LDS garments sold on eBay

Religious clothing brings seller more than $1,000

Deseret Morning News/February 17, 2004
By Leigh Dethman

A pair of sacred religious undergarments worn by LDS faithful sold for more than $1,000 in an Internet auction Sunday.

A Salt Lake man listed item #34109604 on eBay with the description, "These are real, official Mormon undergarments." The auction netted 14 bidders.

The man declined to comment.

More undergarments are available online to the highest bidder. An eBay search Tuesday night listed three separate auctions selling the sacred religious clothing.

Dallas native Andrew Moody is the seller on two of the undergarment auctions. Moody said he has received a large number of e-mails in response to the auctions, many of them "outright rude."

"I've tried to list the auction in a tasteful way," Moody said. "I've been accused of slandering and mocking the Mormon faith. However, I have done nothing of the sort."

On both of his listings, Moody posts a speech by Elder Carlos E. Asay, an emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, titled "The Temple Garment: An Outward Expression of an Inward Commitment."

Moody said members of the LDS Church are angered by his auctions because he is selling something held sacred by the church's nearly 12 million members.

"They have the right to call anything they want sacred," Moody said. "However, I don't believe these are sacred, so I have no problem with selling them to whomever.

"Just because Hindus view cows as sacred doesn't mean I'm going to stop eating hamburgers and juicy steaks."

LDS Church officials declined to comment.

This isn't the first controversial sale of an item LDS members hold sacred. In July 1999, eBay yanked an auction touting an LDS temple recommend.

Because of the Presidents Day holiday, eBay officials could not be reached for comment.