![]() “It’s another thing to be with Christians who are nudists. “It’s one thing to be with Christians in a building,” Chip says. “Here, you don’t judge someone for what they look like or what they wear.” “In a nudist environment, the true Christian belief of valuing others and not judging others is accentuated,” Daisy says. Like Katz, Chip and Daisy find nudism fits neatly into their Christianity and see it enhancing their religious lives. They, like most everyone at Nature’s Resort, are winter Texans, retirees spending their summers up north and coming down to the Rio Grande Valley when temperatures start to drop.Ĭhip, a Black man, is also one of the only residents of color out of the up to 250 people in the community. Chip and Daisy are a married couple who requested to exclude their last names so friends and family don’t learn of their nudism. Katz isn’t the only Christian at Nature’s Resort. ![]() Pastor Ron Smith at Church of the King in McAllen, Texas, on March 17, 2022. “When David had his big victory in battle, he went dancing in the streets naked to praise God. In fact, the Bible condones nudism on several occasions: “Adam and Eve were in the garden talking to God every day. I believe they’re dedicated Christians.”īecause the Bible doesn’t explicitly forbid nudism, Smith says he cannot condemn those who practice it. “We have a retired couple that sit in the front row every Sunday that live at a nudist camp. “I think it’s odd, I think it’s strange, but I have no proof it’s sinning,” Smith said. Pastor Ron Smith, of McAllen’s Church of the King, vehemently opposes homosexuality, abortion and the transgender community, but when it comes to nudism, his strident views loosen up. Some nondenominational, hard-line conservative clergy accept nudism. On her website’s page The Christian Dress Code, Lowman claims “God’s dress code from the beginning has been to cover our nakedness.”Įven still, nudism attracts unlikely allies. Some Christian critics of nudism, including Mary Lowman of The Christian Working Woman, see the lifestyle as an affront to God. ![]() In fact, if there is any overt sexuality, you see that gate open real fast and somebody is ushered out.” “People think we’re all out on the front lawn having sex with each other, swapping partners. “The initial conception is that this is a sexual thing,” Katz says. Photo by Jeremy LindenfeldĪt Nature’s Resort, public nudity is not sexual. Her idea of modesty echoes Pope John Paul II’s 1981 book “Love and Responsibility,” in which he writes “nakedness itself is not immodest.” He goes on to explain that immodesty presents itself only when nakedness serves to sexually arouse.īill and Misty Katz woodwork in the nude at their home in Elsa, Texas, on March 16, 2022. We don’t display our wares, we’re not adorning various parts of our bodies in a way that’s going to attract attention.” “Modesty doesn’t mean you have to cover everything up. ![]() “Believe it or not, we are modest,” Katz says. Public nudity may seem antithetical to the modesty often promoted by churches, but to Katz, the two go hand in hand. RELATED: Dissent from Traditional Plan dominates United Methodists’ top court meeting More than half a century later, she lives at a nudist (or naturist) resort in South Texas and doesn’t worry about dirty clothes anymore.įor as long as Katz has been a nudist, she has also been a Christian. She didn’t take those lessons too seriously. Growing up in South Africa, she was scolded by her parents for undressing in public when her clothes got dirty. Misty Katz, part owner of Nature’s Resort, finds comfort in shunning clothes. ![]() Nothing looks amiss, except that is, for what’s missing - namely, clothing. RVs and small homes line the roads, péntaque and pickleball courts offer residents recreational spaces, and the front office acts as the community’s nucleus. In front of the compound’s drab, gray gate, bright orange letters spell out “Nature’s Resort.” The gate opens to reveal a seemingly ordinary community. (RNS) - Outside the small Texas town of Elsa, a sheet metal fence too tall to see over surrounds a few acres of prime Rio Grande Valley land. ![]()
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