2bizE wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 9:14 pm
A few weeks ago, my wife stopped wearing garments due to a rash in her groin that she was sure was caused by garments… tender mercies.
Congrats 2bizE!! That is a HUGE step!
græy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 8:51 pm
I will try to add some more detail tomorrow when I have time, but for now the short answers are 1) TRUE and 2) FALSE.
Regarding what I wrote here....
1) I'm sure most everyone is aware of the temple changes from January 2019. That included cutting some of the repetitive phrases, only put the robe on one shoulder, no more removing shoes, movie turned slideshow, no more veiling faces, and softening of rhetoric for women (even single women) obeying their husbands to get to heaven.
Sometime after temples started re-opening they also removed the temple workers giving tokens to each member in the endowment session. Instead, just the witness couple receives it and that is the end of it. This was interesting to me because I distinctly remember a temple president explaining to me once upon a time that each individual in the room HAD to receive that physical step in order for the ordinance to be valid.
More so than wording/phrasing/veiling changes from January 2019, this feels like an ACTUAL change to the ORDINANCE (defined by the church as a sacred
act).
I actively avoid going to the temple when I can get out of it, so I've only been through the temple once since things reopened. I must say, the ever shortening time requirements are most welcome.
2) I believe everyone also remembers the changes to the temple recommend questions that came out in October 2019.
OLD
Do you wear the garment both night and day as instructed in the endowment and in accordance with the covenant you made in the temple?
NEW
Do you keep the covenants that you made in the temple, including wearing the temple garment as instructed in the endowment?
Additionally, the stupid blurb about garments that interviewers are supposed to read changed.
OLD
Wearing the garment is the sacred privilege of those who have taken upon themselves the covenants of the temple. The garment is a reminder of these covenants and, when properly worn, will serve as a protection against temptation and evil.
It is expected that members will wear the garment both night and day, according to covenants made in the temple. Members should not adjust the garment or wear it contrary to instructions in order to accommodate different styles of clothing, even when such clothing may be generally accepted. The garment should not be removed, either entirely or partially, to work in the yard or for other activities that can reasonably be done with the garment worn properly beneath the clothing.
Members who have made covenants in the temple should be guided by the Holy Spirit to answer for themselves personal questions about wearing the garment. These sacred covenants are between the member and the Lord, and the proper wearing of the garment is an outward expression of an inner commitment to follow the Savior Jesus Christ.
NEW
The temple garment is a reminder of covenants made in the temple and, when worn properly throughout life, will serve as a protection against temptation and evil. The garment should be worn beneath the outer clothing. It should not be removed for activities that can reasonably be done while wearing the garment, and it should not be modified to accommodate different styles of clothing. Endowed members should seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to answer personal questions about wearing the garment.
It is a sacred privilege to wear the garment and doing so is an outward expression of an inner commitment to follow the Savior Jesus Christ.
So, nowadays they only indirectly refer to garment wearing as a covenant, whereas it used to be directly indicated as such. And they have removed the contradictory "how you wear it is totally up to you and God. except here is a very specific example to show you what the correct answer always should be so that you know there is really nothing left up to you and God."
Confession: I haven't read the stupid blurb for a very long time now and have no intention of starting.
Summary
The endowment has changed since COVID. I hope the changes are permanent since it cut a significant amount of time out of the ordeal. But there has never been an official announcement regarding those changes that I am aware of so they may bring back the individual handshakes at some point.
No real change in garments other than the softened rhetoric from October 2019. I interviewed an otherwise TBM couple a few weeks ago. The wife has undergone multiple surgeries for breast cancer and has really grown to HATE garments. She confessed to me that she often goes whole days (
) without wearing them. I reviewed with her the changes in questions regarding the garments, let her know that how/when they were worn were between her and God and no one else, and signed her recommend.
