Garments again…

Sorry for not giving you a solid historical link to something authoritative, but I will offer a common sense, human nature observation. It’s very likely there has always been a diversity in practice: some people never taking them off for even sex or to bathe (one extreme), to those who only wore them to the temple.

Thinking of the materials and pattern of earlier garments, like the one used in the ceremonies up through 1975, they would be really impractical in a lot of environments and activities. I could see people in the past not wearing them every day, or having a different understanding of what that meant. That’s just basic human nature.

The main problem is you won’t find a lot of documentation either way as you go back farther in time. They didn’t talk about specifics in public settings, due to the perceived sacred/secret nature of them, so we don’t find a lot of authoritative records on standards and practices.

I agree with Doug, there are two things to consider for all practical purposes in living Mormonism today:

1. The church currently seems to teach they should be worn all the time, when practical and appropriate. That leaves room for some diversity of practice and opinion on what it means.

2. What makes the most sense and meaning to *YOU* ? (regardless of the past or what others besides you think in the present).

I view the doctrine of garments about the same way as I view the doctrine of the WoW.

Both are man made commandments —- that have some good divine and philosophical teachings. But they have evolved over time to become distractions for what they originally were meant to be and to teach. Instead of helping folks (ME) get closer to the gods, I see them as nothing more than Pharisaical practices and commandments… and a distraction on my journey.

I love the concept of both garments and the WoW…but I don’t practice the LDS version of either.

I appreciate the comments on here. I don’t think that this information will make much difference in what I decide to do or not, but my way of figuring things out has always been to do as much research as possible, weigh all my logical and emotional factors and pray about it. Plus, I am just curious now. I’m kind of an information junkie. Lol

There’s some good information and insights on http://www.ldssdc.org it’s a forum for LDS nudists. If you search for garments it will turn up some threads that are interesting.

my way of figuring things out has always been to do as much research as possible

I totally understand that. I feel the same way. That was my reaction too.

I don’t normally wear them anymore on days that end in the letter “y.” I am today though, totally by randomness. I dedicate my garments today to the eternal principle of chaos and randomness.

Actually, I was wearing them for quite some time until they all slowly fell apart and disintegrated. I haven’t been motivated enough to go buy replacements. It struck me as rather symbolic, like a cocoon or shell that fell away.

I am considering possibly a tattoo that incorporates the symbols.

I just broke out into a spasm of choaking and coughing because I was laughing so hard.

😆 I got a chuckle out of that too.

I like the idea to always wear them and always be thinking of the symbolism, but the other side of it is when you ALWAYS wear something or do something, it can tend to become very habitual, and less important. Kind of like how everyone says the Sacrament is the most important part of church, but it has been so institutionalized and done every week, some people don’t relish it, but just do it out of habit.

It is one thing to say it is soooo important, but another thing to try to keep that importance mindset on something so common.

I wonder if it was encouraged to NOT wear garments sometimes, or not wear them to places wear you work out or do hard labor or something, if it would remind people of the symbols and reasons garments should be worn?

I came close to being drafted during the Viet Nam War. At the time, my Bishop said that people serving in the Military didn’t have to wear garments. It was a choice that they could make at that time. I’m not sure if that’s true today.

When I was in during the 1st Gulf War, they had military garments the same brown color and cut as standard issue uniform tops. The symbols were still sewn in. Maybe once or twice over the space of 5 years somebody noticed them if I wasn’t wearing my camo BDU top.

From what I understand today, they are stamped on with ink on the inside of the top. Nothing visible from the outside at all.

It would have been extremely impractical during the Vietnam War though, trying to wear white garments under the regular issue uniforms. It could even have been considered dangerous to a very small degree to have bright white G’s sticking out when you are trying to blend in to the foliage of Southeast Asia… o.0!!!