Mormon Undergarment

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I have a 94 year old gentleman tonight, pleasant, somewhat vague fellow. I was rearranging his many blankets when I noticed that he had some unusual nylon long underwear. I commented to him that I had never seen underwear such as those. He just smiled, he's got a somewhat foggy affect.So, it suddenly clicked and I went to check his chart and sure enough he is LDS. What's the rule about these undergarments? What happens if you need to remove them? I guess they mean that the wearer is a Temple Mormon. Any info on these garments and a health care worker's responsibility?

I appreciate your desire to separate agreement with a religious belief and practice from your professional responsibilities. I am a Mormon (member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and can suggest some things I hope you find helpful.

The garments can be thought of as priesthood robes, and serve as a symbol or reminder of commitments they have made to God. While ministers typically wear their priesthood robes over their street clothes when doing official duties, Mormons were theirs underneath street cloths most all the time. And, yes, women also wear them.

Nevertheless, exceptions are commonly made for sports and medical requirements which tend to make them impractical. Individuals can determine what exceptions are acceptable. So when possible, ask the patient what they want, but don't be surprised to if different Mormons have widely different attitudes It is generally understood that medical emergencies are a justifiable reason.

If you do take the garment from the patient it is appropriate to fold it up respectfully like the respect a soldier would display as he folded up a flag. Putting it underneath street clothes or in a sack would be appreciated by most Mormons.

Something the patient may not know is that it is possible to order modifications in the garment to allow for special medical needs. Information about that is available at the Church's official web site www.LDS.org. Also here is a direct link to this specific issue: http://www.ldscatalog.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/LDSGarmentsSpecial?catalogId=10151&storeId=10151&langId=-1

I hope this helps.

Deuteronomy 22:12

Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.

Orthodox Jewish men wear the same one.

this is absolutely amazing

i had no idea that such a thing even existed. i have know many mormons and yet on this i was completely ignorant

i am so glad that this site opens the world

i knew about the fringed prayer cloth that the jews use, a friend of mine went on a pilgramage to isreal and she bought one for a mutual friend and she invited me along when she went to give it to him

it ws beautiful and the sofest wool i have ever touched

Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.

OK, not to hijack the thread here, but after reading "Escape", I, too, have a Q about this garment. Do the families make their own undergarment, each to their own, for their children and such, or is there a place within the church that they are available for purchase? In the book, the wives made them for themselves and their children. The type discussed was the wrist-to-ankle type, and they were worn under several layers of very thick stockings. I was just curious as to whether that had changed, as well as the styles. Thanks!

Specializes in Operating Room.

I find this topic interesting..we often get pts who come to the OR dressed. In many cases, this is just a lack of preparedness by the floor or pre-op nurse, but there may come a time when a pt is wearing a garment important to their beliefs.

Good to know how to take care of this..thanks!:nurse:

I guess 100+ years ago Mormons may have made their own garments. Today they are made in a Church factory and distributed to members throughout the world who have participated in Temple ceremonies (not to be confused with regular Church services every Sunday). Children do not wear them, nor do all Mormons. The long john style going to the wrists and ankles is a option for those needing the extra warmth, but most are short sleeve and short legs (coming to around the knee cap).

The other variation you would want to know about is that the user can choose a one-piece union suit style. It has a wide neck that he can step into and out of. The patient can slip the top off his shoulders and drop them around his waist or further. But you will never remove the the patient's lower half without cutting the garment at the waist line thus separating the top from the bottom. In case of emergency most patients would not complain.

The two piece style is much like a regular T-shirt and shorts (but with a little longer leg than normal). That should present no unusual problem for you. I suspect this maybe a more popular style among most patients, except perhaps the senior citizen crowd. The only difference is personal preference, and the two piece is certainly easier for most folks to negotiate.

I just found out that the union-suit one-piece style has zipper and even button variations to make it easier to negotiate. This is opens up the the top half of the garment. I think that's all.

Oh one more thing. I'm sure religious discussions are outside the purview of this site, but if you wonder what all this is about, or want more info about the Church you can go to

http://www.lds.org official site with much info

http://www.mormon.org is a Reader's Digest version of the above. Also you can ask questions and get answers

http://www.jesuschrist.lds.org who it's all about.

Specializes in psych. rehab nursing, float pool.

Thank you for this informative thread. Everyday, I learn something new.

Specializes in psych. rehab nursing, float pool.

Brings up is there a form or thread which lists the various religious needs which we are nurses could learn from?

I had taken a reigious class long ago which touched on some of the various religions. I find it very interesting.

:yeahthat:

Great idea. I, too, have found the continuation of this thread informative. I'm sure there's a lot more we could learn and be sensitive about.

Just reiterating, (I'm not LDS, but I have some LDS patients) that if you work in the home health setting, the church makes garment hospital gowns. It really makes the patients very comfortable and happy when they find that out (if they didn't already know).

I know this is an old thread but to clarify mormons wear their underwear for a protection from an evil sprits -I'm not a Mormon but I have a boyfriend who is one and he always wears those long undwear!!!!:loveya:No boxers for him for Christmas heh/ Another thing about Mormons;dont ever offer them caffeine (they do not suppose to use it) or alcohol!:) Although I'm sure some bend rules as PRN:)

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