http://youtu.be/PsLrVpeodog
Video courtesy of Mormon Newsroom via YouTube
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Mormon temple “garments” have been maligned, mocked and misunderstood by outsiders and former members for so long that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided to simply post photos and a video explaining them.
The pictures were added to an essay about temple clothing that has been on the church’s website for more than three years.
“Because there is little or no accurate information on this subject on the Internet the church feels it important to provide this resource,” LDS Church spokesman Dale Jones said in a statement.
“The wearing of religious clothing reflects commitment and devotion to God. Latter-day Saints seek the same respect and sensitivity regarding our sacred clothing as shown to those of other faiths who wear religious vestments.”
The video and essays compare clothing that members wear during Mormon temple rituals and under their clothes every day to holy attire worn by those in many faiths.
“The nun’s habit. The priest’s cassock. The Jewish prayer shawl. The Muslim’s skullcap. The saffron robes of the Buddhist monk,” the narrator intones. “All are part of a rich tapestry of human devotion to God.”
The video shows images of the “robes of the holy priesthood” — including a white robe, green apron and white cap — worn by men and women inside LDS temples. It also provides photos of two-piece “temple garments,” which faithful Mormons wear under their clothing. They are described “similar in design to ordinary modest underclothing.”
There is “nothing magical or mystical about temple garments,” the website says, and it asks reporters and observers to treat the clothing with respect.
(Peggy Fletcher Stack writes for The Salt Lake Tribune.)
KRE END STACK