Controversial, Sexy - OWN IT!

In some denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, the temple garment (also referred to as garments, or often by outsiders as Mormon underwear^[1]) is worn as a religious vesture beneath the clothing of those who have taken part in the Endowment ceremony. The undergarments are viewed as a symbolic reminder of the sacred covenants made in temple ceremonies, and are viewed as an either symbolic or literal source of protection from the evils of the world.

The garment is given as part of the washing and anointing portion of the endowment. Today, the temple garment is worn primarily by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and by Mormon fundamentalist churches. Adherents consider them to be sacred and some may be offended by public discussion of the garment. Anti-Mormon activists have occasionally publicly displayed and/or defaced temple garments to show their opposition to the LDS Church.

*****The meaning behind the symbols****

According to an explanation by LDS Church President John Taylor in 1883, the "Square" represents "the justice and fairness of our Heavenly Father, that we will receive all the good that is coming to us or all that we earn, on a square deal", and the "Compasses" represents "the North Star" (Buerger 2002, p. 145). In addition to the Square and Compasses, Taylor described the other symbols as follows: the collar represented the idea that the Lord's "yoke is easy and [his] burden is light", or the "Crown of the Priesthood"; the double-knotted strings represented "the Trinity" and "the marriage covenant"; the navel mark represents "strength in the navel and marrow in the bones"; and the knee mark represents "that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ" (Buerger 2002, p. 145).

An alternative explanation was given in 1936 by then-LDS Church apostle David O. McKay, whose explanation was incorporated into the LDS Endowment ceremony (Buerger 2002, p. 153). According to McKay's explanation of the ceremony, the "mark of the Compass" represents "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 "mark of the Square" represents "exactness and honor" in keeping the commandments and covenants of God; the navel mark represents "the need of constant nourishment to body and spirit"; and the "knee mark" represents "that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Christ" (Buerger 2002, p. 153). Unlike Taylor, McKay did not describe the symbolism of the collar or the tie-strings because those elements of the garment had been eliminated in 1922 (Buerger 2002, p. 138).

To members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the temple garment represents the sacred and personal aspects of their relationship with God. For this reason, Church leaders discourage members from discussing the garment in a casual or disrespectful manner. One church leader has compared the garment to the clerical vestments worn by clergy of other churches.


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