I stopped attending and believing before the newist list of TR questions. Maybe someone can remember exactly how it was asked in the 60's through 90's I have forgotten.

This is the wording of the current TR list:
If you have previously received your temple endowment: Do you keep the covenants that you made in the temple? Do you wear the garment both night and day as instructed in the endowment and in accordance with the covenant you made in the temple?
When asked if I wore the garment day and night, I always replied: no., I cannot wear them at night. Sometimes I explained that I took them off in my sleep! In fact, the lace made my skin itch and I had them made without lace by the Specials Dept. Those bishops and stake presidents questioning me over thirty years, never batted an eye, they gave me the TR every time.

I knew members that were fanatical about wearing the garment and never took it completely off, for intimate moments, and even to bathe. I never could figure out how they bathed with half their body in the tub and half out! But they managed it! This practice seemed to be prevalent with members born in the late 1800's. At least, the only person I knew that was that fanatical about the garment was born in that time.

I noticed that there was a wide variety of how and when the temple endowed members wore the garments. I recall instructions regarding not wearing the garment when it could be seen by others: dressing rooms trying on clothes, going to the doctor, locker rooms, gym changing rooms, participating in sports, running, etc, Generally, Many Mormons did not wear garments under sports attire.

There were a lot of different opinions about what was OK and what was not regarding the garment. I got into a discussion about instructions in the temple about wearing the garment under the bra, or over it. (Over it, when nursing.)

I attended a husband wife meeting one time when the teacher expressed their opinion that having other attire for before intimate times was recommended.
We always considered them underwear, and never wore them around the house our outer wear on.

We were instructed in the temple to cut out and burn the markings then the garment could be used as a rag, or other purposes. So I did. The first time I tried to follow my friends instructions, the can I used to burn the pieces in caught on fire! Fortunately I got it out quickly.

Initially, the garment was very difficult for me to wear, especially since the Relief Society president ordered my first sent in nylon in a size too small, when we were moving from OR to UT! Finally saved up enough money to go down to Penny's an buy some in Bemberg Rayon.

They were a nuisance, no matter how they were made. I got used to them, as much as possible.
At least during the day under my clothes.

But I took them off eventually, in the 90's and never put them on again. Tossed them in the trash. Done. Finished! What a relief!

So what happens if someone was endowed years ago then went inactive and quit wearing their garments. Now they decide to go back to church and return to the temple. All of their previous garments are too SMALL now. Can they get their recommend back if they become active again since they have not been wearing the garments day and night for several years?

MaryLou Wrote:
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> So what happens if someone was endowed years ago
> then went inactive and quit wearing their
> garments. Now they decide to go back to church
> and return to the temple. All of their previous
> garments are too SMALL now. Can they get their
> recommend back if they become active again since
> they have not been wearing the garments day and
> night for several years?


I knew a couple of women that were married in the temple, spent most of their life inactive, and then wanted to go back to the temple later in life. One was a widow.

The process, as I recall (it's been awhile!) was to talk to the bishop and he and Stake Presy. would do a TR interview , then if they were satisfied they were living the commandments; Word of Wisdom and paying tithing, attending meetings, for instance, they would have the RS president help her order garments again, if needed.

Garments could be ordered with a credit card over the phone since the 70's, maybe earlier. When we lived in UT we bought our garments at Penny's, over the counter, before there were distribution centers. They had a special counter and we paid by check or cash.

I still have a drawer full of them. I'd like to do something creative with them. Something I could keep as a trinket that represents that part of my life. I'm not sure what it would be but it would have to be small.

ex missionary Wrote:
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> I still have a drawer full of them. I'd like to do
> something creative with them. Something I could
> keep as a trinket that represents that part of my
> life. I'm not sure what it would be but it would
> have to be small.

Different people do different thing: burn them, cut them up, use them for rags, donate new ones for some project, and on and on.

I put the garments that were stored in a grocery bag in the trash can. But, I kept some of the temple garb in a small box. I may discard them.... someday also.

I've got no problem throwing them out. I think I would like to keep or do something with some small portion of them. Kind of a conversation piece. I'm just lacking creativity.

ex missionary Wrote:
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> I've got no problem throwing them out. I think I
> would like to keep or do something with some small
> portion of them. Kind of a conversation piece. I'm
> just lacking creativity.


Start a new thread asking for suggestions! You'll get plenty, I'm sure!:-)

A couple of us jokingly said we were going to make a pillow out of the lace packet we used in the temple to hold our robes, and give it as a gift to some Mormons we knew. We wondered how long it would take them to figure out what the pillow as made from! But it was all talk. we never did it!

Can't seem to find it anywhere.

Timothy

My BIL has been totally inactive for about 12 years. He has been unable to be in the temple with his last 4 kids when they were married. Yet,he still wears his garments all the time. I don't get that at all.

loveskids Wrote:
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> My BIL has been totally inactive for about 12
> years. He has been unable to be in the temple with
> his last 4 kids when they were married. Yet,he
> still wears his garments all the time. I don't get
> that at all.


I've seen this many, many times. It's probably more prevalent where the family is predominately LDS -- heritage and culture for several generations. The garments are just their regular underwear and they don't have any reason, in their mind to take them off. It's worse in their mind than not being "worthy" to go to the temple, for instance, because they are behind in tithing, for instance.

The last time I was asked that question, I replied truthfully that I did not wear them if I knew I was going to be working in the yard during hot weather, because it seemed disrespectful, knowing I would be sweating right through them.

The bishop appeared to have some difficulty keeping a straight face about this, but he said that it was OK to sweat in your garmies as long as you got out of them when your were done with the yard work, put the sweaty garmies in the laundry, and bathed before putting on clean ones. Good, honest sweat apparently is not an offense to God.