Martin, a Quaker, came up with the idea several years ago. He wanted a family-friendly Garden of Eden free of what he considers the rampant lasciviousness (nude dancing, alcohol) of other nudist resorts. Last July he found a dream investor by taking out an advertisement in… The Wall Street Journal. Martin faces a few obstacles, though. The site is rife with refuse, and some nearby homeowners oppose his plans. He also hasn’t exactly gotten ringing endorsements from some Christians. “Preposterous,” the Rev. John Revell, of the Southern Baptist Convention, says about the notion that early Christianity involved nudism. “There is no historical support for that.” But Martin is pressing on. He plans to inaugurate Natura with a marriage retreat and communal baptism in April.
