Garments are worn by Latter-day Saint women and men who have made covenants with God in holy temples in a ceremony called the endowment.
First Presidency authorizes garment changes for Latter-day Saints in hot, humid climates
The garment is a sacred symbol of Jesus Christ and a reminder of the covenant relationship with him and Heavenly Father made in temples by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Sleeveless tops, skirt bottoms and one-piece shifts are available in some parts of the world like Africa and the Philippines, according to the church’s online store.
“Devout Latter-day Saints cherish the privilege of wearing the temple garment,” church spokesman Doug Andersen said in a statement provided Thursday to the Deseret News. “Some of those members live in hot and humid areas. The First Presidency has authorized changes in the garment to bless those members and others who might benefit from the changes. Beyond this, the church does not comment on temple matters considered to be sacred.”
. . .Church members should strive to wear the garment day and night, he said.
“When we put on the garment, we are, as the First Presidency has taught, putting on a sacred symbol of Jesus Christ,” President Holland wrote.
“That being the case, why would we ever look for an excuse to take that symbol off? ... On the contrary, whenever we do have to temporarily remove the garment, we should be eager to put it back on, as soon as possible, because we remember both the promises and the perils that give meaning to our covenants. Above all, we remember the cross and empty tomb of Christ.”
Other symbols in the church are periodic, he said. . .
The church’s General Handbook, which can be found online, instructs endowed members that they “should wear the garment day and night throughout your life.”
It also instructs members that when they do remove the garment “for activities that cannot reasonably be done while wearing the garment, seek to restore it as soon as possible.”
. . .“We are instructed to wear temple garments continuously, with the only exception being those obviously necessary,” said President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency.
“Because covenants do not take a day off, to remove one’s garments can be understood as a disclaimer of the responsibilities and blessings to which they relate. In contrast, persons who wear their garments faithfully and keep their temple covenants continually affirm their role as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
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