h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Okay, to start with I am an atheist, so I will not offer - and am not interested in - those arguments for or (mainly) agaisnt naturism that don't apply to me. However, the bottom line is that IMHO clothing enjoys a long standing in our society, and I don't know if something like that should be challenged overnight. Also, I have some psychological issues that I think might make it rather tough for me to be a naturist. Just giving my $.02...

Yes... clothing enjoys a long standing in society in general, although there's always been some people who prefer to be naked when they get the chance. In some cultures, nudity is quite acceptable, in others, women must cover their faces. In some, shirts must be worn, while in others they don't have to be worn, and even others, they have the bizarre concept of requiring half the population to wear shirts while the other half doesn't have to

Most naturists are not advocating an immediate switch to people walking naked downtown, but rather allowing it at specific public beaches and private clubs, where people who don't care for it can be warned (by a sign or whatever) and choose to go elsewhere.

Everybody who has been raised in a clothing compulsive society has a significant block to overcome to try naturism, but most, if they do try it, find that it goes away very fast.

I definately agree that it should be okay at private clubs etc. This is true of many things in our society. For example, one of my friends belongs to a religious group that I disagree with rather strongly: the Church of Scientology. I am sure that my friends and her comrades say things at the meetings of this church that I would have real problems with, but I am willing to ignore that fact as long as my friend does not try to convince me of those beliefs.
I don't know what to say... This whole thing is rather alien to the way I was raised, and I'm not sure how to react.

The key thing is to realize that there are a lot of different beliefs and opinions, and, in fact, most people go through some changes in their beliefs during their life. My best advice is to keep an open mind, even it you disagree with someone and get involved in as many challenging discussions as possible

Personally, I'm willing to accept people having wildly different beliefs than mine as long as 1) their beliefs don't cause harm to other people, and 2) they don't try to force me to believe the same way they do.

By the way, you may have discovered by now that html and GuideML tags don't work in the forum messages (only in Guide Entries like your home page and any entries you establish). Forums are plain text, with the exception of the symbols.

Redbeard

I completely agree with your two criteria!

I try never to pick my friends by their religious or other views. I don't honestly care what someone is, only /who/ he or she is. I know people of all religions, races and sexual orientations who are good people, and I know people who are very conventional in their beliefs but persist in acting in ways that their own gods would not like. Adolf Hitler never drank anything but beer or cheated on his wife; Winston Churchill reputedly did both.

P.S. Thanks for pointing out my error in using the tags .

The main problem in my country (England) is that we have every form of weather on an almost hourly basis. Naturalism is not practical in the snow.

Quite true! Clothing can be useful when dealing with harsh weather, or frying bacon.

Today, the UK has had torrential hail/snow (a matter of particle size, apparently) and flash flooding (from the melt). In August.
I rest my case.

** for those poor at Geography, the UK is in the Northern Hemisphere, and we jokingly call this time of year 'Summer' **