Clearing up misconceptions: Undergarments


Byron
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Hi there. I will be asking a series of questions and would like to insert this introduction before them all to ensure that my intent is not misconstrued.

Though I believe God tells us there is no sin greater than another, I have a particular distain for gossip. Thus I would like to take any hearsay given to me about Mormonism and put it under a spotlight and find the truth.

 

Hearsay: Mormon's believe that wearing holy undergarments will protect them from harm. That even bullets and knives will not harm them if the garments are worn.

 

What is the truth here?

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Hi there. I will be asking a series of questions and would like to insert this introduction before them all to ensure that my intent is not misconstrued.

Though I believe God tells us there is no sin greater than another, I have a particular distain for gossip. Thus I would like to take any hearsay given to me about Mormonism and put it under a spotlight and find the truth.

 

Hearsay: Mormon's believe that wearing holy undergarments will protect them from harm. That even bullets and knives will not harm them if the garments are worn.

 

What is the truth here?

 

The truth here is that anti-Mormons are liars. Quit listening to them.

 

Are you sensing a theme, Byron? If not, let me spelling out for you. Anti-Mormons are liars. Quit listening to them.

 

I hope that's sufficiently clear for you.

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Hearsay: Mormon's believe that wearing holy undergarments will protect them from harm. That even bullets and knives will not harm them if the garments are worn.

 

What is the truth here?

 

There are anecdotal stories of people being protected physically, but I suspect that, for the most part, they are either false rumors or interpretations based on lucky coincidences.

 

Mormons do believe that the garment will protect them from spiritual harm -- mostly as a reminder of the promises (covenants) they have made to God.

 

That's not to deny that in some cases there may be physical protection to the faithful. But also, without question, many faithful have been harmed and killed while wearing the garment. There is no "magic" there.

 

See http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/temple-garments for more detail.

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Hi there. I will be asking a series of questions and would like to insert this introduction before them all to ensure that my intent is not misconstrued.

Though I believe God tells us there is no sin greater than another, I have a particular distain for gossip. Thus I would like to take any hearsay given to me about Mormonism and put it under a spotlight and find the truth.

 

Hearsay: Mormon's believe that wearing holy undergarments will protect them from harm. That even bullets and knives will not harm them if the garments are worn.

 

What is the truth here?

The word is disdain.

If you disdain gossip, they why are you indulging in it here? Isn't that rather hypocritical?

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Guest MormonGator

The truth here is that anti-Mormons are liars. Quit listening to them.

 

Are you sensing a theme, Byron? If not, let me spelling out for you. Anti-Mormons are liars. Quit listening to them.

 

I hope that's sufficiently clear for you.

Anti's are mean, nasty, and have one thing in common: they think they are smart enough to shatter our faiths. They aren't. 

Vort is so right about this. 

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That's fine when someone is asking questions in a genuine desire to learn.

 

If you believe he is being false then don't engage him... If you believe he breaks the rules then report him... But the mods have repeatedly asked forum members not to post their presumptions of the worst when new posters show up

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Hearsay: Mormon's believe that wearing holy undergarments will protect them from harm. That even bullets and knives will not harm them if the garments are worn.

 

I believe The Folk Prophet gave the most accurate perspective. Personally, I avoid bullets and knives by staying away from bad people.

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Stories of divine protection tends to be of great reassurance to the religious group whose members experience it.  This is not limited to the LDS faith. 

 

The garments by their very nature cover vital areas of the human body therefore if a garment wearing LDS member has a story of divine protection from some kind of danger it is also likely that the garment was between them and danger.  Therefore it is easy to see why attribution can come about.  It is harmless as long as God and Faith is at the forefront of all the stories. 

 

However anyone that thinks they can gain the protection without God or Faith but by donning a simple bit of fabric is going to be sorely disappointed.

Edited by estradling75
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That's not to deny that in some cases there may be physical protection to the faithful. But also, without question, many faithful have been harmed and killed while wearing the garment. There is no "magic" there.

 

I know there are thousands of stories of such but this brought to mind my brother, who is not a member of the Church, getting run over by a truck. He didn't get anything more than a scratch. He attributes it to his faithfulness as a Catholic - as do I.

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If you believe he is being false then don't engage him... If you believe he breaks the rules then report him... But the mods have repeatedly asked forum members not to post their presumptions of the worst when new posters show up

I was responding in general to a statement by another poster. Apparently you are reading into it a reflection of your own posted comments about the new member.

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My Father has told of a story where he was using a chain saw and it kicked back and hit his leg, cutting through his jeans but not damaging his garments.  He said it had kicked back hard enough to cause a decent size bruise, but he wasn't harmed.  I got this 1st hand from him, so it wasn't some urban legend passed on from countless people.  I think it is a great story but that being said, it could very well have been coincidence, and I don't for a minute believe every righteous garment wearer is automatically protected in some way.   I think whoever you are getting this from is mis-representing the LDS faith.

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I know there are thousands of stories of such but this brought to mind my brother, who is not a member of the Church, getting run over by a truck. He didn't get anything more than a scratch. He attributes it to his faithfulness as a Catholic - as do I.

 

If by "faithfulness as a Catholic" you mean "faithfulness to God", then I agree that it is a possibility. If by "faithfulness as a Catholic" you mean "faithfulness to Catholicism", I do not. ;)

Edited by The Folk Prophet
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Hi there. I will be asking a series of questions and would like to insert this introduction before them all to ensure that my intent is not misconstrued.

Though I believe God tells us there is no sin greater than another, I have a particular distain for gossip. Thus I would like to take any hearsay given to me about Mormonism and put it under a spotlight and find the truth.

 

Hearsay: Mormon's believe that wearing holy undergarments will protect them from harm. That even bullets and knives will not harm them if the garments are worn.

 

What is the truth here?

the garments are no more magical than the bible is. it's not the garments themselves that afford protection but rather it's the intervention of God for those who abide their covenants.

The garments are both symbolic of as well as a reminder of the covenants.

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the garments are no more magical than the bible is.

 

But the Bible CAN stop bullets and knives.  Nothing gets past "Numbers". :)

Edited by Guest
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But the Bible CAN stop bullets and knives.  Nothing gets past "Numbers". :)

 

Three or four years ago, I read the Old Testament very carefully from front to back. First ever careful OT reading for me, and it took me well over a year. I had read the OT completely through before, one time, and I remember being bored to tears (not literally) with Numbers. I was very pleasantly surprised to find, upon revisiting Numbers, that it was actually quite interesting and not at all the dry, lifeless recitation of numbers and measures that I had remembered. Not saying it was my favorite book of the Bible, but it was actually pretty interesting.

 

(I also found the Song of Solomon to be much less beautiful and romantic than I had remembered, which was disappointing. Can't say I found much inspiration in it.)

Edited by Vort
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A big misconception of garments being magical is a very big lie.  Garments represent covenants we make in the temple to help remind us of them.  Garments are very sacred, this link produced by the church does a very good job giving a understanding of what the garments represent and why we wear them.

 

Unfortunately many of the stories of lds members surviving deathly encounters by wearing their garments if of urban legends (not to say there are legitimate ones out there). Wearing of the garments most importantly helps protect us from the many dangers or temptations of the world by giving us a reminder of the way we live a Christ like life. 

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So I think I understand, the undergarments are a physical representation of faith. Is this correct?

 

Not exactly, no more than (for example) a physical copy of the Bible is a physical representation of faith. Temple garments are worn by adult members of the Church who have made sacred promises of fidelity to God’s commandments and the gospel of Jesus Christ in temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To Church members, the modest temple garment, worn under normal clothing, along with the symbolic vestments worn during temple worship, represent the sacred and personal aspect of their relationship with God and their commitment to live good, honorable lives.

 

Some people incorrectly refer to temple garments as magical or “magic underwear.” These words are not only inaccurate but also offensive to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is nothing magical or mystical about temple garments, and Church members ask for the same degree of respect and sensitivity that would be afforded to any other faith by people of goodwill.

 

For more information, see http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/temple-garments.

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