Underwear

Clothing fashions are generally dictated by culture. God has placed limits on what we might choose to wear, but within those limits there is quite a bit of latitude. So before we discuss underwear, let's first make sure we understand the purpose of clothing.

The foremost reason for clothing is cover up those parts of our body which are involved in sex. In the Bible it talks about a person's "nakedness." The reason young children don't understand the need for clothing is that they have not yet reached the age of having sexual desire. So parents enforce rules until a child is old enough to understand the need for the rules. For details and verses on this, see "Proper Attire." For men, we also cover up our genitals so it isn't announced to the world when we have an erection.

Another reason for clothing is to control our body's temperature. In cool climates clothing traps heat so that we stay warmer. In hot climates clothing can keep heat away from the body, which is why people in the desert wear clothing that covers most of their body.

Yet another reason for clothing is for protection. Fair skinned people especially understand that exposed skin can burn, which can lead to skin cancer later in life. But we also wear clothing to protect sensitive areas of our bodies. We wear shoes so that we can walk on rough surfaces without pain. Our genitals are very sensitive and clothing keeps things from directly touching them.