Prompt me! (stolen from dicea)

The prompt:

Everyone has things they blog about. Everyone has things they don't blog about. Challenge me out of my comfort zone by telling me something I don't blog about, but you'd like to hear about, and I'll write a post about it. Ask about anything: latest movie watched, last book read, political leanings, if there's anything you've ever wondered or been curious about or meant to ask me, etc. Re-post this in your own journal so that we can all learn more about each other.

I'll add that I haven't watched a movie or read a book in far, far too long, so those probably aren't good prompts, but bring it on.

Sacred Underwear

In the comment linked here, alfrecht asks, "What are your feelings on the use of particular types of "sacred underwear" in world religious traditions?"

I know a little bit about the temple garments (the Latter Day Saints' undergarments) and I know that the Sikhs have 5 physical things that symbolize parts of their faith, one of which is an undergarment. This constitutes the sum total of my knowledge on religiously required daily undergarments.

I know that it's easy to look at someone else's religious rules and decide that they must be more strict on something than one's own faith, and I'm going to try not to do that here. However, I do know that a lot of people are rather horrified at the idea of "legislating underwear"-- of anyone, whether it's a religious leader, government official, or employer¹, stating what kind of underwear a person is permitted to wear.

I hang out online with a community of hair-covering women, many of whom also practice other religiously motivated wardrobe choices. One of the topics discussed was whether it was acceptable to modify one's dress to be more like the surrounding community in order to avoid harassment or violence. Most of the women posting pointed out ideas that would allow someone to exempt themselves from the requirements in extreme cases.

Violence and harassment is a very real concern for a lot of people, so you would think that the idea of "sacred undergarments" as an equal reminder of our religious committment would be awesome-- you wear it every day, but it doesn't get you called names or beat up², what's not to like? Except that, interestingly, almost all people who don't have a complete choice of outer garments (work uniform, religious covering, etc) will point out that what they wear underneath is up to them.

Why is this? Because underwear, to many of us, is not only a private thing, but a sexually charged thing. We find it more interesting to see a deliberately shown suggestive view than an accidental one. That's why it's far more provocative for a man to greet a guest at the door wearing only boxer shorts, than for him to wave to a friend at the pool while he's wearing a Speedo (or whatever the generic name is for those tiny suits); it's far more provocative for a woman to wear a plain full coverage bra and granny panties outside than a tiny brightly-colored bikini.

I think based on all of this that I'm qualified to make a statement on what I think of "sacred underwear" as it would work in MY tradition. I've written about my experience being baptized-- my church uses communal baptismal garments (pic link) that are non-clingy nylon shorty-jumpsuit things. The reason for this is so that people can be baptized without being embarrassed by what they're wearing or concerned that they don't have a change of clothes. (We practice full dunking immersion baptism.) But when I got baptized, they also offered me some loaner undergarments, so that I could wear my own home-- these are washed and returned to the church by the elders as they're used.

There was a fair amount of shock involved for me, and not just because I was being baptized and a little bit giddy about that. I hadn't been in my underwear in front of another person, or helped to dress by another person, since I was old enough to dress myself. Oddly, though, it didn't bother me as much as I thought it might. It did bother me that the largest size garment they had in the women's dressing area was a large, and I was barely able to squeeze into it, but otherwise I felt very much taken care of.

I think that when we can't find undergarments that are economically priced, comfortable, sturdy, and appropriate (whether that is modestly appropriate or sensually appropriate) we feel like we're not entitled to the same things other people get. I know what it's like to feel inferior to other people, and it doesn't make me a nice person, quite the opposite!

So if I had a mission³ to go and minister to people, I would use the things of the physical world to teach about the spiritual. And the main thing I would want to do is to compassionately help people who were in need of underwear, because I think that's something that can really bother people. I think that if it was done right it could really touch some people's hearts.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' (Matthew 25:35-36)

I could be off the wall here, but I could also be in good company...

---

¹Back in 2001, Disney employees who worked as characters (in full body costumes) won the right to wear their own personal undergarments. Previously, they had been required to wear garments that had been worn by other employees. (They were washed between uses.)

²Assuming nobody undresses you without your consent, but of course you have bigger problems at that point.

³...Not this week, but I'll think about it.

Mmmmmmmulberries!

I just picked:

1 lb 5 1/2 ounces (600g or so) of red mulberries

and

15 1/2 oz (440g) of white mulberries.

And I'm about to go load up the dehydrator. I picked these up the street, for free. Yay free! Yay sweet!

If I have time, I'll go back tomorrow or the next day and pick the next batch, and try making jam.