# Nude Praying.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [November 4, 2019, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975 "2019-11-04T02:56:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/1 "2019-11-04T02:56:17Z")
True story. When I was a little kid, I apparently prayed often. I was brought up Roman Catholic. Anyway, sometimes I’d find myself on the toilet. And I would cease praying reasoning God didn’t want me to pray naked. I don’t know if I heard that some place. I did learn a lot of stuff in catechism that I have since forgot, or at least that is hazy now.
But can you pray to God in the buff? Feel free to interject your own opinions. But I am looking for a more theological answer.
And FWIW I presently believe in God, but not much else (I don’t believe in an afterlife, e.g.). But I do still consider myself a Catholic. So I do still pray. You know the R.C. church does have a lot of beautiful devotions.
Also, as long as I am talking about the Catholic church and nudity, I might as well ask. Why is Jesus never depicted on the crucifix nude? You know he was actually crucified nude. Maybe the R.C. church is prudish. But what about a Christian nudist for example. Now I have already seen Jesus depicted on the cross as a female. Surely being nude couldn’t be much worse, at least for the Catholic church. Really.
:):):):)🙂
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/2 "2019-11-04T03:27:58Z")
Well, God doesn’t give a shit…
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/3 "2019-11-04T03:33:51Z")
Any person/higher power/supreme being undoubtedly knows what you look like under your clothes or your secret evil thoughts.
This is what turned me off of Santa Claus about age 4. I didn’t like anyone claiming they knew everything I thought or did.
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### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/4 "2019-11-04T03:39:58Z")
Man, I’ve read some weird stuff in my life, but this might take the cake.
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/5 "2019-11-04T03:57:14Z")
Someone left that cake out in the rain.
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/6 "2019-11-04T03:57:41Z")
If you want a theological answer, it’s that you can pray to God, anytime, anywhere, and in any state of dress or undress.
I was raised Roman Catholic, and I wouldn’t put too much blame on the Church for your preoccupation with nudity. You’re on your own with that.
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### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/7 "2019-11-04T04:07:25Z")
If you are a chick you should [at](https://bible.org/article/what-head-covering-1-cor-112-16-and-does-it-apply-us-today) [least](https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/gods-love/christian-woman-head-covering/) [wear](https://relearnchurch.org/shows/rc/should-christian-women-wear-head-covering-while-praying-prophesying/) [a hat](https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/ask-roger/should-christian-women-cover-their-heads.html).
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### Author:  [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/8 "2019-11-04T05:27:38Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#):
>
> . . . Also, as long as I am talking about the Catholic church and nudity, I might as well ask. Why is Jesus never depicted on the crucifix nude? You know he was actually crucified nude. Maybe the R.C. church is prudish. But what about a Christian nudist for example. Now I have already seen Jesus depicted on the cross as a female. Surely being nude couldn’t be much worse, at least for the Catholic church. Really.
He is occasionally depicted nude on the cross, for example in [Michelangelo’s crucifix in Santo Spirito in Florence](https://www.arttrav.com/art-history-tools/michelangelo-santo-spirito-crucifix/). But much more commonly he is depicted wearing a [loincloth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Damiano_cross) or [fully, even elaborately, clothed](https://www.ewtnreligiouscatalogue.com/christ-the-king-crucifix-cristo-rey/p/CRUWALL2852).
Realism or historical accuracy is not generally a priority in crucifixes, or indeed in much religious art. The depiction of the Christ-figure as naked, or nearly so, or clothed is intended to make a theological point, not to tell the viewer what a Roman crucifixion looked like. Jesus on the cross frequently doesn’t look like someone who has been tortured to death, and equipping him with a loincloth (or more) represents a decision not to depict the fullness of degradation and humiliation, in the same way as representing him not a victim of torture does.
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### Author:  [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/9 "2019-11-04T05:29:55Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#):
>
> Someone left that cake out in the rain.
And I don’t think that I can take it, so it took so long to bake it, and I’ll never have that recipe again, oh nooooo…
😛
On a serious note, you can pray in any position or state of dress, and none of that matters as long as it’s sincere. MHO, of course.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/10 "2019-11-04T06:13:35Z")
Look at how much trouble Ham got into for seeing his father’s penis. Now just imagine what would happen to all of us if we saw God’s penis.
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### Author:  [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/11 "2019-11-04T06:20:45Z")
Humans have invented so many deities, it’s hard to keep track to who or what to pray to, and why, and even how. Translators rendering biblical texts into a Mexican Indian language had trouble finding appropriate local words. The closest they had for “pray” was “to wag one’s tail before the lord”. (From Mario Pei’s The Story of Language, IIRC.) Thus I recommend the OP find a suitable translation, or convert to the Church of Naked Jesus.
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/12 "2019-11-04T06:55:21Z")
There are in fact Christian congregations (or at least one anyway) that practice prayer in the nude, holding clothing-optional services where people can pray as God made them.
See: [‘And they were naked – and not ashamed’: Church allows nude worship](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2556548/And-naked-not-ashamed-Church-allows-nude-worship.html)
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/13 "2019-11-04T07:00:20Z")
The toilet is for praying to the Porcelain God. You do not have to be naked, but I guess that if you’re making a real mess in there you may as well take off your clothes first and hop in the shower after. Don’t forget to brush your teeth.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/14 "2019-11-04T07:16:52Z")
> [@UDS](#):
>
> He is occasionally depicted nude on the cross, for example in [Michelangelo’s crucifix in Santo Spirito in Florence](https://www.arttrav.com/art-history-tools/michelangelo-santo-spirito-crucifix/).
And he’s hung like a mosquito.
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### Author:  [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/15 "2019-11-04T08:24:01Z")
> [@panache45](#):
>
> And he’s hung like a mosquito.
Again, realism is not the issue. Christ is represented with small or even prepubescent genitals, but that’s common in Rennaissance sculpture. Michelangelo’s _David_, while physically impressive in other respects, is also modestly genitally endowed, and this is pretty typical.
This is in imitation of classical sculpture and art, where it was the convention to depict heroes, athletes, gods etc with small penises, while satyrs, drunkards, old men, barbarians and other non-ideal figures were given large penises, which were considered ridiculous. The small penis is associated with moderation, wisdom, perfection; the large penis with lust, foolishness and an unbalanced outlook.
Whether women of the classical period shared this assessment of the relative merits of small and large penises is not known. But our own culture’s obsession with penis size and assumption that big is best is largely a male phenomenon driven, no doubt, by masculine insecurity. 😉
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### Author:  [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/16 "2019-11-04T09:58:49Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#):
>
> True story. When I was a little kid, I apparently prayed often. I was brought up Roman Catholic. Anyway, sometimes I’d find myself on the toilet. And I would cease praying reasoning God didn’t want me to pray naked.
Very much not-Catholic; but I seem to remember reading that Martin Luther claimed to get a fair number of his perceivedly best insights / inspirations, while defecating.
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### Author:  [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/17 "2019-11-04T12:59:31Z")
Certainly not an odd question from a traditional Jewish point of view, where one is not supposed to speak or read or even think about anything Torah-related while using the toilet. As far as the nudity per se, silent prayer would be OK, but not out loud.
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### Author:  [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/18 "2019-11-04T13:09:04Z")
I think nudity should be a requirement in prayer. Metaphorical, if the weather is too inclement. Group prayer shall bow to modesty by lightly draping the congregation in sheets.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/19 "2019-11-04T13:17:48Z")
Also, Jewish men are supposed to cover their heads while praying. Women aren’t required to.
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### Author:  [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-praying/842975/20 "2019-11-04T13:30:47Z")
if you believe in an all knowing, all powerful god, it knows what you look like naked and can see you naked any time it wants to.
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