"Magic Underwear" or Distinctive Religious Symbols?

Roman Catholics, Procession de la Sanch, Catalonia

Here's a chapter from my book, A Mormon Answers the Hard Questions Posed by Anti-Mormons:

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On the Internet, Google and a number of other companies place ads on affiliate sites which are based on keywords contained in the text of the web sites that host the ads. Unfortunately, the keywords Mormon, LDS, Latter-day Saint, etc. will pull in anti-Mormon advertisements on web sites where this is unwelcome.

In the past year in particular, Mormons have been in the news more frequently due to the emerging Presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney. Unfortunately, the debate about his being a Latter-day Saint spills over into the advertising on the web sites of the news organizations that report about him. Perhaps you've seen these ads that provoke curiosity about “Mormon underwear” which link to anti-Mormon web sites.

Additionally, news reporters, seeking to stoke the fires of controversy and contention (so they'll have something to report) have also drawn attention to Mormon doctrines that are rarely discussed with those outside the Church. A news article on Romney last week said that the candidate declined to comment on whether he wears sacred Mormon undergarments. Because of the new media coverage and the growing frequency in which these offensive ads appear, I have chosen to attempt to address a subject Mormons are almost always hesitant to discuss.
I tread carefully here. There are some things which are not easily discussed. Jesus counseled his disciples to not “cast pearls before swine,” meaning that it is not appropriate to share the sacred with those who might profane it. He also warned that “the swine” might turn and tear you to bits.

In today's world, the concept of something sacred is nearly nonexistent. People go onto television talk shows or reality shows and they profane or parody anything that was once considered holy. On the Internet, that which is most private and intimate is plastered on indecent web sites for the entire world to see. People trumpet their sins “on the rooftops” as it were.

The keeping of something sacred and holy is at the essence of true religion. One's relationship with God develops from spiritual experiences best shared in an environment of respect, reverence, and humility. God reveals things through the still, small, voice, not it the fire, the earthquake, or the whirlwind. (1 Kings 19:11-13)

THE SYMBOLIC AND THE SACRED
Have you ever wondered why a red light is the universal symbol for STOP? Why is it the eagle was chosen as a symbol for the United States instead of a wild turkey, as Benjamin Franklin suggested? Granted, this is a novel way to begin this discussion, but I want to focus for a moment on the concept of symbols.

If you Google the word symbol, one of the definitions you'll get is this:

“An arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance”

A symbol represents something to which we assign meaning. It does not inherently represent the thing represented. We could just as easily have chosen green to represent the concept of STOP. The color has no inherent property that conceptualizes stopping. We consciously chose it and it acquired conventional significance. In other words, anything other than red symbolizing stopping would seem odd to us, for no other reason that it became conventional with use.

In the Christian world, there is a rich library of symbolism. Baptism, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, Living Water, the Bread of Life, the Lamb of God, the Cross, etc. have taken on conventional significance.” Yet one who converts to Christianity from a non-Christian background must be educated in the language of this symbolism. Those symbols are not always readily apparent.

Latter-day Saints, as a distinct people, have unique cultural symbols that likewise have conventional significance among our people, but not necessarily to the world at large. A convert to the Church who comes from another Christian sect must be instructed in those symbols.

The wearing of symbolic clothing has long been a practice of both Judaism and Christianity since their beginnings. Exodus chapters 28, 29, 31, 35, 39, and 40 describe ceremonial clothing to be worn by Levite priests who ministered in the tabernacle and later in the temple. Leviticus also makes reference to this clothing, which was a symbol of laying aside the world (the profane) and entering into God's service (the holy).

Christian clergymen have outer garments and vestures that are symbolic of their positions and rank. The Pope has a crown and a hat that is symbolic of his role in the Roman Church as the Vicar of Christ and the Bishop of Rome. He carries a shepherd's crook to symbolize these roles as well. Priests and nuns also wear distinctive apparel which identify them as having set aside the profane and their devotion to the sacred.

Protestant ministers likewise wear ministerial robes or collars which represent their special status among men. Because these images are so common with us, no one thinks anything of this apparel, though it is different from the everyday clothing we might wear to our work or our leisure time activities.

Like other Christians, Mormons wear distinctive clothing that symbolizes our desire to separate ourselves from the profane and to remind us of the sacred. Because we are a lay clergy, we do not serve in a professional capacity. No one receives a salary for his service to the Church. Nevertheless, like the apostles and elders of old, we do possess Divine authority.

This lay priesthood requires that Mormons labor for their support and the support of their families like other men. We work as doctors, lawyers, judges, congressmen, and senators. We are firemen, police officers, and soldiers. We are farmers, teachers, welders, builders, scientists, engineers, and every other profession imaginable.

However, we are a covenant people, a peculiar people, and a royal priesthood as Peter described. (See 1 Peter 2:9) We have made sacred promises to live in obedience to God's commandments and to serve others. To remind us of our covenants, we wear a distinctive garment, just like your pastor or priest. Because we work in the world of men, we wear it beneath our outer, worldly apparel. It has taken on conventional significance to us, just like the robes or collars worn by your pastor or priest.

It would not be becoming to engage in the descriptions of the sacred garments nor to profane the covenants they symbolize by discussing them openly before a world without reverence for the sacred. It is sufficient to say, to the honest in heart, that the scriptures give evidence that ancient priesthood holders wore distinctive clothing when they consecrated themselves to the service of God. This practice is continued by priests and pastors in modern Christianity. The practice of Mormons is consistent with history and modern Christian custom.

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Now, I in my book I attempted to be quite reasonable. Yet there have been those who still wish to ridicule Mormons for having distinctive religious apparel. Let's take a look at what these same people consider "normal" in the established orthodoxy of Christendom, Judaism, and Islam. You think Mormons are weird? Take a look:

A Greek Orthodox Patriarch

Levite Priest

Roman Catholics in Perpignan, France before Easter

Orthodox Patriarch

Pope and Patriarch

Pope Benedict XVI

Muslim Cleric

Reverend Robert Schuller

Archbishop of Canterbury

Let's see, the next time you want to try to make fun of Mormons and their distinctive religious garb, just remember that we don't go around wearing red and black Ku Klux Klan hoods on Good Friday and we don't wear golden crowns on our heads. Try to see things in their proper light, with clarity, and fairness. What you accept as "normal" can look very odd to those who don't share the precepts of YOUR faith.

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Originally posted 3/8/2008
Bumped 3/10/2009

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