It is not uncommon for Latter-day Saints to hear jokes, ridicule and derisive remarks about the sacred underclothing Mormons wear. On late-night television, on blogs, on YouTube and the Internet one hears these garments referred to as “weird,” “bizarre,” or “magic” underwear, often accompanied by sniggers (or more likely guffaws) and rolled eyes. Because Mormons tend to be regarded as square rather than as simply quaint, media commentators have less compunction in mocking their sacred clothing than they would a Jewish yarmulke, a Sikh turban, or the mitre worn by Catholic bishops.
As someone who teaches religion, I am aware of how easy it is to ridicule the beliefs of others, to take what some believers consider sacred and make it seem silly or ridiculous. In my classes at Graduate Theological Union, I sometimes begin a course by showing clips of Hindu rat worshipers, Pentecostal handlers of...