A Brief History of the Christian Nudists — The AdamitesDuring the formative years of Christian

A Brief History of the Christian Nudists — The AdamitesDuring the formative years of Christianity in the Roman Empire, there were many differing sects of Christianity who claimed to have secret knowledge and wisdom that could lead to salvation.  Many of these sects were very strange.  Perhaps the strangest were the Adamites, an obscure Christian sect originating in the 2nd century AD.  The Adamites believed that in order to find salvation, one must return to the state of innocence once enjoyed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Thus the most notable aspect of the Adamites’ sacred beliefs was the practice of “holy nudism”.  In other words the Adamites abstained from wearing clothes, mimicking the nakedness of Adam and Eve in paradise before original sin.  From the 2nd century to 3rd century AD the Adamites lived in nudist colonies and communes in North Africa and the Middle East.  The late 3rd century saw the end of the Adamites as the more popular Roman Catholic Church dominated all other sects and spread across Europe.The 15th and 16th centuries saw the rebirth of the Adamites, especially due to the Hussite Rebellion of the late middle ages and most importantly the Protestant Reformation.  Like the early years of Christianity, the Protestant Reformation created a wide range of theological doctrines and religious sects.  The Adamites saw a resurgence of popularity, mostly with Anabaptists, who took a very literal interpretation of The Bible.  Unlike the Adamites of the ancient world, the Neo-Adamites did not live in the Middle East or North Africa, but rather had colonies spread out in Northern Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Bohemia, and Eastern Europe.  Indeed the Adamites had to be very dedication to their religious beliefs, being nudists in Northern Europe.  Like the Adamites of the ancient world, the Neo-Adamites saw a decline in popularity around the late 16th century as more mainstream denominations dominated Europe.  Today “Holy Nudism” or “Christian Naturism” is rare but practiced within a few denominations, most commonly by individuals or subdivisions of the Quakers and Latter Day Saints.    -- source link

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