The
LDS Newsroom at LDS.org recently offered a new announcement
and video on the LDS temple garment.
The video includes views of LDS temple robes and LDS garments, the
simple clothing items that our foes love to call "magic
underwear" or other offensive terms.
The
LDS Newsroom resource should help thoughtful people better understand
this aspect of our faith, and might help LDS members know how to
better answer some common temple-related questions. Nicely done,
IMHO.
Our
critics assume that Joseph Smith just plagiarized the concept of the
Temple from pieces of Free Masonry mingled with scripture or other
influences from Joseph's environment. There is no question that there
are some common elements with Masonry, as I discuss on my
LDSFAQ page on temples and Masonry.
For those wondering if the Temple is a modern invention, I raise
several issues there that point to its ancient roots.
One
issue that I haven't discussed in any detail on my site is the
antiquity of the LDS concept of temple garments, including the use of
some simple marks on the garments to remind us of covenants to follow
God. For those interested in better understanding the ancient nature
of the LDS temple and its practices, there are some outstanding and
thought-provoking resources you may wish to consider.
I
suggest beginning with Blake Ostler's detailed analysis in the
article "Clothed
Upon" in BYU Studies,
1982. Brother Ostler explains the numerous connections between the
endowment and sacred garments in the ancient world.
There
is a reasonable case to be made that the LDS temple and LDS temple
garments can be viewed as a restoration of ancient concepts that are
not easily explained as elements from Joseph's environment. There are
some intriguing surprises in that article.
After
reading Ostler, take a look at a later article from John W. Welch and
Claire Foley, "Gammadia
on Early Jewish and Christian Garments," BYU Studies,
vol. 36:3 (1996–97). There you will find more interesting
connections with the ancient world of Christianity and Judaism.
Many
minor details in the LDS temple and in temple clothing can change
with time, but core elements are unchanged and speak not of modern
copying but very ancient roots, in ways that can enhance our respect
for the temple. There is more to it (and to temple garments) than
meets the eye.
Jeff Lindsay has been defending the Church on the Internet since 1994, when he launched his
LDSFAQ website under JeffLindsay.com. He has also long been blogging about LDS matters on
the blog Mormanity (mormanity.blogspot.com). Jeff is a longtime resident of Appleton,
Wisconsin, who recently moved to Shanghai, China, with his wife, Kendra.
He works for an Asian corporation as head of intellectual property. Jeff and Kendra are the parents of 4 boys, 3 married and the the youngest on a mission.
He is a former innovation and IP consultant, a former professor, and former Corporate Patent
Strategist and Senior Research Fellow for a multinational corporation.
Jeff Lindsay, Cheryl Perkins and Mukund Karanjikar are authors of the book Conquering
Innovation Fatigue (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).
Jeff has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and is a registered US
patent agent. He has more than 100 granted US patents and is author of numerous publications.
Jeff's hobbies include photography, amateur magic, writing, and Mandarin Chinese.
