of the men wear their swim suits. To me this should be a nude area only. The same goes for the whirpool and steam rooms. Too bad several do not see it that way. I just hope that by being nude myself it will encourage others to do the same and feel no shame. I have rambled long enough. God bless and have a happy nude year. Wally