Mormon garments why

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Doctrinal Study Repentance. Doctrinal Study Restoration of the Priesthood. Doctrinal Study Resurrection. Mormons begin wearing garments when they "go through the temple" for the first time--a spiritual rite of passage that typically coincides with leaving to serve a mission, or getting married. Children in the church don't wear garments. Because wearing them is a personal choice, it's impossible to know for sure if that familiar to Mormons neckline in the Romney photo is actually attached to a temple garment.

But as a lifelong member of the church who served a mission, married his wife in the temple, and continues to be active in his religion, it would stand to reason that Romney is still a garment-wearer.

Garments today come in two pieces--a white undershirt, and white boxer brief-style shorts--and they contain small symbols meant to remind Mormons of the covenants they've made in the temple. Some undershirts, like the one Romney appears to be wearing, have circular, low-cut necklines, while others resemble crew-cut t-shirts. They also come in a variety of materials--cotton, polyester, silk, etc. Generally, wearing them takes some adjustment at first, but most Mormons report quickly growing accustomed to them.

Out of respect to Latter-day Saints, we are not posting photos of the garments here. Garment-wearing Mormons tend to own several pairs, and wear them on a daily basis in lieu of regular underwear. There are obvious exceptions, though: no one keeps them on while playing sports, for instance, or on trips to the beach. Because of their sacred nature, garments are not sold in retail stores or manufactured by outside companies; they can be purchased at various church-owned stores throughout the world often attached to temples , or online at one of the LDS church's websites.

In a word, no. Though it's common in Mormon-mocking rhetoric to use some variation on "magic Mormon undies" to describe the garment paging Bill Maher , there's nothing especially mystical about them.

Men and women wear similar clothing. While many Mormons find that the garments "stir the deepest feelings of the soul, motivate them to do good, even shape the course of a whole life of service," the site says, they're also pretty straightforward: "There is nothing magical or mystical about temple garments.

Even within the Church, though, the garments have an almost mythical aura. It's even said by some that "Joseph Smith was not wearing his garments when he was assassinated in To varying degrees, all kinds of religious clothing carry this latent sense of power and otherness and secrecy; it's the physical expression of someone's beliefs about the nature of the universe, an outward claim that the wearer possesses some kind of fundamental truth.

LDS temple garments also happen to also be associated with one of the most private, secret spheres of life: sexuality. Mormon underwear sets followers of the faith apart from everyone else in one of the most intimate possible way. But the ongoing fascination with Mormon underwear is also related to pervasive suspicion of Mormonism itself in American culture.

We regret the error. We have also clarified the contemporary LDS Church's position on polygamy. Skip to content Site Navigation The Atlantic.