Christans That Did Not take Baths

[Lewis]

Unfortunately, the Western world’s showering advancements stopped when people began to think that bathing itself was not altogether necessary. Queen Isabella of Spain, who funded the voyage of Christopher Columbus, was proud of the fact she had taken only two showers in her lifetime, reported Colman. In fact, early Christians equated bathing with vanity and avoided it in order to be more holy. Colman wrote that St. Francis of Assisi listed dirtiness as one of the signs of a holy person, St. Catherine of Siena avoided washing, and St. Agnes, who died at the age of 13, had never taken a bath. http://www.dezignare.com/newsletter/shower.html

In the 1700s, people only took baths like once a month and in an average lower class household there was only one tub to take a bath in and everyone used the same water. The Father went first, followed by any other older male reletives, then the wife and so on down to the kids. By the end the water was so dirty that you could barely see the baby in the tub, hence the warning, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Did_people_ta ... _the_1700s

 

[Drew]

In fact, early Christians equated bathing with vanity and avoided it in order to be more holy. Colman wrote that St. Francis of Assisi listed dirtiness as one of the signs of a holy person,...

This, I suggest, is a manifestation of one of the most foundational errors in thinking that plagues the church to this day - the idea that this material world is "bad" and destined for destruction and that our goal is to escape physicality to attain a disembodied state in heaven.

The Bible does not teach this.

 

[Jon-Marc]

I don't take baths; I take showers.

 

[Relic]

.

Oh my gosh! for the "second time" in the history of this board I agree with Drew! I think the other time was when we agreed to disagree a few years back. :D

.

 

[Lewis]

In the 1700s, people only took baths like once a month and in an average lower class household there was only one tub to take a bath in and everyone used the same water. The Father went first, followed by any other older male reletives, then the wife and so on down to the kids. By the end the water was so dirty that you could barely see the baby in the tub, hence the warning, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Did_people_ta ... _the_1700s

Now that is just plain crazy :crazy :shocked! :help

 

[Adullam]

It is plain thay they stank unto high heaven! :D

 

[Relic]

In the 1700s, people only took baths like once a month and in an average lower class household there was only one tub to take a bath in and everyone used the same water. The Father went first, followed by any other older male reletives, then the wife and so on down to the kids. By the end the water was so dirty that you could barely see the baby in the tub, hence the warning, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Did_people_ta ... _the_1700s

Now that is just plain crazy :crazy :shocked! :help

I remember when I was a child of about three years old, my mother stuck all four of us in the tub, the oldest one being eight years old. But the strange thing is that I only remember her doing that one time.... She probably didn't do it again because I remember the two older girls complained about my brother passing gas in the water and we all jumped out of the tub like reeeeeal fast!

.

 

[Lewis]

When I was real little, I had to take baths with my brother, but we didn't mine, because we would have a tub full of toys. But in the early centuries the whole family, and other relatives using the same liquid dirt, lets see, I don't have the words for it. They had not a clue about bacteria, at all. And could not they see that the water was dirty ? Dirt and dead skin cells is what makes the water dirty, and puts the ring around the tub, and in the water. Most of these people worked on farms in the sun, all man the stench of these folks must have been something to behold.

 

[Jon-Marc]

I have personally known two men who didn't bathe, and talk about STINKING! One was in the Air Force. He would return to the barracks after work, douse himself with cologne, put on whatever he was going to wear, and off he'd go. The barracks stunk SO bad from a cologne-scented body odor that a gang of us threatened to give him a "GI party", which meant we would have ganged up on him, stripped him, and scrubbed him scrub brushes in the shower. The threat alone was enough to make him clean up his stinky body.

The second guy was a member of a church where I was also a member. The stench coming from him made the whole church building stink. Visitors said they wouldn't return because of it. The pastor and deacons tried to talk to him and got nowhere. He said that no one had the right to tell him he had to bathe. He was eventually told to leave the church and not return.

 

[Lewis]

John I remember GI parties, we threw a blanket over a dudes head and gave him a beat down once.