The Book of Mormon II: Unware of the Underwear

Last week’s Fryday about The Book of Mormon needed little research. The Broadway show, which was Fryday’s primary focus, is justly famous, as is the Mormon Church’s light-hearted reaction to it, which I also covered. But what the research uncovered was what covered the Mormons themselves—their underwear. I was unaware that, until recently, devout Mormons had strict protocols about the shape, style and even colour of their underwear. The same underwear protocol applies to  adult males and females, and in basic style there was no real distinction between the two. What Mormon children wear is not governed by the strictures. Thank goodness (and God) for small mercies in smalls for the small. If they were forced to wear what their parents wear they would likely be bullied incessantly in the schoolyard.
    The adult Mormon underwear comprises a white cotton all-in-one called the ‘Garment of the Holy Priesthood and the New Name, which covers the whole body from the neck to the knees and is cut off at the arms like a T-shirt. There are some special coloured temple garments that can be worn by members of the armed services, but for the vast majority of Mormons, garments are always white. This symbolises physical and spiritual purity. The garment is sacred to the wearer not for what it is, but for what it represents. According to the church, the garment helps the wearer to focus his or her life on Jesus Christ and to thereby lay claim to the blessings promised to those who do so.
     Nor are Mormons are unique in the wearing of special clothing for religious purposes. Perhaps the most well-known example is the yarmulke, which is worn at special times by many Jewish men or at all times by devout orthodox Jews. Similarly, in some religions a minister or priest might wear a special collar that has religious significance, or nuns may wear special clothing that signifies the religious order to which they belong. In all cases the special clothing reflects the religious conviction of the wearer.
    However, the protocols surrounding Mormon underwear have changed and I imagine that many Mormons these days do not adhere to them. I am forced to imagine that because I am clearly not in the habit of checking Mormon clotheslines. If I do have a Mormon reader—and again I am not in the habit of checking—you may wish to confirm the (to some) seemingly archaic practice is no longer practiced.

You've Seen the Show...

It is rare for Fryday to support, let alone compliment, any orchestrated religion. But it does so now, knowing it has chosen a largely unpopular and much derided religion, though it may still possibly offend a segment of its readers.
The religion is The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, or Mormons.
The only exposure most of have to that church is the frequent knocks at the door, the inevitable blindingly-white shirts, black ties, and earnest faces of the missionaries. That exposure, though polite and often brief, is still intrusive and for most us unwelcome.*
However, the Mormon Church at least seems to be seeped in a sincere dogma, unlike Scientology, “Bishop” Tamaki’s farcical cash-cow and just about every televangelist. I just wish they wouldn’t take themselves so damn seriously.
Or, do they?
One of the more popular shows on Broadway at the moment is The Book of Mormon. Written by the creators of South Park, Trey Park and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon is an irreverent satire of the Church of Latter-day Saints. It tells the story of two Mormon missionaries sent to ply their scriptures and serve their sentences in a remote village in Northern Uganda rather than their preferred destination—Florida. The show opened in 2011, has played to sell-out crowds since, won nine Tony Awards (including Best Musical) and is the highest charting Broadway cast album in forty years.However, given the subject matter, you would expect the Mormon Church to take offence.
They didn’t.
The Church’s initial response to the musical has been described as “polite and measured.” Indeed it was. I have read it. It astutely states at the start: “Of course, parody isn't reality, and it's the very distortion that makes it appealing and often funny,”  and ends with the gentle admonishment: "The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ,” something the writers of the show say they acknowledge.
But the somewhat surprising reaction doesn’t stop there. Park and Stone state that they talked to and were helped by many Mormon missionaries, past and present, while writing the show. And—believe it or not—the Church has even advertised in the show’s programme. One of their funnier advertising lines is: ’You’ve Seen the Show. Now Read The Book.”
So, who knew? The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints has a sense of humour!
I didn’t know.
That said, they are still not going to get through my damn door.

*I had one friend who welcomed the intrusion, always inviting the missionaries in so he could debate their dogma. He is gone from us now, so I guess—and hope—he is in a position to now know the essential truth of his debates.