Attitudes to nudity differ among world religions.

In ancient South Asian cultures, there was a tradition of extreme ascetism (obviously minoritarian) that included full ritual nudity. This tradition continued from the gymnosophists (philosophers in Antiquity) to certain holy men (who may however cover themselves with ashes) in present day Hindu devotion and in Jainism.

The Abrahamic religions share the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden found in the Hebrew Bible, who are not aware that they are naked until they eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. When they discover their nudity, they are ashamed and cover themselves with fig leaves.^[1] Though these religions share the same legend, their interpretations of its purpose and their views on nudity greater differ. In Christianity, nudity is associated with original sin, an integral aspect to their doctrine of redemption and salvation. In Judaism and specifically the Hebrew Bible, the use of nakedness is almost always a euphemism for sexual behavior. For example, in the story of Noah we experience the hesistancy of Noah's sons when they have to cover their father's nakedness, averting their eyes, as he lies in a drunken sleep.^[2]

In general, Judaism has a rather clothes-on attitude towards nudity in most social and familial situations, except when it is impractical to do so (for example, when taking a shower) or when it's necessary to be naked for ritual purposes (for example, while performing ritual tevilah in a mikveh^[3]) or while engaged in sexual intimacy. Within Jewish cultural and religious tradition, the determination on how much one can appropriately show of one's body privately and publicly is made by a community's interpretation of Halakha, Jewish law. And, these interpretations vary noticeably between the different movements within Judaism. In the more stricter (orthodox) communities, nudity is very carefully regulated in an effort to limit viewing by others, to include even one's spouse. In more liberal Jewish communities, viewing the body in its nude state is not socially condoned, but is left more up to the view, beliefs, and personal lifestyles of the individual.

The Jewish requirement that one be clothed for tziniyut/modesty sake "is not a result of any of the prohibitions in the Torah. Rather, it is ... dependent upon what it is that makes one ashamed when standing before people."^[4] With the exception of the Haredi community, Jewish communities generally tend to dress according to the standard of the society around them. It is only in more esoteric Jewish traditions that you will find a stronger embracement of nudity as a part of cultural lifestyle and/or religious practice. For example, in the Digambara Pulkhanim ha'Yehudi practice, all traditional tenets of Judaism are observed (except for segregation of the genders). But, unlike the mainstream of Jewish religious practice, there is a specific practice of including full-body nudity in specific mystical rituals.^[5] So, for the most part, Jewish tradition has regarded clothes as important to both its cultural and religious beliefs. But, as always, there is equally room for interpretation.

See also Tzniut - which describes the Jewish rules on modesty, especially regarding female clothing.

The early Christian Church reflected contemporary attitudes towards nudity, where it was considered acceptable in some contexts such as working outdoors. For example Gospel of John 21:7 describes that Simon Peter is naked while fishing from a boat, but then gets dressed in order to meet Christ.

The first recorded liturgy of baptism, written down by Saint Hippolytus of Rome in his 'Apostolic Tradition' insists on complete nudity for both men and women, including the removal of all jewellery and hair fastenings (chapter 21)[1]. This is also reflected in early Christian art depicting baptism.

Later Christian attitudes to nudity became less tolerant, and baptisms were segregated by sex and then later were usually performed with clothed participants. Some of the Eastern Orthodox churches today maintain the early church's liturgical use of baptismal nudity, particularly for infants but also for adults.

One may also note the comments of Pope John Paul II in this matter: "The human body can remain nude and uncovered and preserve intact its splendor and its beauty... Nakedness as such is not to be equated with physical shamelessness... Immodesty is present only when nakedness plays a negative role with regard to the value of the person...The human body is not in itself shameful... Shamelessness (just like shame and modesty) is a function of the interior of a person."^[6]

Christian tradition does not usually teach that nudity is inherently wrong, but many Christians believe that it is only acceptable between marriage partners, and between children, or children and their parents.^{[citation needed]}

However, there have been movements within Christianity from time to time that view nudity in a more positive light. Historically certain sects have accepted and practiced social nudity, such as the Adamites and the Doukhobor sect. Then there is the Christian naturism of today, that maintains that social nudity is acceptable and as part of the practice of Christianity. A thread that runs through these groups is the belief that the human body is God's greatest material creation, and that Christ's death effectively restored humankind to the state of innocence of Eden.

In Islam the area of the body not meant to be exposed in public is called the awrah, and while referred to in the Qur'an, is addressed in more detail in hadith. ^{[citation needed]}

• For men, the awrah is from the navel to knees, which means that Muslim men have to cover themselves at least from the navel down to the knees in front of other men or women. However, in most Islamic cultures (if not all), a man is frowned upon should he walk around in public without covering the upper half of his body.

• For women, the awrah is from navel to knees in front of other women. In front of other men, it is the whole body, apart from the hands and the face. A woman's clothing is required to be loose and opaque, and she is encouraged to wear trousers under her loose garment.

In many modern NeoPagan religions, such as Wicca, social and ritual nudity are (relatively) commonplace. In Wicca, the term skyclad is used to denote ritual nudity as opposed to social nudity.

In Raelism, there is nothing problematic with nudity.

• Social nudity
• History of nudity