On Being a Prude

I was called a religious prude recently.
It hurt more than I expected it to. Why is this bugging you so much, Amanda? I asked myself this quite often for a few days after someone stamped that ugly label on my back. This individual, I believe, meant for it to hurt. And, although I was raised being told to get a thick skin and not let things like that bother me, this one was hard to shake.

The worst part, I think, what that I didn't think I was doing anything worthy of being called prude. So I went and looked up what the heck "prude" actually means. "A person who is or claims to be easily shocked by matters relating to sex and nudity." I suppose, by the dictionary definition, I am a prude. I'm not super fond of nudity or sexual situations/jokes. And shoot, other people being naked makes me uncomfortable.
It took me a second to digest that, according to this definition, I am a prude. Now all I had to deal with was the accusation that my faith caused me to be like this. Perhaps my "prudishness" is a result of my Christian faith. However, I don't think it takes someone to be a Christian to be uncomfortable with sex and nudity. At least, I never thought so.
But still here I am, having been called a religious prude. Still being bothered with this label. Here is the conclusion I've come to.

Within the homeschool community, I always considered myself to be fairly "edgy." I read Harry Potter, I don't live and die by K-Love radio, and honestly sometimes there were other places I would have liked to be besides youth group. There were times where I felt pretty outcast from that group for these reasons. That never really bothered me too much.

I always felt like who I am would help me reach people because I wasn't some ultra-Christian person. (An opinion that, now, I understand was totally incorrect. God gives everyone their own convictions about different things and can and will use anyone to reach other people....)
What I've been learning, however, is that although I am far more relaxed than some Christians I know, I will never fit fully into this world as long as I am holding to the truth of the Gospel and following Jesus closely. I cannot fit into this world without letting go of God.
1 Peter 2:11-12 says, "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage ware against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, then may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation."
1:15 says, "As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct."
As a Christian, I am not called to be as close to the world as I can be before I cross whatever line there is into sin. I am called to be separate from the world and fully devoted to God, following him and his direction in order to most effectively spread his word.

So I suppose I am a religious prude. But don't think for one second I'm going to stop.

Much love,
Amanda.

I want to make it clear that I am not bitter towards the individual who called me a prude. Their words just impacted me a lot and this post is me working through my thoughts and not intended to be any sort of attack or angry response towards them.