Nudity in religion deals with religious beliefs as the basis for modern attitudes and behaviors regarding nudity. The Abrahamic religions of Judaism , Christianity , and Islam all recount the Genesis creation narrative in which Adam and Eve are unaware of their nakedness until they eat the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
After this, they feel ashamed and try to cover themselves with fig leaves. In Islam the garden is in Paradise , not on Earth. The biblical story of Bathsheba and apocryphal story of Susanna provide no reference within the text for blame to be placed on women. The contrast of the story of Judith in her deliberate attempts to seduct contrast the actions of Susanna and Bathsheba, who were victims of the male gaze.
Of particular concern for both Islam and early Christians, as they extended their control over countries that had previously been part of the Byzantine or Roman empires, was the local custom of public bathing. While Christians were mainly concerned about mixed-gender bathing, which had been common, Islam also prohibited nudity for women in the company of non-Muslim women. In Judaism, nudity is an aspect of body modesty which is regarded as very important in most social and familial situations.
Attitudes to modesty vary between the different movements within Judaism as well as between communities within each movement. In more strict orthodox communities, modesty is an aspect of Tzniut which generally has detailed rules of what is appropriate behaviour.
Conservative and Reform Judaism generally promote modesty values but do not regard the strict Tzniut rules as binding, with each person being permitted at least in principle to set their own standards. With the exception of the Haredi community, Jewish communities generally tend to dress according to the standards of the society in which they find themselves. Orthodox Jewish Law Halakha explicitly makes women responsible for maintaining the virtue of modesty Tzniut by covering their bodies, including their hair.
