Chapel:
The pastor leads the church by example, standing in his pulpit without a
scrap of clothing as he reads stories from the Bible to the faithful
gathered in his small rural church in Southampton, Virginia (pictured)
The church got everyone’s attention when it introduced a kind of
worship where the members have to praise God naked. Although the rule
was not made compulsory for the members of the church a year ago when
the idea was introduced, on Sunday, August 2nd, 2015, the head pastor
announced to his congregants that nudity is now mandatory in the church.
Daily Mail reports that the church, which is located in Ivor in the
southern state of Virginia, has since then asked members and worshippers
alike to leave behind their material concerns including clothing
anytime they come to worship. The church now describes itself as a
family nudist community where visitors can enjoy all manner of
activities, including spiritual worship in a completely natural (nude)
way.
Freedom:
Pastor Allen Parker said he came to the decision to allow naked worship
after concluding his flock should be free to forgo materialism and the
‘pretense’ of clothing if they desire
In justifying the church’s ridiculous way of worship, Pastor Allen
Parker said that many of Jesus’ most important moments happened while he
was naked. Recently, the church even conducted a marriage in the nude
with couple Katie and Robert.
Pastor Parker said:
“When Jesus was born he was naked, when he
was crucified he was naked and when he arose he left his clothes in the
tomb and he was naked. If God made us that way, how can that be wrong?
I consider this a gift and a privilege God has given me as our members
are caring, understanding and they’re community and family oriented. We
have one of the most involved chapels anyplace around. I’ll put our
church up against others around.”
Robert Church also justified getting married nude, saying that White
Tail Chapel lacks the pretense sometimes found at other places of
worship. He added that nudity is a great equalizer as it becomes
impossible to judge someone based on their expensive or shabby clothes
if they are not wearing any.
'And they were naked – and not ashamed': Church allows nude worship
- Congregation at White Tail Chapel, Virginia attend church while in the nude
- Pastor Allen Parker says the idea is to 'equalise' everybody in front of God
- Church leader claims Jesus was naked at Bible's most important moments
- Chapel even hosts naked weddings, with families encouraged to strip off
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A church in the US state of Virginia has taken the bizarre decision to allow its congregation to attend services in the nude.
Pastor
Allen Parker, the leader of White Tail Chapel in the town of
Southampton, said he came to the decision to allow naked worship after
concluding the clothing requirements of other churches were overly
'pretentious', and decided his own flock should be free to forgo such
materialism if they desire.
He
believes he is in good company too, claiming many of the most important
moments in the Bible happened while the protagonists were nude,
including Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection
.
Freedom: Pastor Allen Parker said he came to the decision to allow naked
worship after concluding his flock should be free to forgo materialism
and the 'pretense' of clothing if they desire
Equal: The idea is that nudity is
'the great equaliser', reminding all those gathered in the church that
they are simple human beings beneath their clothing
Chapel: The pastor leads the church by example,
standing in his pulpit without a scrap of clothing as he reads stories
from the Bible to the faithful gathered in his small rural church in
Southampton, Virginia (pictured)
Speaking to CNN, Mr
Parker said: 'When he [Jesus] was born he was naked, when he was
crucified he was naked and when he arose he left his clothes in the tomb
and he was naked.'
'If God made us that way, how can that be wrong?' he added.
Mr Parker is believed to have drawn
at least some of his opinions on nudity from the book of Genesis, in
which Adam and Eve were originally described as 'both naked, the man and
his wife, and were not ashamed'.
It
was only after sinfully eating forbidden fruit from the Tree of
Knowledge that Adam and Even are said to have seen their nudity as
shameful, at which point they sowed fig leaves into loincloths.
Although
the church allows worshipers to attend services fully naked, many have
decided they would rather continue to attend fully clothed, particuarly
when in mid-winter, while others opt to just reveal their breasts or
genitals.
The idea is that
nudity is 'the great equaliser', reminding all those gathered in the
church that they are simple human beings and that, beneath any personal
wealth or glamorous outward appearance, they are all more of less the
same beneath the clothing.
'There’s
not a feeling that you have to be better than one another, physically.
We’re humans, we have scars, we have what we have. It’s learning to love
and accept that,' Mr Parker says.
+9
Chapel: The pastor leads the church by example,
standing in his pulpit without a scrap of clothing as he reads stories
from the Bible to the faithful gathered in his small rural church in
Southampton, Virginia (pictured)
Speaking to CNN, Mr
Parker said: 'When he [Jesus] was born he was naked, when he was
crucified he was naked and when he arose he left his clothes in the tomb
and he was naked.'
'If God made us that way, how can that be wrong?' he added.
Mr Parker is believed to have drawn
at least some of his opinions on nudity from the book of Genesis, in
which Adam and Eve were originally described as 'both naked, the man and
his wife, and were not ashamed'.
It
was only after sinfully eating forbidden fruit from the Tree of
Knowledge that Adam and Even are said to have seen their nudity as
shameful, at which point they sowed fig leaves into loincloths.
Although
the church allows worshipers to attend services fully naked, many have
decided they would rather continue to attend fully clothed, particuarly
when in mid-winter, while others opt to just reveal their breasts or
genitals.
The idea is that
nudity is 'the great equaliser', reminding all those gathered in the
church that they are simple human beings and that, beneath any personal
wealth or glamorous outward appearance, they are all more of less the
same beneath the clothing.
'There’s
not a feeling that you have to be better than one another, physically.
We’re humans, we have scars, we have what we have. It’s learning to love
and accept that,' Mr Parker says.
+9
Pastor Allen Parker believes there's not a
feeling that worshipers have to be physically better than one another in
his church. He said: 'We're humans, we have scars, we have what we
have'
Pastor Allen Parker
believes there's not a feeling that worshipers have to be physically
better than one another in his church. He said: 'We're humans, we have
scars, we have what we have'
+9
Marriage: The White Tail Chapel even hosts naked weddings. One couple to opt for the nude service were Robert and Katie Church
+9
Although the church allows worshipers to attend
services fully naked, many have decided they would rather continue to
attend fully clothed, particularly in mid-winter
Different: Many worshipers opt to just reveal
certain parts of their body, such as their breasts or genitals, rather
than go fully nude
+9
+9
Taking influence: Pastor Allen Parker says many
of most important moments in the Bible happened while the protagonists
were nude, including Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (left) and
Jesus' crucifixion (right)
And the pastor leads the
church by example, standing in his pulpit without a scrap of clothing as
he reads stories from the Bible to the faithful gathered in his small
rural church.
The nudity is not restricted purely to preaching, however.
Several
couples have recently been married in fully nude services, in which all
members of both families are encouraged to shed their clothing before
the couple take their vows.
Robert and Katie Church were one couple to have a naked wedding at the White Tail Chapel, with Mr Church saying attendees were far more interested in 'hearing the word of God and speaking the word of God' than analysing the naked bodies on display.
Mrs
Church wasn't a nudist before the couple met, but says she has since
come to love the experience of going to church in the nude and now
considers her fellow worshipers 'family'
THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END!!!
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