In Principle. It seems, as I reflect on it, that nakedness has always been attractive to me, but I had gotten the idea that it was somehow immoral except in limited circumstances, such as showering. But I have come to realize a couple of things. One is that if the Bible says Adam and Eve were naked without shame before the Fall, that is, before they sinned, nakedness can't be inherently immoral. Another is that nudity is not necessarily sexual — non-sexual nudity is possible even now, after the Fall.
But why did Adam and Eve want to be covered after the Fall? Pope John Paul II, in his "Theology of the Body," explains that among the elements of our fallen condition, is lust. We are aware of our and others' lustfulness, and we want to preserve ourselves from being reduced to objects of lust. We want to preserve our dignity as persons, not objects. And we do this by covering our sexual organs.
Clothing is also to some extent cultural. Beyond the genitals, displaying other areas can be erotic when keeping them covered is customary.
When there is no intention of provoking lust, nudity is not immoral. So, clearly, nudity when one is alone is not morally problematic. Beyond that, there is no problem with nudity within a family that is accustomed to it. Moving beyond the family to other settings, such as beaches and other social settings, it seems to me that it depends on expectations. Obviously the more people involved, the greater the chance that some will begin to experience lustful feelings. But if people who enjoy the comfort of non-sexual nudity by themselves or in their family get together on beaches or at resorts, it seems that that should not present a problem.
John Paul II also sees artistic nudity as acceptable. In his view, which makes sense to me, it depends on the intention of the artist. A work which respects the integrity of the person is acceptable. One which is created in a way which is intended to provoke lust is not. For the viewer, of course, the reaction is also important. For example,
here's a photo which Edward at "Pardon My Schadenfreude" posted a couple of months ago. To me this is legitimate. It is not eroticized. The model is not doing anything sexually inviting. It seems reminiscent of Michelangelo's David, showing a human person in his simple beauty. I'd say one who finds himself turned on by it should not look at it, but I certainly would not consider the photographer a pornographer for this work.
Personal Experience. Maybe eight or nine years ago I began regularly sleeping in the nude. One night I just decided to give it a try and found it comfortable. After my mother died and I was normally alone in the house, I began being naked around the house from time to time. Again it is a matter of feeling comfortable. In winter the air is so dry, that after I get dressed in the morning to go out, I rarely feel like getting naked until it's time to go to bed. But in the more humid weather, nudity is more inviting. Often I don't bother, once I'm dressed. (I've never been one for changing clothes when I didn't have to.) But there are days when being naked just feels good. For example, today's outdoor high temperature was 91.1°F (33C), and at about 8:00 p.m. it was 83.1 (28.4). Indoors at that time is was 86.5 (30.3) upstairs, 81.7 (27.5) downstairs, and 76.8 (24.9) here in the cellar. Nudity is much more comfortable than wearing clothes.
One limitation is my brother, who tends to visit twice a week. I've always believed that he'd freak out if he saw me naked or knew I was a closet nudist. He seems to still think that unnecessary nudity is immoral. Just last Wednesday, I knew he would visit in the evening. I was in the cellar at my computer, naked, at about 2:00 when he came in the back door. Yikes! He usually doesn't arrive before 4:00. And the shirt and shorts I had available in case someone came to the door were in the dining room. I dashed around the cellar and couldn't find anything to put on that wouldn't make it obvious I had been nude. So I went up the stairs. Fortunately, he had gone to the wing where his bedroom is, and I heard him close the door to the bathroom off the kitchen. So I ran through the kitchen to the dining room, grabbed the clothes, and went to the living room to put them on. By the time he got out of the bathroom, I was "fully dressed." But it was a narrow escape. He virtually never comes straight to the cellar when he arrives. But if he hadn't gone to the bathroom, getting to my clothes and putting them on unseen would have been much dicier. Not that I was doing anything wrong, just that he'd have been greatly upset.
