Chewed out at the temple
I remembered to bring my temple clothes to work, but I forgot to bring dress clothes. I was planning to drive straight from work to the temple for youth temple night (because I work 20 minutes from home in the direction of the temple) and now I was in a pickle. I decided to simply change into my white clothes in the car and make the short walk from the parking lot to the temple in my white dockers, white belt, white shirt, and white tie. I made it to the lobby without incident.
So there I was waiting in the lobby of the temple for the rest of the ward to show up when a temple worker approached me, very concerned:
“You didn’t wear those clothes outside did you?”
“Well, I did wear these clothes from my car to the lobby, yes”
“You can’t wear your temple clothes outside!”
“These aren’t my temple clothes, they are a white pair of pants, a white shirt, and a white tie.”
A look of consternation, grave concern, and supreme self-control crossed the temple worker’s face. He said something about reporting it to the person in charge and letting them sort it out. I told him I didn’t realize this would be a big no-no, but I’d be happy to talk with someone about it. He walked away.
No one ever said another word to me about it. Well, except for other adults in the ward coming over after to ask what I was in trouble for. I have seen leaders of the church walk outside the temple in white suits plenty of times so I am still unsure of what the big problem was. Furthermore, I think it should be obvious to anyone who has been to the temple that ceremonial clothing is not ceremonial (not part of the ceremony) unless it is put on as such.
Nevertheless, when I told my brother about my experience he said I was an idiot and that it should be obvious to me that this was going to raise eyebrows and upset people. So I’m asking for your reactions. Is it bad that I walked to the lobby in white clothes? If so, two follow up questions: why was it bad? and how was I supposed to know it was bad?
The only thing I can imagine is that somehow, you broke the “sacredness” of the temple. Somehow.
Comment by Andrew S. — September 19, 2010 @ 2:06 pm
Uh, no. You were not bad; not close. How many families have you seen go outside in their temple clothes (after having a family sealed) to take photos, then going back inside to change? Countless.
It’s a case of one temple worker with a personal preference who should’ve just been happy to see you there serving in the temple, and not said a word. He probably also would’ve said something if you went inside in jeans and a t-shirt (which I understand temple workers are not supposed to do, either, but it probably depends on the temple president).
Comment by Julie P — September 19, 2010 @ 2:06 pm
I think it would have been innapropriate to wear your work clothes–assuming they were not dressy enough–inside the temple. To me that would have been not respecting the sacredness of the Temple. White clothes are not ceremonial. I agree with Julie, that the temple worker probably had a preference but I don’t think there is anything wrong with it.
Comment by Flipflopmama — September 19, 2010 @ 2:19 pm
What about provo parades that regularly depict folks in front of temples and they are wearing temple whites!?
Comment by nona — September 19, 2010 @ 2:20 pm
I probably would’ve changed in the temple before reading this post, but I don’t see anything wrong with what you did.
Comment by Ben Pratt — September 19, 2010 @ 2:23 pm
The temple worker probably didn’t understand the difference between ceremonial and non-ceremonial clothing. It sounds like he probably reported your “infraction” to the temple presidency, and now understands the difference.
Several years ago when I lived in Texas, I lived just a 10-15 minute (depending on how you hit the traffic lights) from the temple. I would put on a tie, drive to the temple, and then take of the tie, replace it with a white tie, and then reverse the process for the drive home. It didn’t take me long to figure out that there was no reason for a special tie for the 10-minute drive, so I just started wearing my white tie. More recently, for various reasons, it’s difficult for me to change socks, particularly perched on the tiny shelf inside the changing area. So now I wear both white socks and a white tie when I go to the temple. So far, nobody has objected.
Comment by Left Field — September 19, 2010 @ 2:52 pm
Silly you: Obviously you are supposed to wear whatever you have into the temple LOBBY restroom (you know the one where even the unclean are allowed to pee) and change in there.
Comment by ed42 — September 19, 2010 @ 3:40 pm
Unfortunately, temple workers tend to specialize in inventing new rules without any particular direction one way or another. Staff at lots of other places as well.
Pet peeve of mine. I was recently at a directed activity, and I made a minor “misstep” relative to an imaginary rule. The guy in charge said “We don’t do that here”. Manipulative in the extreme. I would much have preferred the fellow to have said, “Please don’t do that” and then have given an explanation, asked what I intended to accomplish, and offered an alternative. As it was I felt treated like a child. And I hate to say that many organs of church bureaucracy practically specialize in treating people that way.
Comment by Mark D. — September 19, 2010 @ 4:09 pm
Here in our temple boundaries, we received a letter from the first residency saying it was ok to where work clothes to the temple, if necessary
Comment by Matt W. — September 19, 2010 @ 4:27 pm
You were wrong to go to work before going to the temple. You should have spent the entire day in the temple, preparing for when the youth would meet you there. What kind of example are you setting?!?!
Comment by BrianJ — September 19, 2010 @ 4:59 pm
Firstly, the temple worker should probably not have yelled at you.
However, I can maybe understand what is going on here. Ordinance workers in my temple (and I’m assuming this holds for all temples) have been instructed to not where there “all white” temple cloths outside the temple. If ordinance workers must go outside they have to change back into their “church cloths”.
However, I fear this worker was holding you, I’m assuming not an ordinance worker, to the same rule he is under obligation adhering to.
Comment by Joseph Smidt — September 19, 2010 @ 5:13 pm
But what I really want to know was if you blessed your food in teh cafeteria…
Comment by Orwell — September 19, 2010 @ 5:16 pm
Apparently, I’m just as evil as you, Jacob J.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kmsiever/46013421/in/set-1005388/
Comment by Kim Siever — September 19, 2010 @ 5:27 pm
I have not been in a long time. I am glad that you are going to the temple. My bet is that the worker likely felt embarrassed later for over-reacting. They are good people.
Comment by Chris H. — September 19, 2010 @ 5:41 pm
Thanks all. Very interesting comments, it seems that no one (so far) has taken issue with what I did.
Matt W, did you get the letter from the First Presidency or the temple presidency? That’s an interesting letter since I would fell really uncomfortable walking into the temple in casual clothes (what I wear to work).
Joseph Smidt, that’s an interesting point, I didn’t know ordinance workers were instructed on this point. I’ve been meaning to ask my parents about this because they are ordinance workers but I keep forgetting (for the more-than-a-year since this happened).
Orwell, good question. Tough, but fair. I have not eaten in a temple cafeteria since my mission so this was not at issue on this trip.
Comment by Jacob J — September 19, 2010 @ 5:49 pm
The fact that nobody said another word to you about it after the initial conniption the one guy had is answer to your question about the badness of it all. I’d chalk it up to one of the perils of an all volunteer organization.
Comment by Geoff J — September 19, 2010 @ 5:53 pm
Say hi to my deceased apostate friend in Perdition Jacob J…
No but seriously, I think this was just a subconscious display of something deeper going on. Is there anything in your past that you haven’t taken care of fully with your priesthood leaders???
Comment by Riley — September 19, 2010 @ 6:23 pm
It was first presidency. We are a military town and the temple had turned some soldiers/doctors away for coming in uniform. We all wondered if the letter was a response to that or if it was global
Comment by Matt W. — September 19, 2010 @ 7:14 pm
No, you did nothing wrong. You could wear those white clothes to do a baptism in a ward font, for example. I think you showed tremendous respect by wanting to change out of your everyday clothes before approaching the temple.
It was clearly a case of a temple worker who didn’t have a correct understanding. He most likely asked someone about it and they corrected him.
Comment by Dustin — September 19, 2010 @ 7:39 pm
Well, I will continue to take an extra set of dress clothes to change into at work before leaving since that is easy enough (when I remember anyway), but I’m glad to hear no one else sees anything terribly wrong here. Honestly, I was expecting more people to agree with the temple worker and offer the reasoning behind it.
Comment by Jacob J — September 19, 2010 @ 8:18 pm
Temple workers are definitely told not to turn anyone away or chastise them for what they are wearing. However, the church doesn’t want to “preach” that “anything goes” and lose the current practice of dressing up as part of making the temple special.
I am quite sure that the naive temple worker who thought you were making a mistake in dress probably was told that it was ok and there was nothing for his superior to “correct” even though it was not the usual/typical clothing worn from outside into the temple.
Comment by jks — September 19, 2010 @ 8:40 pm
I was once doing an endowment (about an hour in) when a fire alarm went off in temple. We were asked to leave fully-dressed; and our temple is next to a road. Clearly there are times when the inside-outside clothing restrictions are not rigorously enforced.
Comment by Aaron R. — September 20, 2010 @ 2:01 am
Quite a few years ago in the UK there was a documentary about religions in East Grinstead (site of the London temple). As part of the documentary the interviewed the then temple president and matron. They both stood on temple grounds with there white hair and immovable white smiles and white clothing and it gave off a weird vibe (the filmakers’ background music didn’t help). Shortly after that the unwritten rule at the London temple became no whites on the temple gounds. I don’t know if there was a correlation but plenty of people I know think so.
Comment by gomez — September 20, 2010 @ 2:29 am
gomez, I have never heard about that but it is very interesting.
Comment by Aaron R. — September 20, 2010 @ 4:43 am
When I was a missionary in Argentina (mid-1980s), many of the Argentine missionaries who had trained at the missionary training center near the temple in Chile had photos of their MTC groups dressed in white outside the temple. Once in Provo, a friend back home asked me to take her severely handicapped brother to the temple. Staff at the institution where he lived got him dressed in white, then I drove to the temple with him. Workers at the temple were very helpful with getting him out of the car and into an endowment session. Still, I am not inclined to put on the white clothes at home and then take a bus, or walk, or drive to the temple, and handle a few errands on the way there.
The more awkward problem is having a bunch of people in the parking lot without pants and shirts on, whether to change into white or into going-to-church clothes. Inside the temple there are handy changing stalls put there for that very purpose.
Comment by John Mansfield — September 20, 2010 @ 5:38 am
My sisters work at the Manhattan Temple and told me they are under strict instructions NOT to turn anyone away and were explicitly told that people are allowed to travel and enter the temple in their whites. So, imagine NYers walking, boarding the ferry, and riding the subway in their temple clothes and compare that to you walking in from the parking lot; I think there is no problem.
Comment by ESO — September 20, 2010 @ 6:19 am
Aaron, fyi here is the reference:
http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/520179
Comment by gomez — September 20, 2010 @ 6:40 am
Thanks gomez, it seems like the Temple pres. did not really investigate very closely the purpose of the documentary.
Comment by Aaron R. — September 20, 2010 @ 6:54 am
The more awkward problem is having a bunch of people in the parking lot without pants and shirts on
Ha. That is a good practical point, we obviously don’t want to turn the temple parking lot into a dressing room. Just to clarify, at my temple there is an overflow parking lot that is off to the side and surrounded on every side by forest areas. On a weeknight like the one I arrived there are no other cars in the overflow lot so I was able to pull on a pair of pants in my car with no one the wiser.
Comment by Jacob J — September 20, 2010 @ 7:24 am
I was once trained on the front desk procedures at the DC temple. For those who haven’t been the temple is connected to the front desk by a bridge/ walkway which crosses a small service road underneath the walkway. (makes for a nice effect when you enter the temple.) Technically, I’m not sure if the front desk is actually the temple or not, but one needs a valid recommend to go past the desk and enter the walkway/bridge to the temple building.
The very elderly temple worker said a lot of people come to the temple fasting and when they arrive are weak or nauseous. He said the same was true for pregnant women-probably from a long car drive. He showed me where he kept a stash of crackers and juice to help these people. He then explained he only gets them in good enough shape to make it to the temple proper, i.e. across the bridge. Once they’re in the temple they are someone else’s problem/issue to deal with. I think he had the same attitude with people whose clothes were questionable: send them through and let the temple people handle the “issue” though I don’t recall the issue of proper clothes coming up during our brief training.
I, for one, see no problem wearing white clothes to the temple. I wouldn’t do it, but don’t really care if people find it more convenient to do so. So long as people are budgeting time out of their schedule to attend, who really cares about attire? What about the business casual traveler who finds a free afternoon on her hands and wants to visit a nearby temple? What about a blue collar guy who unexpectedly finds some time on his schedule and in close proximity to a temple? I say, go and don’t even think twice. Ideally temple workers would give each person the benefit of the doubt, to the extent any doubt is at all warranted in the first place, and welcome each patron.
Comment by rbc — September 20, 2010 @ 7:47 am
I have stopped wearing a tie at all when I go to the temple, I just put on the white tie when I change. The sock thing is something I do as well. Just wear your white socks, it makes you look like an engineer. lol
This reminds me of the time I went to the temple with my uncle and aunt. He has a beard and one of the temple workers said he should not come to the temple with a beard.
I was not aware that there was a dress code for entering the temple. I agree that you should not come to the temple dressed in a raggedy t-shirt and sweats. I agree with the comment that they should have been happy you were there regardless of what you were wearing. Just another example of overly puritanical mormons that are obsessed with how something looks. Remember what Hugh Nibley said in 1973 “The worst sinners, according to Jesus, are not the harlots and publicans, but the religious leaders with their insistence on proper dress and grooming, their careful observance of all the rules, their precious concern for status symbols, their strict legality, their pious patriotism… the haircut becomes the test of virtue in a world where Satan deceives and rules by appearances.“
Comment by Russ — September 20, 2010 @ 10:07 am
I was in the Temple on Saturday and a sister arrived wearing a full length denim dress. I could not believe it! Denim skirts and denim dresses are the same as men wearing jeans. Why do women get a pass on these ugly fashion items but the men would be condemned soundly for wearing jeans.
A full length denim dress with a white T-shirt underneath!!! Incredible.
Comment by Michael — September 20, 2010 @ 10:47 am
Is your comment tongue-in-cheek Michael? I hope so.
Comment by Geoff J — September 20, 2010 @ 10:58 am
Partially tongue-in-cheek and partially reflective of my absolute detestation of denim dresses and denim skirts.
She really did so up at the Orlando Temple this past Saturday. But I tried my darnedest to express joy at her attendance. I still have some work to do on the Christ-like attributes within myself.
Comment by Michael — September 20, 2010 @ 11:02 am
Hehe. I see what you mean about denim dresses. They are very 1990.
Comment by Geoff J — September 20, 2010 @ 11:04 am
The old saying is that familiarity breeds contempt, or at least that which was once special might become common. My temple is a twenty-five hour ferry ride and then a 700-plus mile road trip, crossing two international borders. For people in my ward, visiting a temple is still special.
There is a balance between helping another in a brotherly way and stepping on another’s toes. Not knowing any more than what I read in the original posting, I prefer to give the temple worker the benefit of the doubt. May God bless him.
Comment by ji — September 20, 2010 @ 6:36 pm
Michael,
You would have loved Richlands Virginia then. The prominent denomination was Penecostal “Holy Rollers” and all the women wore denim skirts with ever so stylish mormon breakoff polygamy hairdos. The only plus side was that many of them wore it hanging down past their butts so much of the denim was covered.
Comment by Riley — September 21, 2010 @ 8:10 am
They should be more concerned with what people are wearing inside the temple. We were at a niece’s wedding a while ago and I swear people were in the waiting room wearing golf shirts, khaki slacks etc. And this was what they were wearing into the sealing room! Is there no pride anymore, is the temple not sacred anymore?
Comment by mac — September 21, 2010 @ 10:19 am
Jacob:
If I had a dollar for every time I was chewed out by someone at the temple as the temple coordinator on the High Council for 7 years and as just a guy showing up for stuff… Too few people for a stake baptismal session, too many people for a stake baptismal session (limit was 15 per hour), only 3 out of 4 couples show for a sealing session, etc. You learn to just smile, show compassion, and remember that no good deed goes unpunished.
Comment by larryco_ — September 21, 2010 @ 1:32 pm
Most of us realize that haircuts are not where virtue lies, and yet, most of realize that how we present ourselves says something about our sense of sacred things. I think temples should be glad to see everyone who shows up, and I hope we all do our best to show up with reverence draped all over us. To the best of our circumstancial abilities.
Comment by Hal — September 21, 2010 @ 2:44 pm
Russ (#31), I understand where Nibley is coming from, but he has a tendency to say things somewhere in the realm of naive, misleading, ridiculous, and flat out wrong. That is one of the most tendentious statements from him I have ever seen.
He is basically accusing people who believe in something resembling dress standards of being Satanic. Why don’t we just get rid of temple clothes then? Why do we even have them? Why don’t we all roll around in the mud before coming? What is the point of taking showers? And how does “patriotism” fit into all this? Should we all adopt sedition as the religious ideal?
Comment by Mark D. — September 21, 2010 @ 6:12 pm
Jacob, why won’t you try listening more to your brother?
Comment by Solomon — September 21, 2010 @ 9:35 pm
I disagree, that is Nibley at his best. Certainly it is colorful and a bit over the top, but he is right on the money in what he is getting at. He is not saying dress standards are Satanic, but that an undue stress on particular dress and grooming places outward appearances before inward virtue. Whited sepulchres and all that. As a person who has often had unorthodox dress and grooming, I can tell you that there are a lot of people in the church who think hair over your collar is something to repent and forsake that you may be clean.
Comment by Jacob J — September 21, 2010 @ 10:14 pm
Solomon, maybe if he weren’t so wrong all the time.
Comment by Jacob J — September 21, 2010 @ 10:20 pm
Whited sepulchres and all that.
I think you nailed the problem, Jacob. (har)
Comment by michelle — September 22, 2010 @ 12:18 am
Two thoughts: It’s pretty well publicized that we ought to show up to the temple in our “Sunday Best”. So it’s no surprise that there’s an expectation that we wouldn’t wear our “temple whites” outside the temple.
That said, during a brief stint as an ordinance worker in Taipei, I received very specific training that I should offer no correction, but assume that temple patrons are doing the very best they can. I do not know if that instruction was unique to the Taipei temple, but I was glad to receive it.
Comment by Paul — September 22, 2010 @ 6:58 am
I tend to agree with the folks who say that you can’t really judge a person by his haircut.
I think a recurring problem is the whole “Unwritten Order of Things” notion that is so prevalent. If these things are so important, write them down, standardize them. If they aren’t important enough to write down, maybe they just aren’t important.
Comment by Flat Lander — September 22, 2010 @ 1:38 pm
Not a bad thing you did at all.
I have noticed that temple-administrating geriatrics are probably the biggest group of ill-informed busy-bodies in the church today.
I have similar stories that would boil your blood.
Comment by N. — September 22, 2010 @ 2:40 pm
I once heard the following (attributed to Brigham Young although I’ve never found the source):
“A man is a fool to take offense when no offense was intended; and probably a fool when it was.”
Having worked in the temple, we did receive instruction from the Temple Department to try to encourage people to not wear “whites” on the way to the temple to respect that whites are associated w/ the performance of ordinances. They should wear their Sunday Best and change after arrival. (One brother came in his Sunday Best which consisted of pressed blue jeans, cowboy boots, white shirt w/ bolo tie, and a Coors Lite Rodeo Award belt buckle. After gently pointing out to him that BEER was probably not the best thing to wear to the temple, he agreed.) Leaders were instructed to discourage activities where whites were worn (like Mutual or firesides, etc.) The instruction included a mention that in some circumstances that changing after arrival was not possible. (We had a brother who worked in the temple who was wheelchair bound and could not change after getting to the temple.) The instruction also included that we should never turn anyone away who was worthy and sincere in his desire to participate in temple worship.
Comment by mondo cool — September 22, 2010 @ 7:01 pm
“I have noticed that temple-administrating geriatrics are probably the biggest group of ill-informed busy-bodies in the church today.”
I usually perceive them as sweet well-meaning old people. To each their own.
Comment by Chris H. — September 22, 2010 @ 8:25 pm
Me too Chris.
Comment by Geoff J — September 22, 2010 @ 11:50 pm
Having worked in the temple, we did receive instruction from the Temple Department to try to encourage people to not wear “whites” on the way to the temple to respect that whites are associated w/ the performance of ordinances.
The problem is that gatekeepers at the temple are not in a very good position to give gentle encouragement to people. It feels more like a police checkpoint. Which, in a sense, it is.
In my experience, these things usually work best if the powers that be send a letter to local church units instructing them to describe the idea in RS and HP/EQ meeting.
Comment by Mark D. — September 23, 2010 @ 7:09 am
#52. All gatekeepers?
Comment by mondo cool — September 23, 2010 @ 4:35 pm
I always wondered what I would do in such a situation. I would have probably gone up in my street clothes and explained my situation. Wearing white clothes outside the temple isn’t bad but it draws attention. Just like a mo-hawk passing the sacrament. It draws attention and distracts from what is happening. I am not trying to say you were wrong in what you did. You were just trying to make the best out of an awkward situation.
Comment by Kurt — September 23, 2010 @ 7:12 pm
I agree with others that this may just have been a case of an imaginary rule created by the temple worker.
It happens.
I have also gone to the temple straight from work wearing my work clothes. I wear dressy clothes to work though. Dress shirts and dark dress slacks, but no tie. I never wear white shirts to work, and I usually keep a nice tie in my car at all times just in case I need to dress up a little. I have a compact car, therefore, changing in my car is not an option. I just put my nice tie over my nice dress shirt and off I go.
Therefore, I have gone to the lobby of the temple wearing color dress shirts, dress slacks, and tie.
I’ve never felt I violated the sacredness of the temple or that I was being unrespectful (nor did I ever intended to), but who knows, maybe other people did cringe at my audacity, although I have never noticed it. Additionally, I have never been told anything about my clothing being innapropriate by any temple worker. They let me in just the same as when I wear my suit, white shirt and tie.
I am not surprised it happened though. The temple obviously holds quite a bit of “mysticism” if you may, among LDS members, since many things are not supposed to be done regarding it… whether we are not supposed to discuss what we do inside, wear this, wear that, let anyone see our garments or ceremonial clothing, etc, etc, etc. It is easier for anyone to go a bit further and create imaginary restrictions.
Comment by Manuel — September 27, 2010 @ 9:59 am
Mondo Thanks for #49. Very informative.
Comment by Matt W. — September 27, 2010 @ 11:55 am
As I have been reading this, something came to mind. For the last several years, it has been the norm to use the white shirt which you wore to the temple with your suit, as the white shirt for use in the temple. Is it “incorrect” behavior to use the same shirt because that shirt is part of the Whites inside the temple.
Also, a few years ago we were in San Diego and visited the temple, but did not have time to do a session. So as we walked into the entry portion, I saw the name tag on the temple worker at the recommend desk. It said “Mel Hutchins”. For those of you who don’t know, there was a Mel Hutchins that played basketball for BYU in the early ’50’s, was an All-American and played in the NBA. As I had been associated with the basketball program and Coach Watts at the “Y” in the late 60’s and early 70’s (around a mission), I asked the worker if he was *the* Mel Hutchins, and he humbly said he was. In the course of our conversation it came out that the workers had been specificly instructed NOT to deny any recommend holding member admittance to the temple because of their attire. I found this very thoughtful and the correct attitude and direction for the workers.
Comment by Wayne C — September 27, 2010 @ 9:18 pm
Sweet — you got to meet Mel Hutchins.
As it turns out, BYU football great Eldon Fortie [aka The Phantom] and his wife were in my Escondido (North San Diego county) ward so I saw a BYU legend at the San Diego temple pretty regularly.
Comment by Geoff J — September 27, 2010 @ 9:31 pm
Wayne C,
Because of this thread I finally remembered to ask my parents about this when they visited this weekend. Funny thing is, my mom was saying she was once told not to wear a white skirt with a different top if she was going to wear the skirt in the temple. She replied that men almost always wear a white shirt on the way to the temple which they continue to wear inside. So I come by my rebellion honestly. I can’t conceive of a reason it would be incorrect to continue wearing a white shirt in the temple that was worn outside.
Comment by Jacob J — September 28, 2010 @ 8:21 pm
my mom was saying she was once told not to wear a white skirt with a different top if she was going to wear the skirt in the temple.
This is an excellent example of people making things up. There is a tendency to reduce anything that might be considered respectful or a good idea into a system of rules and regulations. After a while that becomes counterproductive, if not outright silly.
Comment by Mark D. — September 29, 2010 @ 12:02 am
my mom was saying she was once told not to wear a white skirt with a different top if she was going to wear the skirt in the temple.
I was told this same thing, but in regards to me wearing the same white shirt to the temple (I wasn’t sporting a temple bag)that I was intending to wear inside the temple and was asked upon entrance if I was planning on wearing it for the endowment. However, I asked the ladies at the money changing counter, I mean, “rental counter”, and they said it was totally fine to waer the same shirt.
Comment by Riley — September 29, 2010 @ 12:37 pm
Har de har, Riley
Comment by Jacob J — September 29, 2010 @ 3:08 pm
I have worked at the temple for ten years. The men working at the front are only supposed to say “Welcome to the temple Sis. or Bro. so and so. New workers sometimes do not always understand their roles. You never make someone uncomfortable. I have heard men at sacrament meeting complain about flip flops. We live in a very hot climate. Without knowing someone’s job history or handicaps no one has the right to complain about clothes unless its realy extreme. I did hear someone complain about a pager on a womens”s hip. It was a diabetic moniter.
Comment by Becky Haynie — September 30, 2010 @ 4:35 pm
You got me, Becky. I was already saying (mentally), “Well, she *shouldn’t* have been wearing a …” when I got to the rest of your comment.
I hope the complainer in the temple felt as embarrassed and mean-spirited as I just did.
Comment by Ardis E. Parshall — September 30, 2010 @ 5:39 pm
Sorry for the mispelled words.
Comment by Becky Haynie — September 30, 2010 @ 6:23 pm
yeesh, tough crowd…
Comment by Riley — October 1, 2010 @ 1:16 pm
Riley, I cannot tell a lie, it did make me laugh.
Comment by Jacob J — October 2, 2010 @ 12:33 pm
No unclean thing is to enter the Temple, Especially any of the ordinance rooms. By wearing your temple clothes out side, even though you were on Temple grounds, soiled your temple clothes. It was the reason feet were washed etc. Your Temple prep class should have gone over that.
Comment by ASister — September 21, 2013 @ 1:08 pm
Especially any of the ordinance rooms
Yes, because as anyone knows who has attended a wedding at the temple in the last several years, it would be completely inappropriate to enter an sealing room without temple clothes. Oh, wait…
Comment by Jacob J — September 21, 2013 @ 4:46 pm
Wearing work clothes into the Temple can be awkward. I find this thread interesting and I find it a little perplexing that nobody has suggested that the reason for changing from street clothes to white temple clothing is to symbolically shed the world so to speak. Yes we have seen people come out of the Temple in their white temple clothing for pictures and other things. I’m sure most of the time the entered in street clothes. I have seen people in wheelchairs come in white clothing because it’s easier for them and they have special permission. I’m sorry someone made you feel uncomfortable at the Temple. That is perhaps the saddest part of this whole thing. I hope you have since gone back many times and can see that sometimes Temple workers can be a little aggressive in their approach. Hopefully when that brother went to talk to someone else he received further instruction. Maybe that’s why nobody else said anything further to you. I hope you know and feel the love of the Savior in His house and know He would not want you to feel bad about going there. I hope your youth had a wonderful experience there that night and that you all came back again often. ????
Comment by Stephanie — March 17, 2015 @ 6:34 am