Mormon Temple Garment

A source of much criticism and debate among people who are not members of the Mormon Church (officially The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is Mormon underwear. There are so many false rumors going around in the world about Mormon undergarments. Here is a brief, accurate explanation of what the Mormon garment actually is.

When Mormons go through Latter-day Saint (LDS) temples, through the Mormon endowment ceremony, for the first time, they participate in sacred ordinances for themselves. The process consists of the initiatory (a symbolic washing and anointing, preparatory to receiving the endowment) and then the endowment, where individuals make covenants with God to live a higher law in their own lives. The Mormon garment is an outward symbol of an inward commitment, just like a Catholic priest’s symbolic clothing is, except the Mormon garment is worn underneath clothing instead of on top.

Latter-day Saints who have gone through LDS temples and wear the Mormon undergarments believe that these articles of clothing provide special spiritual protection, because they are reminders of certain covenants people make in the temple. There is nothing weird or cultish about what goes on in Mormon temples; rather, the promises made there, and the promised blessings received (conditional upon one’s faithfulness and righteousness in living God’s commandments) are above the normal standards of society. Those who are not spiritually prepared to make and keep these covenants are held to a lower law, just as the Israelites were when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai. They did not feel prepared to live the law God required of them, and they had already fallen into idolatry while Moses was up on the mountain. Moses destroyed the first, higher, law God gave him for the people and instead was instructed to give them the lower law with the 10 Commandments. God had compassion on the people and held them to a lower standard until they were prepared to receive a higher law. Such is the concept of only letting the worthy enter an LDS temple.

Mormons have a high standard in regards to modesty, even before individuals go through the temple, but after having gone through the temple, when one begins to wear the Mormon garment, the standard becomes even more important. All clothing should cover the temple garment. This generally means any pants, shorts, or skirts come at least to the knee. The midriff should always be covered. Also, the back, shoulders, and bust should always be covered. Garments for women follow the bra line and have cap sleeve, so layering tee shirts are almost always appropriate.  Clothing should not be extremely tight-fitting or sheer. This high standard of modesty is in place because Mormon doctrine teaches that our bodies are themselves temples, are holy, and should be treated with respect. We should not be trying to gain negative attention from those around us by being immodest or using our bodies in improper ways.

Garments for both men and women come in white, but in varying sizes and types of fabric.  There are thermal garments for very cold weather, and longer-legged garments for wearing under long pants.  There are a variety of neckline shapes, and even special garments for members in the military, which can be olive drab or black.

There are obviously activities where it would be inappropriate to be covered in this manner, such as swimming. The general rule for those who wear the Mormon underwear to follow is to never adjust the garment to the clothing they wear, to never display the garment publicly, and to wear it as frequently as possible. This means a person should not be looking for opportunities to not wear the garment, but should be aware when the wearing of the garment would be inappropriate. In addition, the wearer should make every attempt to replace the garment as soon after completing such an activity as possible.  You have seen on TV many Mormon dancers who wear the garment when not in dance costume.  An example are Ryan and Ashleigh DiLello, finalists on So You Think You Can Dance, who were married in a Mormon temple.