Is nudity something we should use in
art? First I will point out the FACTS (as I see 'em) then I will point out my CONCLUSIONS
based on those facts.
FACTS (as I see 'em)
- Nudity is not wrong.
- Nudity can lead others to lust, covet, or other sins.
- We don't know if anyone else is able to see nudity and not sin.
- Only God knows our hearts.
- We are not to lead others into sin.
MY CONCLUSION
Though nudity is not wrong, there is always a chance that we might lead another into sin if we partake of it
(drawing it). So, although drawing nudity is not sin, there is still a chance of others being lead into sin by
it, so we should avoid it.
Like Paul said in the Bible (Romans 14)- we are free to eat meat... but if your freedom causes your brother
to sin, then it is better to not eat. Paul was speaking about un-kosher meat (meat which did not fit the
dietary law of the jewish people)... yet he was making an over arching principle for us to apply to every area
of life. Our freedom in Christ should not be the cause for another person's sin.
Not only might drawing nudity lead others to sin, we also must watch out for drawing things in a sexy or
sexually appealing manner. Drawing things which lead others to lust is what we should be trying
to avoid- not nudity in and of itself. Nudity happens to be part of what might make one sin. We
should also avoid drawing people clothed in sensual positions.
Arguments for drawing nudity - debunked.
There are many arguments for drawing nudes. The argument nudity is okay in art if it
doesn't lead you to sin doesn't handle the aspect of Romans 14. I totally agree that nudity is not wrong -
and that there might even be some "artistic" nudity (I'm not saying there is... just that there might
be).
Just because a drawing is artistic doesn't mean it wouldn't lead others into sin. God spoke with
Cain, asking where his brother Able was. Cain said foolishly "Am I my brothers keeper?" And God
basically said "Yep." This has now become a very rehtorical question because we should
understand that to a large extent we ARE our brothers keeper. We should avoid drawing nudity to help our
brothers not sin.
Jesus in the NT said it would be better for a mil stone to be hung on your neck and to be thrown into the
sea than to lead another into sin. My point is very clear: we have an obligation, as much as is our
ability, to protect our fellow man from sinning. Now it has been confirmed by both the Old Testament
and the New Testament.
The argument to protect your brother from sinning is given even further emphasis in Romans 14 wherein we are
comanded to not allow our freedom in Christ (in this case: to be able to draw nudity) to even inadvertantly
lead another into sin. The passage goes on to say that it would be better to sacrifice our freedom for the sake
of our brothers. My point is that it is not a question of wether I can do "X" without sinning, but will my
doing "X" potentially lead nother into sin.
Atacked by the culture
Pornography is running rampant in our culture. In truth we have so little understanding of it that stores
regularly display large pictures of attractive women in skimpy undergarments throughout their stores (ever walk
by the clothing section in a department store?). Pornography is a major issue- we should not be saying "I
will have my freedom - no matter the cost!" We should not be saying "I will have my freedom, THEN try
to protect others." No... we should be saying "I will give up my freedom to protect others." It
is better a millstone be wrapped around my neck then to let my freedom lead someone into sin.
IF we can draw nudity without ourselves sinning by it, then we might do so in our own private setting to
increase our own art skills, however I also think that such artwork should remain private and not be
shared... for the sake of my brothers.
More Questions about nudity
I've been asked further questions about nudity, such as:
- Would you draw a complete nude and not show it to anyone?
- If you were to show it to someone, who would it be?
- If you accidentally led someone to stumble or otherwise sin, what would you do? (in regards to your
art)
- How will you teach younger people on this subject? Your kids? Your Christian students? Secular
students?
- If you saw a naked cat thing... er... never mind.
1) I would not draw a complete nude. I have done much of this in the past. I
ended up going through some of my previous artwork and material with my wife- throwing away much of my
work from a certain art class in college.
2) Since I wouldn't draw it... I couldn't show it to anyone. I admit that occasionally I
think of some picture and start my doodle, only to find out it is too provocative, and then trash it.
3) If my art leads someone into sin, and I knew of it, I would fist apologize, praying that
God work correct me, and analyze my work to the best of my ability and make sure not to do such art again. We
must not allow our freedoms to lead others to sin.
4) How will I teach younger people on this subject? Good question. First, anytime I teach
an art class I make a point at the beginning to say that I have certain moral standards and that some artwork,
specifically nudity in art, though well done and admissible by some, is not proper and I would be avoiding it.
Second, That being said, I would avoid it and discuss other aspects of art. When instructing my children, for
example, I have taught them that nudity is not wrong, but rather something special from God and something we
should only share with our spouse... and certain occasions when you must seek medical attention. Nudity should
be covered so that we do not lead other people into sin and temptation... and you don't know who may be tempted
so we must be very careful. There are ways of teaching how to draw the human figure without nudity.
5) A naked cat... **shudders from the impropriety** (j/k)
I have clearly made my point by now. Nudity is not wrong, but it is inapropriate to share out side of the
contexts of marriage or necessity (ie medical reasons). It is inapropriate to share because (1) our nudity does
not belong to anyone other than our spouse, and (2) nudity may lead others into sin and temptation. True, we
cannot make others sin- but we also shouldn't HELP others sin.
