~by Brenda**

Mormon temple Washington D.C.

Q: Why do Mormons wear special Mormon underwear (called temple garments)?

A: To Remember.

Have you ever put a penny in your shoe to help you remember something? I have. Unlike a ribbon around my finger, where everyone asked me what I was trying to remember, the penny served to remind me, and only me, of something important. Every once in a while during the day the penny would shift to someplace in my shoe where I would feel it and remember the task that needed completing. My pennies would help me to remember to return a library book, to repay a debt, or to call a friend. When I wrote reminders on my hand they always washed off, when I used a string it would break. My penny was a dependable and invisible way to help me remember.

Wearing my garments serves a similar purpose. They help me remember.

First of all, they remind me of my commitment to Jesus Christ. At baptism I promised to always remember Him. When I wear my undergarment I’m reminded of the covenants I made at baptism and in the temple to remember Jesus Christ.

They also remind me of the things I learn in the temple like who I am, where I came from, what the purpose of life is, and where I go when I die.

When I do laundry and separate my whites from the bright, flashy colors of my daughters’ clothes and my husband’s filthy construction uniforms I am reminded that I can separate myself from prevalent attitudes that an individual’s worth is based on beauty or wealth, and can remember that despite living in a world where there is filth around me, I can be pure.

When I pour the soap and bleach into my washing machine I remember that Jesus Christ can wash away my sins, even though they be as scarlet, He can make me clean if I repent.

When I fold my garments and put them away into my drawers I am reminded that I need to be prepared. Jesus will come again to earth and I must always be ready to meet my God, whether it be at my death or at His coming, preparation is always necessary.

Like many Mormons, I can get uncomfortable when people ask me about my garments. I see them as sacred symbols of my personal commitment to Christ — not my church’s, not my family’s. They represent my individual choice to love, serve, and worship Jesus Christ as my Savior. I want my actions to reveal me as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Like the penny in my shoe, my garments serve to remind me, and only me, of my commitment to follow Him.

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To read more about Mormon temple garments, see the following article:

The Temple Garment: “An Outward Expression of an Inward Commitment”

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**Please note: The answers in “Ask a Mormon Woman” and (other content on this site) reflect the thoughts, experiences, and perspectives of individual LDS women and administrators at Mormon Women: Who We Are. Although we strive to have our content consistent with the doctrine and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we do not speak officially for the Church. You can read official information about Mormon beliefs at mormon.org’s What We Believe or at www.lds.org.
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