The new garment guidelines - Mormons are not happy and are expressing their frustration
by thedrive Feb 2012
A few weeks ago the church read a letter from the pulpit reminding members about the sacred nature of the garments [Mormon underwear] and telling them when and how to wear the magic underwear. I'm not sure they thought about potential ramifications their "reminder" would bring. {They must now wear them when doing yard work.]
"...The garment should not be removed, either entirely or partially, to work in the yard or for other activities that can reasonably be done with the garment worn properly beneath the clothing..."
Mormon church first presidency letter dated Dec. 9, 2011 states that the above should be read to members during the temple recommend interview.
I work at an indoor sports facility a few times a week refereeing soccer and over the course of a 12 week season come in contact with 80+ teams- mens, womens, and co-ed. Most of the teams are college-aged with a few older groups mixed in for good measure. There are two co-ed teams that are stocked primarily with LDS players. One is, I suspect, made up of friends from the local university who play for competition, and the other is mainly 30-sometings who play for the excercise. The younger team is stocked with some pretty good players and seem to be in the top 2 or 3 every season while the older group knows that they won't win many games but they enjoy mixing it up and are in it more for the comradery.
As a former member I'm aware of the garment lines and notice that there is always one guy on each team that wears sweatpants when they play and I see the "eternal smile" under their t-shirts. I never really thought about it other than it must be very uncomfortable to play indoor soccer with fleece sweats on every week. None of their other teammates wear G's while they play, well not until the "letter" came out.
For the past two weeks I've noticed that the older co-ed team have all shown up wearing garments under their uniforms. The ladies are wearing capri length shorts or frumpy sweats and they guys all wear long, basketball type shorts or fleece sweats. I can plainly see their garment tops through their uniform shirts and in particular I notice that the women wear sports bras over their garments which I know has to be uncomfortable and hot.
The younger co-ed team still hasn't embraced the whole garment rule but it hasn't stopped some of the more righteous players calling out the ones that aren't wearing garments. After their game last week I was eavesdropping on their conversations as they were getting ready to leave the facility. One girl asked one of the guys why he wasn't wearing his G's. He said that he can't play in G's as they are uncomfortable and offer no support during activities. Another girl spoke up and said that she won't wear them either when she plays for the same reasons. The first girl reminded them about the letter from the First Presidency and said that even though they are uncomfortable to wear during exercise it must be important or the Profit would not have made an issue about it. The second girl said that if the Profit was so concerned about people wearing garments while they exercised then perhaps he could instruct the garment makers to design an sports garment and until then she was going to continue to wear what she always wears when she works out. The guy said that if he hears one more person remind him about his garments he's done playing and will go find another team to play on.
Later that evening the older LDS co-ed showed up to play and I noticed that their numbers were fewer than usual. I was standing by their bench and overheard one of their players tell another that a couple of the players aren't going to play anymore because they get too hot wearing garments and it's not worth it to have to play in sweats. The other person, a man, said that it simply a matter of separating the wheat from the tares and the tares can't handle it.
I find it particularly disheartening on a number of levels. First, members will stop exercising because it's uncomfortable wearing their garments under their sweats. Second, it is causing the more righteous members to look down upon those who refuse to follow the Profit's direction. And finally, members are comparing each other to "wheat and tares" and the ones who wear their garments and still play are the true followers.
Is this what you had in mind Tommy Boy? It's driving a wedge between friends and the fallout will only continue.
informer
All I can say to that is:
whatever drives people away from a cult is a good thing.
Cheryl
Interesting. The morg is about divisiveness & looking down on the less worthy.
Let's hope questioning mormons and possible converts are taking notes.
upsidedown
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
"Devisive" is a good word to describe mormonism from the beginning to the present time.
Friends turning on each other over obedience to a underwear rule in a religion after sports instead of laughing and having a beer together.....nice.
onendagus
Re: All I can say to that is:
informer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
Or how about: "Whatever drives a WEDGIE that keeps people away from the cult is a good thing."
bezoar
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
This whole situation makes me laugh. Mormons are so proud that they have a living prophet to give them up-to-the-date information from God Himself.
And what is the prophet saying is the most important thing on God's mind right now? Underwear!!! Give me a break.
guynoirprivateeye
Re: Interesting. The morg is about divisiveness & looking down on the less worthy.
Mormons are So Anal about this that there's an 'approved list' of exceptions to 100% wearing.
Hellllllllllo Mormons: Your leaders are At The Controls of your lives. Get A Life and GROW UP!
upsidedown
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
Exactly. This weeks revelation from the allmighty, all powerful, and omnipotent, ruler of all the universe, one and olny true God is....."he wants you to wear your underwear this way....not that way." Thank you that is all.
Hello?.....any other revelations from his holiness?
Um...uh...yeah. Next week we will find answers from god on starvation, famine, aids, homelessness, Murder, Child sex slavery, and other human rights issues.....but first get that underwear on correctly.
scarecrowfromoz
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
Sounds like it's time for Tommy to stop drinking his Pepsi (or is it Coke) and do some exercise himself to lose some weight.
This proves how uninspired the Cult is. If they were truly in touch with God they would be telling the members at GC, "We don't care whether you wear the Holey Underwear or not while exercising, but everyone needs to start exercising, and this will be a new question to get a Temple Recommend. Anyone who has a body mass index over -- will NOT be given a TR unless they have a note from there doctor saying it is caused by a medical condition, and not just from their lack of exercise or poor eating habits. For those members who think they can't afford it, we will allow the amount you pay toward a gym to be deducted from the amount of tithing you need to pay."
Since the Cult it obsessed with $$$$$, the last part would actually pay off. Better to let a member deduct a few hundred dollars a year for a gym, and use it, and live years longer, and continue to pay thousands for extra years.
axeldc
Controlling underwear
After I stopped going to church, I continued to wear Gs for a couple of months. One morning, I got up, took a shower, opened my underwear drawer and looked at those ugly, cumbersome things and thought, "what kind of cult tells you what underwear you wear?"
I put on one of the few pairs of regular underwear I had, walked over to the mall and bought a week's worth of boxers and undershirts. I came home and put all my Gs in a laundry bag. When I moved later that year, I tossed that bag into a dumpster near my house.
reasonabledoubt
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
When I quit wearking gs I went straight to sleeping nude, and there is truly no more comfortable way to sleep, speaking as a man, anyway. I can't stand the feel of the fabric and those things must be off before conjugal business time.
Not logged in
Or, as Tom Barbieri so aptly put it, "Legalize adulthood in Utah!"
yin
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
It's... UNDERWEAR.
If someone, stranger or family member, made a comment or a suggestion on how I choose to wear MY underwear, I'd freak out.
If my boss ever dictated what underwear is appropriate and when it's appropriate to wear it, he'd be fired for sexual harassment.
I don't GET IT. Why would you let anyone else know about your personal underwear issues, and why on earth would you allow someone else to dictate YOUR underwear choices?
Boggles my mind, seriously.
Doxi
Can you say, "HEATSTROKE"?
Especially with those older folks.
my2cents
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
So, I'm wondering how this will play out for a member who chooses to swim for exercise. Are there approved swimsuits out now that cover the G's so that you have to wear them even while swimming?
It used to be that swimming was one of those things where you got a pass on wearing the G's. But even that seemed hypocritical. I mean, not only are you not wearing the g's, but showing all that previously covered up skin at the same time! Oh, the horror of it all!
So, if you have a backyard pool, it would be improper to sunbathe in your own back yard?
Seems to me that the big 15 are more getting closer all the time to the Mosaic Law, where there was a list of do's and don'ts for every little thing. Whatever happened to "We teach correct principles and allow people to govern themselves"?
Mia
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
It will be interesting to see if the mo's start putting on weight.It sounds like a lot of them will give up doing anything physical because it's so miserable to do much of anything in g's. I never wore them to yard work in. Yard work has been my exercise of choice for years. If I get too overheated I start to feel sick and have to stop.
I predict mormons will get fatter and more lethargic. They will stop cleaning the church because they won't be able to handle the work, or the sweating in G's. It's all good.
caedmon
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
When I was new to Utah, a new friend told me she knew right away I wasn't a member.
(Member of what? thinks I)
How?
Because you don't wear garments!
(You checked out my underwear?)
adoylelb
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
Chances are, Mormons will get more swimsuits like these:
http://www.wholesomewear.com/page-4.html
Outcast
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
Oh no, the LDS church isn't cultish AT ALL! LOL!
goldenrule
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
Damn. Talk about literally being comanded in all things. For God's sake it's underwear.
Well, all I know is that directives like this truly bring out the crazies and maybe a wake up call for some. Here in AZ we tend to have frequent "reminders" about proper wearing of the garment (it's so damn hot and people naturally are going to adjust for more comfort), which are largely ignored by the normal members.
lostinutah
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
Holy underwear = the burkha of Moism.
Makes sense, since ole Smutty Joe got his ideas from Islam (and the Masons), except in Moism, everyone has to wear the burkha, male and female alike.
Talk about telling you how to live your life.
SusieQ#1
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
The members that are strong believers, with a desire to "follow the prophet" will adjust their actions, behavior, etc. to be in line with what they believe is what the Lord wants them to do. This is not about a piece of clothing to them. It's about what the Lord wants of His believers, in their view.
The rule has always been to wear the garment 24/7 unless wearing it is nearly impossible. Apparently in some sports, members have been more lax than the church approved limits and they have made a comment about it. That is very rare, in my experience.
So, the believers make an adjustment. It's their choice, their underwear, and it's their culture. They know they are not "commanded in all things" -- but making an adjustment is very often, not a problem, because the idea is that obedience brings blessings. And who doesn't want blessings? :-)
rain
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
I am in my 50's and I play indoor soccer and I cannot even conceive of wearing an extra layer of magic underwear. I would collapse of heat stroke! Hope they have medics standing by. The really disappointing thing is that so many members comply without even thinking about how stupid it is.
This is truly astounding that they want members wearing this stuff while exercising strenuously. When I saw the original thread about new garment guidelines, I assumed they would be laxer in keeping with trying to make the church appear more 'normal'. I certainly did not expect them to be yet more oppressive!
Lost Mystic
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
> Friends turning on each other over obedience to a
> underwear rule in a religion after sports instead
> of laughing and having a beer together.....nice.
I read this statement about 4 times. It is so plainly put, and says so much.
Mormons=Bizarre
And I now feel like vomiting knowing I used to be one...
Quoth the Raven Nevermo
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
And mobots wonder why it is called a cult.
darth jesus
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
that fat ass monson should get a massive wedgie.
how would the magic underwear protect him? perhaps teleport him (sorry, "translate" him) to kolob?
Stunted
It's the member on member policing that really chaps my hyde.
"The first girl reminded them about the letter from the First Presidency and said that even though they are uncomfortable to wear during exercise it must be important or the Profit would not have made an issue about it."
This kind of stuff just drives me bonkers. These are the members that will give you the garment feel up without hesitation. These are the members that will go through your garbage and report to the PEC on what they found. These are the people who will look through your windows when you don't answer the door or feel entitled to walk around to your back yard and bang on your back door. These are the kind of people who will come to your house when you aren't home and drag your children off to primary or mutual without your permission. These are scary cult people.
Heresy
in 1959, I applied for a low paying waitress job and was told I would
be required to wear bra, girdle and hose under the uniform. That was the last time in my lifetime that underwear was mentioned outside my home - and church.
LDS Inc is still stuck back there in the uptight 1950s.
jaredsotherbrother
Re: The new garment guidelines - members are not happy and are expressing their frustration
Waitaminnit, you didn't know what she was referring to when she commented about your membership, but you knew that "garment" referred to undies?
Mormon Observer
Re: All I can say to that is:
Are you referring to the uncomfortable wedge garments form when wearing them?????? (snicker)
myselfagain
Re: Interesting. The morg is about divisiveness & looking down on the less worthy.
Ooohhhhh...I'd love to hear more about the exceptions! Where can I find this info? I am now in my second week of no garments and having rediscovered pink, red, purple and blue undies I am psyched! It's the first thing I ceased doing when I made the choice to leave.
Carol Y.
It's all about money again. Constantly used garments wear out sooner, and have to be replaced.
"Recovery from Mormonism - www.exmormon.org"