Oh Holy Nighties

Last night Mr. Dan, Mr JK , Mr SM and myself were sitting around talking when the issue of HBO's 'Big Love' arose (one's big love is always a-rising, no?). And I mentioned, vis-a-vis the whole Mormon thing, the hotly debated controversey that Andrew Sullivan ignited back in late November by showing pictures of Mormon Undergarments (courtesy wicki-pedia). None of my esteemed friends had seen them. Obviously they have lives. Mr Dan did remind me that we do see them in 'Angels In America.'

I thank all the messers above from the bottom of my heart for the excuse to publish this now.

From an LDS web site:

For temple-going Mormons, the garment serves much the same purpose as religious clothing throughout history—it privately sets them apart from the world and signifies a covenant between the wearer and God. There is no professional clergy in the LDS Church, so in some ways the garment serves as a symbol of the lay clergy, where both men and women share in the responsibilities and blessings of the priesthood, particularly in the temple.

If you look at a pair of garments, there is nothing physically special about them. They are made from a variety of light-weight fabrics, and most garments are white. (There are some special colored garments that can be worn by members of the armed services, but for the vast majority of Mormons, garments are always white.) The white color symbolizes purity and the length and cut of the garment helps assure modesty in dress and appearance. The garment bears several simple marks related to gospel principles of obedience, truth, and discipleship in Christ.

The meaning attached to the garment by devout Mormons transcends the fabric and design used to create the garment. It is sacred to the wearer not for what it is, but for what it represents. It reminds the wearer of the continuing need for repentance and obedience to God, the need to honor binding covenants voluntarily made in the temple, and the need to cherish and share truth and virtue in our daily living. By so doing, the garment helps the wearer to focus his or her life on Jesus Christ and to thereby lay claim on the blessings promised to those who do so.

When Mitt Romney runs for Pres, we will know the answer "Boxers or Briefs?"