Temple garment (Mormonism)

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In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a few other sects of Mormonism, the temple garment (formally the Garment of the Holy Priesthood or informally, the garment or garments) is an article of sacred underwear worn by male and female Latter-day Saints who have taken part in the washing and anointing ceremony in Latter-day Saint temples.

The garment symbolizes the "coats of skins" which Yahweh (Jehovah) made for Adam and Eve before casting them out of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:21). Latter-day Saints who have been washed and anointed are expected to wear the garment both day and night throughout their life. It is thought to be a spiritual "shield and protection" against the powers of evil, and some Latter-day Saints ascribe to it supernatural powers of physical protection.

Construction of the temple garment

In the 19th century, the temple garment was usually a white, single-piece article of clothing resembling long underwear, with special markings over the breasts, navel, and right knee. Subsequently, the garment has undergone style changes, receding to the knees and shoulders in 1923; in 1979, the Church offered a two-piece garment. For regulation military use, the garment is made in the color green.

Sold online, in temples, and various outlets called "Beehive Clothing", the garment is available in several fabrics and styles; however, new styles must be approved by the Church leadership. In the past, it was also possible to make one's own garments based upon an "authorized pattern".

The garment contains four special symbolic marks: one on each breast, one at the navel, and one over the right knee. The reverse-L-shaped symbol on the right breast is the "mark of the square" (similar to the Masonic sign of the square). According to an interpretation by David O. McKay that was added to the instructional portion of the Endowment in the 1930s, the mark represents "exactness and honor" in keeping the commandments and covenants of God. The V-shaped symbol on the left breast is the "mark of the compass" (similar to the Masonic sign of the compass). This mark, according to McKay, symbolizes "an undeviating course leading to eternal life; a constant reminder that desires, appetites, and passions are to be kept within the bounds the Lord has set; and that all truth may be circumscribed into one great whole.". The garment also contains horizontal lines at the navel and at the knee. The "navel mark", according to McKay, represents "the need of constant nourishment to body and spirit", and the "knee mark" suggests "that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Christ".

Receiving the garment

The temple garment is given during the washing and anointing ceremony in Latter-day Saint temples. This ceremony is a prelude to the Endowment ceremony, and in it, the person being washed and anointed is ceremonially given the garment. The person is told that it "represents the garment given to Adam when he was found naked in the garden of Eden."

The garment as a shield

When a person is given the garment, he or she is told that the garment "will be a shield and a protection to you against the power of the destroyer until you have finished your work here on earth." In general, Latter-day Saints view the garment as a symbolic and spiritual shield against the powers of evil.

Some Latter-day Saints, however, believe that the garment provides the wearer with supernatural powers of physical protection. In an April 1996 interview with Mike Wallace on the show 60 Minutes, Bill Marriott, the prominent Latter-day Saint owner of Marriott International, Inc., stated that he believed that his garments protected him from being burned during a boating accident.

Unauthorized sale and use

Church leaders have publicly discussed the above principles and beliefs since the mid-1840s, however, because of the secrecy surrounding temple rites and the garment, some outspoken critics of the Latter-day Saints have utilized it as a source of humor and parody. Due to the considerable number of temple garments in existence, several atheist, pagan, and ex-Mormon individuals have distributed photographs of models wearing temple garments in an irreverent fashion.

For example, a model wearing a temple garment was published in a popular adult magazine during the 1940s and in another adult periodical in the 1960s. Garments are featured in a book about undergarments published in the 1990s, and also in various anti-Mormon books during the 1980s. In 2004, photos of people wearing garments engaged in sexual acts were showcased in a Salt Lake area art display, which incited its violent removal by a college student.

With the advent of the Internet, there are additional sites that publish photographs of garments for educational, parody or other use. A more recent controversy surrounds the open sales of temple garments on the eBay auction web site multiple times since 2000. Typically the garments are removed for a violation of eBay policy unrelated to its religious context.

During the October 2003 General Conference of the Church, some anti-Mormon demonstrators wore garments around their necks and defaced them in ways that were extraordinarily offensive to those in attendance. In light of the violence that resulted during the 2003 Conference, the municipality of Salt Lake City is planning stronger enforcement of fighting words and hate speech laws for the April 2004 Conference in Salt Lake City with new protest buffer zones.

Related articles

• Washing and anointing
• Endowment (Mormonism)
• Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

External links

• The LDS Endowment (a respectful source of detailed information about the LDS Endowment ceremony)
• Temple garment illustrations (from lds-mormon.com, an information site not affiliated with the Church)