In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Laie Hawaii Temple’s dedication, BYU–Hawaii students, some of whom converted from other faiths, as well as faculty, reflected on the sanctity of all religious structures. Although temples in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are held as the most sacred places for its members, students and faculty said it was important to treat temples and other sacred spaces not of their faith with the same respect and solemnity.
Shinto
Roger Keller, a professor emeritus of BYU, said, “Shinto is primarily about Japan and its people, and while there are shrines outside the country, the kami are truly Japanese.” Kami, according to Japan native Katsushiro Kajiyama, an assistant professor of the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts, are "spirits that are worshipped in the religion of Shinto.” He said a Shinto priest once told him, “Kami are sacred spirits which take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility.”
“Every new year millions of people come to the Meiji Shrine and pray.” He said on New Years Day, those who do not regularly practice Shintoism will visit mountains and pray to Kami.
Catholicism
Anel Canto, a sophomore from Panama majoring in computer science, was raised in the Roman Catholic Church until he was 10 years old. He said, “One interesting thing is some Catholics like going to cathedrals, and they like kneeling to pray. [A cathedral] is definitely a sacred place. In the Catholic Church, there's a place called the holy of holies, which is the place where they keep the sacrament of Christ ... It's kind of similar to the holy of holies in our temple.”
Canto added, "It's nice to know how the Catholics have built throughout the centuries some beautiful pieces of architecture too. It tells the importance they gave to religion, the institution of the Catholic Church and to God.”
Mauna Kea– sacred in nature
Drawing parallels between Mauna Kea and temples, Christian Kunz, an associate professor of social work, said Mauna Kea, a holy mountain on the Big Island, is similar to the gospel of the Church, including its temples. “When we look at the scriptures, there are plenty of examples of mountains being considered sacred.
“Being members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we certainly have had a history of persecution and people not respecting our beliefs. For us to turn around and dismiss someone else’s beliefs is pretty hypocritical, in the very least.”
Kunz first visited Mauna Kea as a legal observer in July 2019, for four days. “I knew Native Hawaiians viewed the Mauna as a spiritual and a sacred place, but I certainly didn’t embrace that belief as well. When I got there, there was a feeling of acceptance from the people there. It was overwhelming. They have committed to live what they call ‘Kapu Aloha,’ which is treating everyone with nothing but love, respect and empathy.”
At Mauna Kea, professors from around Hawaii would volunteer their time to educate others about Native Hawaiian culture and social action. “When I sat there and listened, it really clicked for me. One of the classes I sat in was called ‘Akua Mauna,’ which means ‘the gods of the Mauna,’ and the teacher told the stories of the gods of the mountain. It just made sense.”
The teacher told a story of how a chief, despite all his power and authority, could not go on Mauna Kea, because it was viewed as being so sacred. “The teacher even said, ‘I practice Native Hawaiian traditions, and even though I don’t go to the mountain very often. I go maybe three times a year if I’m ever in a place where I need to be able to see more clearly.' Immediately, I started thinking how I thought that when I went to the temple.”
Kunz added how, with the increase in telescopes on Mauna Kea and the rise in tourism on the mountain, he could not imagine what it would feel like to be an indigenous person.
“Native Hawaiians are told they should not go there very often because it is so sacred and not to be taken lightly, and yet here people are going up there all the time. It’d be kind of like opening the doors of our temple, and people just took over and were going in all the time. These experiences helped me understand the sacredness and significance of Mauna Kea.”
Buddhism
Venerable Fred, a Buddhist monk at the Sacred Falls International Meditation Center, and the Wat Lao Sithammaram Temple at Ewa Beach, explained temples and sacred spots of any faith served the purpose of making one a better human being.
Fred, clad in his bright orange robe, explained how sacred places, both in nature and human-made, always have an element of beauty to them.
“I think beauty can inspire some higher feelings in us. And it does not depend on which faith, anything beautiful can be inspiring. People put energy and inspiration into a building or an object, and little by little, this energy of prayers builds up more feelings of something beyond what we can perceive. And it doesn’t matter what faith you are. We all have in us, this aspiration for something higher, and are trying to connect to something beyond reality.”
He said, “Try to understand the meaning, because every ritual has a meaning behind it. We can then connect with [our brothers and sisters] because the meaning of these rituals exists in other faiths, it is just practiced differently.”
Mecca and Islam
Jia Jun Liew, a senior from Malaysia majoring in accounting and finance, grew up in an area where Islam is predominant.
Liew explained how entering Mecca was similar to a member of the Church entering the temple and partaking in its ordinances because Mecca is considered the holiest city in all of Islam. It is the birthplace of their founding prophet Muhammad and the site of his first revelation.
“Over in Mecca, they perform prayers while wearing pieces of special clothing which are usually white, similar to our temple robes. They’re different for men and women. Muslims are encouraged to perform their pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. In a way, it is similar to our temple endowments, because we are also encouraged to take part in the sacred ordinances of the temple in order to obtain the blessings that God has in store for us.”
Hindu Temples
Vinodh Chellapilli, a freshman from India majoring in applied mathematics, grew up as a member of the Hindu faith until he joined the Church at the age of 17.
His extended family was separated from him, but, according to him, “The gods say our family needs to gather every year at the Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, for a family festival. The temple became a place of gathering for us.
“One week, we will do a festival honoring the main gods. And the next week, we would hold a festival for those who passed away. This festival is all about unity and honoring our ancestors.”
In his village, Chellapilli’s family had their own private temple, where they worshipped their gods, and once a year would make a journey to a larger, public temple, meant to be a gathering place to worship. He said, “You should respect Hindu temples as you would respect your own temples.”
When he first went through the temples of the Church to receive his endowments and participate in the ordinances there, Chellapilli said, “I felt so much happiness. I was in tears. I felt the Spirit. I felt the angels were next to me and felt such a strong feeling.”