Mormon Nudists
darr...@hotmail.com
In 1987 I was doing research at the special collection room (4040) at the
Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University. Prominently displayed in
that room was a stature of a naked woman by Mahonri Young. She was completely
nude; with hardened nipples and a little pubic hair. I complained about the
stutue; point-out that this was inappropriate for a LDS living room, and thus
shoud also be inappropriate in the Harold B. Lee library. I was told by
EVERYONE (from the Assistant to President Lee) on down that I was wrong, that
this was "art", etc. I later discovered that while nude models are not
permitted in the BYU art department, they are allowed to draw from blown-up
photos of fully nude men and women. I THEN discovered something else, that
Latter-day Saints in Sweden and Finland still go to sauna after Church, and on
other occassions. They go their with family and friends; fully nude! I was
told that they was allowable because it was "their culture", and this was not
considered to be immodest in "their culture". I was rather upset by this
revelation, because I had always thought that such things were not permitted.
However, I then discovered that there was a naturist (nudist) organization in
SLC, and that it was made-up primarily of active Mormons. I visited them once
(during a fully-clothed dinner), and asked them if this was not disobeying the
Brethren. They told me different stories. Some of their bishops approved, some
disapproved (strongly or weakly), but, when it came down to it, eventually it
was "disapproved of but permitted" by The Brethren. The Brethren had tried to
get the Swedes and Finns to change decades back, but eventually threw in the
towel. As far as I can tell, social nudism is not even a thing that would deny
one of Temple Recommend. As long as you keep your naked body from doing things
to others (than your married spouse), it is allowable, and not something one
is subject to a Church Court or a loss of a Temple Recommend.
Darrick Evenson
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FAWNSCRIBE
You HAVE to be joking right?
LOL..LOL
Fawn
Douglas R. Mejia
Darrick, I served a mission in Sweden and Finland and I live in Sweden. You have
been grossly missinformed, and I suspect that the information regarding the SLC
naturist club is also a bit suspect. First of all, naturist of which there are
many who live in Scandinavian countries live and work totally in the nude whereas
nudist expose themselves in certain areas such as beaches, pool parties, etc.
Naturists would never have a dinner party fully clothed, as it is not a part of
their philosophy.
As far as the sauna question is concerned, I am an cultural witness to the fact
that you are missinformed. The LDS members in Sweden and Finland do not
sauna(Finnish word as it is of Finnish origin) or bastu as we say in Sweden
together ie men and women. Yes there are unisex saunas in Sweden and Finland, but
they are not patroned by members of the church.
As a missionary, I was introduced to sauna by my mission president. I am my
fellow elders with the mission president went to the sauna that is in the mission
home in Helsinki together. All males. Since there was no lake to jump into in the
interim between hot baths, we rolled around in the snow. Quite fun. When we were
finished(no pun intended) we showered off, got dressed, went upstairs, and let
the sisters and the mission presidents wife sauna in private.
Now family can be a bit different in that married couple with smaller children
often sauna together. Of course as the children get older it becomes more
appropriate for the boy and girls to enjoy their privacy. As far as nude children
go, this is more of a cultural thing then a religious one. My sister and I are
both active LDS members, but because I am married to a Swede and live in Sweden,
it doesn't bother me that my 7 year old son runs starknaked up and down the beach
where I know that my sister would never dream of letting any of her daughters who
are roughly the same age do the same thing. But I find this to be consistant
among many Americans regardless of faith.
The LDS men and women in Scandinavia do not sauna together as this is
innappropriate. Of course there is nothing wrong with the elders quorum going out
into the woods to a sauna and jumping but naked into a hole in the ice of a
nearby lake in the middle of winter. Everyone should try it. It let's you know
that you are alive.
gee...@ci.long-beach.ca.us
In article <6dkr5n$aq5$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
> Darrick Evenson
While on my mission in Austria we HAD to use the fully nude public men's sauna
or bath house in order to get clean at all. Most European apartments then did
not have even a W.C. (water closet = toilet), let alone a bathroom or shower.
I'm not sure which is worse upon the 'Net -- your apparent naivete over
public nudity (single sex) in bath houses/saunas, or your apparent Augustinian
fear of possibly erotic sexuality in any degree.
Mormon Christians need not be naive in either regard. We certainly don't have
to be Augustinian neurotics in order to be healthy Mormon Christians. Nor
need we fear appropriate public nudity.
How upset will you become when I reveal customary missionary practices of
drinking all kinds of (rather good tasting) European "tea"? Not all teas are
against the Word of Wisdom. Only untraveled Americans are ignorant enough to
deem their own (unexamined) culture automatically morally supreme.
Respectfully,
Gerry L. Ensley.
gee...@ci.long-beach.ca.us
In article <19980305004...@ladder03.news.aol.com>,
He's not "joking," Fawn, but apparently "suffers" from implicit Augustinian
sexual psychopathy even in his Mormon Christian context.
Sometimes it takes Mormon Christians time to learn, as you apparently have,
that Augustinian "concupiscence" isn't the evil Saint Aug. portrayed it to be.
Nor is the human body necesarily evil.
Orthodox Christianity still suffers from Augustine's "evil" influence, who
brought with him into the "sacred Church" all his sexual fears and neuroses to
become "standard" orthodox Christian practice forever after.
Mormon Christians sometimes have to learn that we're not Catholic at all.
John Major
> In article <19980305004...@ladder03.news.aol.com>,
> fawns...@aol.com (FAWNSCRIBE) wrote:
> >
> > You HAVE to be joking right?
> > LOL..LOL
> > Fawn
> >
>
> He's not "joking," Fawn, but apparently "suffers" from implicit Augustinian
> sexual psychopathy even in his Mormon Christian context.
>
> Sometimes it takes Mormon Christians time to learn, as you apparently have,
> that Augustinian "concupiscence" isn't the evil Saint Aug. portrayed it to be.
> Nor is the human body necesarily evil.
Yes it is, according to the "Temple Babes"...the sisters who work and hang
out in Temple Square in Salt Lake City. They told me so themselves, when I
asked a few of them if they wanted to get naked. If I had been a bishop,
the situation may have been different, though. They also strongly denied
that there are virgin sacrifices carried out in the upper towers of this
temple.
--
Maggie Thatcher is one fabulous, wonderful tart!
--G.H.W. Bush
gee...@ci.long-beach.ca.us
In article <major-06039...@206.173.156.110>,
Those weren't "temple babes." They were "Spice Girls." Indeed, "Major Spice
Girls."
G. L. Ensley.
