artistic nudity?

[Technomancer]

Some people can't help it, which is why it's good to consider the questions brought up in this thread and figure out where your own personal boundaries are. It isn't silly to want to be cautious about the things you see.

It's a personal matter to a point. The problem is that this may also affect a broader audience. For example, it may affect library holdings or school field trips. It can be important because the artistic nude is common throughout art; it would be hard to study the subject without it really. Where possible one may try to decide based on the limits of one's personal taste; but schools have a duty to educate their charges, and I can't see how it can be a good thing to limit one's cultural education to such a degree.

[ShiroiHikari]

Wait...didn't we talk about this already? At length?

[Mr. SmartyPants]

On another thread that got locked. XD

[heero yuy 95]

One thing about Adam and Eve, they only didn't mind being naked in the garden when they were perfect. When they sinned they were ashamed of there nudity, a curse that continues to this day, hence we wear clothing.

I beleive there to be a difference between artistic nudity and porn as the technical definition of porn is imagery that arouses sexual excitement, a picture of a woman in a suggestive position wearing skimpy lingerie can be much worse than a nude statue done tastefully. Let's face it, forgive my frankness, but i seriously doubt there are any 14 year old boys out there getting off to victorian-era paintings.

However, there are some liberal artists who like to use the "artistic nudity" thing as an excuse to showcase little more than cheap pornography. I 'spose what it ultimately boils down to is the discretion of the person viewing the art and what the spirit tells them.

That is my two cents. Proceed with the discussion.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

I see that their shame was not because of their nudity per se, rather then fact that their realization of their nudity meant that they have fallen from God. They weren't ashamed of each others' nakedness, they were ashamed because they sinned against God. It would make more sense to me that Adam and Eve, who had it perfectly with God, would prioritize their fall from God over their nakedness.

[Tsukuyomi]

Wow, talk about...
[SIZE="6"][color="Red"]
DEJA VUUUUUUUU ~(O__O)~[/color][/SIZE]

I agree with MSP ^^ My thoughts stand the same. They weren't ashamed of their nudity. If they where, why weren't they clothed right off the bat? Or, cover themselves in the first place? It was the fact that they sinned.

Covering themselves up was like covering up the sin.

Hmmm, not sore if that last part came out right :-?

Lets try this... If you do something wrong, don't you want to hide?

Err, not sure if that part made sense either O___O

[Technomancer]

I beleive there to be a difference between artistic nudity and porn as the technical definition of porn is imagery that arouses sexual excitement, a picture of a woman in a suggestive position wearing skimpy lingerie can be much worse than a nude statue done tastefully. Let's face it, forgive my frankness, but i seriously doubt there are any 14 year old boys out there getting off to victorian-era paintings.

I don't know, some of those old paintings caused a bit of scandal. Think of The Rokeby Venus or Olympe

[ChristianKitsune]

What thread is everyone talking about O_o, i dont recall one in recent memory... ._.

[EricTheFred]

I don't know, some of those old paintings caused a bit of scandal. Think of The Rokeby Venus or Olympe

L'Origine du Monde. Dates to somewhere around American Civil War or so, but that's one that even I could be persuaded was pornography. And I'm pretty tolerant.

One thing about Adam and Eve, they only didn't mind being naked in the garden when they were perfect. When they sinned they were ashamed of there nudity, a curse that continues to this day, hence we wear clothing.

I've always read it instead as the knowledge imparted by the forbidden fruit gave them the concepts of such things as shame and desire. God literally said 'who told you that you were naked?' In other words, without the idea in the first place, they had no need to dismay of being unclothed. In exactly the same way, they had no idea of any other sin. The snake led them to the first sin by decieving them, but from there on out, they could proceed to other corruptions on their own,.

[mechana2015]

One thing about Adam and Eve, they only didn't mind being naked in the garden when they were perfect. When they sinned they were ashamed of there nudity, a curse that continues to this day, hence we wear clothing.

I have a minor issue with this in that this is actually only true in PART of the world. Warmer latitudes tend towards less clothing in casual situations, especially if they have had no contact with western culture... and its not a sexual issue... its just that its more comfortable in a hotter, more humid climate to dress as such. Clothing (given that climates would be the same if there hadn't been a fall) would probably have come into existence if people had moved across the face of the earth, not out of shame, but out of a protectional sense. Ever stood out in a snow storm with a decent wind? I would cover up in that situation, and I'm assuming thats true of most people. Clothing as we see it today is a factor of culture and environment, just as much (and probably more) of a factor than base level shame. If you don't believe me, just leaf through a few National Geographics, and see what the different cultural norms are for clothing around the world. You might be surprised.

[Radical Dreamer]

I want to revive this topic because it's an issue nobody ever talks about where I live, and it is generally not tolerated as an unwritten rule. I've been trying to get to the root of this issue, and I have some points I would like to bring up from an objective stance.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, why did they cover themselves? If it is not sinful for a husband and wife to view eachother nude, yet they were the only humans on the planet, how and why would modesty apply to them? Is there some universal rule of modesty as a result?

Do you view artistic nudity the same with paintings and drawings as with photography or videography? And does your view change depending on the subject, for example if it is your brother or sister, son or daughter? (Assuming of course they are mature enough to make their own decisions.)

Why isn't it generally considered immodest for a man to be topless? Is lust the only reason nudity can be considered immoral? If lust can be taken out of account, is there a difference between viewing a nude image, and a nude image in an intimate setting?

How does written intimacy apply, such as romance novels? If it can be immoral or viewed in an immoral way, couldn't the Song of Solomon be viewed in an immoral way? Where is the line and what is the difference?

I have more points to bring up, but they don't need to be brought up until these have been addressed. I am looking for opinions from all points of view. =)

This topic was discussed at great length recently in this thread and has resurfaced even more recently in this one. Seriously though we don't need three threads on this floating around, so I'm closing this one since 2005 happened 3 years ago. XD