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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As the article explains, our meetinghouses are both places of worship and centers of social activity. We hold service projects, such as blood drives and humanitarian projects; we have scripture study classes and congregational family and youth activities (including dances, sports, and many other activities). (For examples of stories on our website about ward [congregation] activities, see here, here and here.)

You can see some pictures of the inside of LDS meetinghouses here, or take an interactive virtual tour here.

Our meetinghouses are different from our temples. You can learn more about Mormon worship services and what makes chapels and temples different here. If you are interested in learning more about what the inside of temples looks like, or more about temple worship, please see the following Mormon Women articles that have numerous links and resources.

Ask a Mormon Woman: What does the inside of a temple look like? (v.2)

What does the inside of a Mormon temple look like?

Ask a Mormon woman: What can you tell me about Mormon temples? (includes links to articles that help explain more about the ordinances that take place inside LDS temples)

What the Temple Means to Mormons

The post Links We Like: Chapels and Temples — Glimpses inside each, and how they differ appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

If you are interested in knowing more about the purpose of temples, there are a variety of resources available. Click here for some articles and talks about temple worship and the purpose of temples. You can find browse information about temples on our site here, and read some people’s thoughts and feelings (or share your own!) about the temple here. As always, you can also search lds.org on the topic of temples.

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