Posted on 11/30/2011 5:18:31 AM PST by Saundra Duffy
Known to some is the fact that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormon Church) wear a special kind of underwear in connection with their religion. This is true of most faithful adult members of the Church. (Mormon children are generally dressed the same as any other children.) The special underwear is called a "garment" by Mormons, and it is directly related to Mormon temples.
Garments are a symbolic gesture of the promises that Mormons have made to God. The garment is always worn under other clothing, next to the skin. In fact, for most people who wear it, the garment takes the place of regular underwear. Mormons begin wearing it during their first visit to the temple, wherein they receive individual instruction on how the garment should be worn and cared for, and furthermore, they undergo a sacred ceremony called the temple endowment. Solely during this ritual, additional special clothing is put on; by contrast, the garment or special underwear is worn at all times, both day and night, from then on. It serves as a constant reminder of the covenants made during the temple endowment.
Mormons believe in being "in the world, but not of it," and the garment helps in privately yet consistently setting temple-going Mormons apart from the world. A particularly sharp contrast is felt in today's society, where morals and modesty have deteriorated to a most horrific degree. Many moviemakers and clothing manufacturers, for example, design their respective products to reveal so much of the human body that virtually nothing is left to the imagination. Mormons, on the other hand, are encouraged through the modest length and cut of their temple-got garments to always dress appropriately. Devout Mormons further understand that in only a very few instances might the garment be removed, such as for swimming, using the bathroom, or being intimate in marriage. The reasons for keeping the garment on far outweigh the reasons for taking it off.
The special Mormon underwear consists of a top and bottom piece, and it is made from a variety of lightweight fabrics. There are some special colored temple garments that can be worn by members of the armed services, but for the vast majority of Mormons, garments are always white. This symbolizes physical and spiritual purity. It fosters a mindset of continual obedience to the Lord, which is crucial in keeping the covenants entered into in the temple. Through such obedience, a person can find physical and spiritual protection. The Lord God is enabled to grant promised blessings, fulfilling His side of the temple covenants. Thus, the garment is sacred to the wearer not for what it is, but for what it represents. The garment helps the wearer to focus his or her life on Jesus Christ and to thereby lay claim to the blessings promised to those who do so.
Mormons are not unique in the wearing of special clothing for religious purposes. Perhaps the most well-known example is the yarmulke, which is worn at special times by many Jewish men or at all times by devout orthodox Jews. Similarly, in some religions a minister or priest might wear a special collar that has religious significance, or nuns may wear special clothing that signifies the religious order to which they belong. In all cases the special clothing reflects the religious conviction of the wearer.
There is a historical precedent for wearing religious clothing. Mormons emphasize the fact that Adam and Eve wore clothing that was made for them by God before they left the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:21 states that "unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them." Mormons believe that such clothing was provided as part of the religious instruction given to Adam and Eve by God. This is the same context in which Mormons receive the garment: as part of the religious instruction contained within the temple endowment.
Other religious figures throughout history have also worn special clothing as they performed their religious duties. For instance, Moses was commanded by the Lord (as recorded in Exodus 28:1-3) to place holy garments and priestly vestments upon Aaron and others in preparation for officiating in the tabernacle.
There is no professional clergy in the Mormon Church, so in some ways the garment serves as a symbol of the lay clergy, where both men and women share in the responsibilities and blessings of the priesthood, particularly in the temple.
For more information visit Mormon Underwear.
Please note that Jewish folks also wear religious under garments. It would be considered anti semitic to poke fun at their underwear so why is it OK to ridicule those of us who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? (Hint, it's not OK.)
FYI
“Mormons are not unique in the wearing of special clothing for religious purposes. Perhaps the most well-known example is the yarmulke, which is worn at special times by many Jewish men or at all times by devout orthodox Jews.”
I learned about the Jewish undergarments when Senator Joe Lieberman spoke at BYU recently.
Can I assume they have more than one, so that they can be washed?
underwear is under wear...
ANY religion that thinks that God cares what type of underwear you are wearing is important is beyond inane. Furthermore, it is stupid rituals such as this that keep MANY people from embracing God.
God would be a lot more popular if it weren't for the religions scaring people away from him.....
“Can I assume they have more than one, so that they can be washed?”
Yep.
“Can I assume they have more than one, so that they can be washed?”
Those are for the laundry day saints.
“Actually, I have NO trouble ridiculing ALL of them.”
Thank you for making my point.
—...this article might be of some value in trying to stop some of the insulting and stupid comments that continue to be posted on FR. —
Actually, it amplifies them. And thanks for posting. Seriously.
Post more of these, Saundra. It only helps solidify my belief that Mormonism is a cobbled together thing, made up from Christianity, Judaism and other sources. It only reinforces my belief that, while it’s understandable that gullible folks in little towns in the 1800’s might have fallen for the traveling preacher of it as a new thing, it’s in the same class as Scientology or 20th century wiccanism.
One FReeper asks a perfectly honest question and another FReeper feels it necessary to make a snide comment.
By posting this article, I was hoping to thwart some of the bigotry, ignorance and silliness. Oh, well.
Anyway, PapaBear 3625 - thank you for an honest question and one that did not insult anyone.
A friend of mine is an orthdox Jew. He said that there was a thread in their garment that was a certain shade of blue and was to be colored from the extract of a rare snail. The snail is now extinct and the rabbi’s had to come up with a solution to the problem. Should they use some other source for the color, or just go without the blue thread?
They chose the latter.
—ANY religion that thinks that God cares what type of underwear you are wearing is important is beyond inane.—
This especially applies to any “post Christ” religion that actually claims to be Christian.
—Catholics wear small cloth pictures called Scapulars as well.—
Yeah, they also believe that Mary was perfect and died a virgin...
If we honestly think you’re misguided, that is not bigotry.
The garments are representative of many of the gravest errors of Mormonism.
That the God of Israel was once a man who sinned and had to rise up to perfection.
That the God of Israel is a polygamist.
That man can rise up to become a god, on the level of the God of Israel.
That man can make himself worthy through a long list of works. See www.afterallwecando.com/
That the blood of Christ is not sufficient to wipe away all of a man’s sin.
That the Levitical priesthood lives on, and has not been rendered obsolete by Christ.
That Jesus is a lesser god than God the Father.
That God the Father, a physical man-god, had a one-nighter with Mary and conceived Jesus.
That Jesus is not the only priest after the order of Melchizedek.
That the cross is abhorrent.
That Jesus bled in the Garden of Gethsemane, atoning for our sins there.
That Jesus and the devil are brothers.
The garments are a fetish, a belief that an article of clothing or an item has special powers. Hence the faith-promoting stories of garments saving people from accidents, burns, providing healing, etc.
The garments are a symbol of bondage to a system. A fantastic freedom comes when the tens of thousands of exmormons per year finally put them off for conventional underwear.
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