The Bare Truth: A Peek Inside a Nudist Chapel

“Come on,” you groan.  “This is a joke, right?”

Nope.  Nestled in the woods of beautiful Southampton County in Ivor, Virginia—just an hour from  Richmond—is White Tail Resort, a vacation destination which has offered a “relaxing, clothing-free experience” for nudists and naturists since 1984.  In the clothing-optional camp, guests romp in indoor and outdoor pools, swing and sway on the dance floor, play table tennis and ping-pong, and enjoy homecooked meals in the dining hall….all in the buff.

In fact, the naked people who frequent White Tail do all the things people do in your community.  That means that on Sunday morning, they gather for prayer.

Allen Parker, pastor of White Tail Chapel, is not afraid to let it all hang out, preaching from the pulpit in the altogether.  The members of his congregation stick to their seats and pray.

Pastor Parker insists that God doesn’t care whether believers wear clothes while they pray to Him.  “If God made us that way,” he asks, “why can that be wrong?”

Members of the church believe that nudity frees them from societal judgments, and insist that it has nothing to do with sexuality.

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Interestingly, Pope Francis will visit Assisi tomorrow, and one planned stop on his tour is the “Renunciation Room” or “Stripping Room”—the spot where St. Francis renounced his worldly wealth and stripped himself of his rich clothing before Bishop Guido of Assisi. Francis then returned the clothing, along with his money, to his wealthy father; and the bishop gave him a humble brown tunic to wear,

Pope Francis’ visit to the Stripping Room is the first visit by a pope in the history of the cathedral.