President Paternoster's Swimwear Edition

Many Stake President’s the world over have thanked me for my blog letting me know that they not only read it, but also take great counsel and inspiration from the words found therein.  President Wong from Canada recently asked me how I get my members to dress appropriately in the summer.  This question was very timely and I will share with him and all blog readers the following letter that recently proceeded forth from the mouth of the three presiding high priests of our Stake: 

To the beloved sisters and young women of our blessed Stake in Ireland,

In our many years of experience in the Church we have found that as the warmer weather approaches the sisters are often tempted to disregard the counsel of Church leaders with regards to beach and swim wear.  This has caused many a priesthood holder to, as the Saviour put it “look upon them with lust” and/or “commit adultery with them in their hearts”.  You will have all heard by now that Bishop Keane requested to be released following the ward picnic at a beach in the Dingle Peninsula last year.  In his address to the ward he mentioned that the form fitting swimsuits had caused him to view several of the sisters in a way that would not be in keeping with the spirit of the Lord.  Fortunately Bishop Keane repented and has recently accepted a position on the Stake High Council with specific responsibility over the singles ward. 

In the October 2001 General Conference Bishop H. David Burton quoted the “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet saying:

“We need to stand tall in following the counsel of the prophets to attire ourselves modestly. Immodest clothing includes short shorts and skirts, tight [form-fitting] clothing, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and other revealing attire.”

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/standing-tall?lang=eng

When shopping for swim and beach wear one may wonder how to do so all the while heeding the counsel of the brethren to avoid clothes that show the shape of the body (otherwise known as form fitting clothes).

Thankfully we as your stake leaders have researched the issue in order to provide more clarity. The first thing we wish to clarify is that bikinis are extremely displeasing unto the Lord.  In fact from the Church’s official website we learn that bikinis are so evil that we should not even allow our children to dress their dolls in such a demeaning fashion.  This was shown in the article entitled “Trying to be like Jesus Christ” in the Friend magazine, quoted below:

“When I was seven years old, my friend and I were playing with our dolls. We decided to take them swimming with us. I didn’t have my doll’s swimsuit with me. My friend thought my doll could just swim in her bikini. I remembered that when my mom and I had bought the doll, we’d agreed that the bikini was only for wearing under her clothes. I decided to go home and get her one-piece swimsuit. When I came back, my friend and I had a great time. I’m glad that I chose the right.”

http://www.lds.org/friend/2002/02/trying-to-be-like-jesus-christ/one-piece-swimsuit?lang=eng&query=bikini

Often people of the world try to influence the righteous to wear bikinis.  Adults and children alike can learn much from how this eight year old handled the following situation:

“I was at my friend’s house when we decided to go swimming. I hadn’t brought a swimming suit, so I needed to borrow one of hers. Her mom gave me a bikini. I told her I did not want to wear that kind of swimming suit. So she found a different one for me to wear. I’m glad I followed one of My Gospel Standards: “I will dress modestly to show respect for Heavenly Father and myself.”
http://www.lds.org/friend/2007/10/trying-to-be-like-jesus/a-suitable-suit?lang=eng&query=bikini

The key principle to remember when purchasing swimwear is to avoid any and all variations that are form fitting.  As a Stake Presidency we took the time to research the available options.  We were pleased to learn that there are plenty of modest options available.  To avoid any confusion we are including the below photos with our observations. Please use this as your guide when shopping.

We found the below swimsuit to be inappropriate in that it shows the shape and curves of the sisters body in a manner that would be displeasing unto the Lord.  We also noted that contrary to the counsel of Church leaders she has disfigured her body with tattoos and has failed to cover them.  My second counselor President Price also pointed out that this outfit along with her red nails may actually send out the wrong message to any brethren who may be at the beach at the same time as her.  As a Stake Presidency we uniformly agreed that this outfit would be unappealing to all worthy priesthood holders.

At first looks the below swimsuit seems modest but as my first counselor President McRomney pointed out the outfit is in fact just as form fitting as the one in the above photo.

The below photo is what we as a Stake Presidency recommend.  It is both attractive & wholesome.  It will not interfere with swimming and most importantly it meets the Lord's requirement of not being form fitting.  This and other wonderful swimwear can be purchased directly from http://www.wholesomewear.com/skirted-b.html 

As a Stake Presidency we promise that as sisters follow the Saviour by complying with the dress codes given by the brethren in Salt Lake City, Utah, they will be blessed with stronger testimonies and an added measure of the spirit of the Lord. 

Sincerely yours,

President William Lilburn Godfrey Paternoster

President J. Marvin McRomney

President Percy P. Price