Call to bare at nudist camp for Christians

Visit Florida and shortly you will be able to find paradise. Not Disney World or the surf at South Beach, but the real thing, as described in the Book of Genesis.

Opening soon: Natura, a Christian nudist colony with a focus that will be as much on God as on the body parts of your fellow holidaymakers.

That's the idea, anyway. Never mind that the site of the proposed park is dotted with dilapidated buildings and fouled by piles of stinking rubbish. And don't fear the four known paedophiles living near by. This is the place where you will be able to find the Adam, or Eve, inside you.

The creator of this Garden of Eden is Bill Martin, a Quaker who has paid $1.6m (£880,000) for a mostly deserted naturist camp in Pasco County, Florida, a suburb of Tampa. There are seven naturist colonies in the county, but, with God as his theme, he means to make Natura different.

He plans to build a church and a water park for children. There will be no alcohol available and the atmosphere will be charged with godliness, not sex. And so, in theory, there will be none of the shenanigans-in-the-shrubbery normally associated with no-clothing colonies.

"Everybody," said Mr Martin, "seems to be losing their standards."

David Blood, executive director of the project, said: "The Bible very clearly states that when Adam and Eve were in right with God, they were naked. When people are in right with God, they do not have to fear nudity."

It may be a few years before the church and water park are completed, but they hope to open Natura as early as April for a nude marriage retreat, no white dresses or veils required, and a communal baptism ceremony.

Mr Martin is aware of the paedophiles and says he has consulted his lawyers to see what can be done. "We'll make sure that no harm will come to the children," he said.