June 06, 2011

Temple Garments 1 or 2 Piece

Q.

I would like to know why the church discontinued the old style garments? Originally they told us we had our choices of the old or the new, and they have never officially disowned the old style, yet one cannot purchase them any longer. This seems a futile attempt to keep people from honoring the covenants they have made.


A.

As this question hasn't been completely qualified I am left to assume you are worried about the change from 1 piece to 2 piece garments.

We must remember that temples are about symbolism and types. For example the Israelites before Christ were told to sacrifice sheep or goats to remove their sins. We know that this didn't really happen. The Israelite was supposed to search for understanding and realize that the animal was a type of the Savior that will remove the sins when they repented.

In reality they could have used a kangaroo to do the same thing (had they had one). God isn't a crackpot or without understanding of our various situations. He has made these symbols for us to learn the message he wants to deliver to us.

The temple garment is symbolic of a contract. We have the parts we have promised and that he has assured us are necessary for us to do to obtain eternal life. Christ has the part he has promised as an assistant to us as we do our part.

To make the temple garment really plainly obvious of its symbolic meaning it would in fact cover us from the tip of our heads to the tip of our toes. But this is impractical. And the point is to understand the covenant that he has made.

I understand your apprehension in wearing something different to what you first covenanted to wear. But I can assure you that the apprehension isn't necessary. The meaning of the garment remains as long as you see it as a single covering. It wouldn't matter how many bits it was in. So it is all in your perception, rather than the material itself.

As time has gone on members have moved to the more practical 2 piece garments. So it is understandable that they are no longer making the one piece garments, if almost no one is buying them.

I can testify to you that God will not hold you in contempt of your covenant by wearing 2 piece garments. It is the covenants that you are wearing on them that you need to observe. Focus on those. Let Christ take care of the covering part.

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