When the Laie Hawaii Temple was dedicated, at least 90 to 95 percent of all Church members in Hawaii were native Hawaiians, said Religion Professor Eric Marlowe, and because of their faith, the temple was built.
“The process of building the temple, by itself, is not very significant,” said Marlowe speaking at a luncheon on campus, “but it’s what the people can do with it which is significant. Early on, this temple was incredibly remote. It’s hard to imagine a temple being out here. There are plenty of accounts of people rounding the bend in Hauula and just being shocked there is such an edifice out here. The remoteness of it is striking.”
Giving an address at the April 4 BYU–Hawaii Women’s Organization luncheon in the Aloha Center Ballroom, Marlowe spoke about the history of the temple and also his personal appreciation for temples.
History of Hawaiian saints
Using a slideshow, Marlowe showed early Hawaiian members of the Church wearing white on the day the temple was dedicated in 1919. Marlowe said, “These were the people upon whose faith the temple was built. Temples are built based on the faith of the saints.”
Marlowe proceeded to give a history of the Church in the Pacific, referring to two main events in the Church’s main history. One was the first-time missionaries were sent by the Church to preach in the Pacific in 1843, under the Prophet Joseph Smith. The second was 1850, with the first missionaries arriving in Hawaii, called the Sandwich Islands at the time.
President Brigham Young sent Addison Pratt, a former whaler, to preach in the islands. Pratt became the first missionary of the Church to preach in a language other than English. Along with three other missionaries, Pratt and his companions ended up in French Polynesia and converted several thousand of its people.
Marlowe showed these events parallel with the events occurring on the mainland, as thousands of members were immigrating to Utah.
The sailing ship Brooklyn, under the command of Samuel Brannan, the highest-ranking Church leader in the east, set off for the west and stopped in Hawaii. Brannan was asked to give a sermon in the church, which many called the first sermon given in the Pacific.
Missionaries in Hawaii were called from California, where the Gold Rush was occurring, according to Marlowe.
Marlowe then skipped to a slide showing the painting made famous by its presence in the McKay Foyer. The painting depicts the brethren dedicating the Hawaiian Islands for the preaching of the gospel, set against the lush painted background of the islands.
Joseph F. Smith, who had been a missionary to the islands, was given the task of finding a gathering place for the Hawaiian Saints. “In 1868, Laie looked very different. It was barren and windswept,” said Marlowe. “A sugar plantation was established as were a mission home and chapel. Hawaiian saints could not emigrate to Utah, so it was important for them to have a temple where they could have work done.”
When the 50th anniversary of the Hawaiian mission came around in 1900, George Q. Cannon came back to the islands for a celebration since he was a missionary here. Cannon began to talk more about temples in Hawaii. “If anybody has a picture of the longevity of the righteousness of the Hawaiian saints, it’s him,” Marlowe said. “Some of the people he originally taught are still there 50 years later. He sees the generations after and decides the Church needs to be giving temple blessings to these people.
“Fast-forward 15 years. He, [Cannon], talks about temple ordinances but he doesn’t talk about temples, except in private, where he believes there will be a temple in Hawaii. Samuel Woolley takes it to heart.”
In 1915, Joseph F. Smith, now the prophet, returned to Hawaii, invited by Reed Smoot, an apostle and U.S. senator. “I would love to have been there,” Marlowe expressed. “I’m sure he, (Smith), is speaking fluent Hawaiian. He’s lived among them all before.’
Two years prior to this, the Alberta Canada Temple had been announced, and ideas are flowing in Samuel Woolley’s head. This is also in the middle of World War I, and temples aren’t usually built during wars, but Hawaii is a good distance away.
“At the end of the trip, on the birthday of Brigham Young,” Marlowe continued, “Joseph F. Smith went [with] the bishop and Reed Smoot to the chapel and determined that they would dedicate the land then and there. Without approval of the First Presidency, they determine they will do this, and it will be approved regardless.”
Over three months, Joseph F. Smith and Samuel Woolley wrote to one another in cryptic letters, using the words “special house” instead of “temple.” At the opening session of General Conference later in the year, Smith finished his lengthy talk and announced the temple at the conference.
According to Marlowe, the Church and the saints in Hawaii wasted no time building the temple. With a design very similar to the Alberta Canada Temple, both temples were modeled after an ancient design most famously found in Solomon’s Temple. At the time, only the Salt Lake City Temple had an Angel Moroni on the top; none of the others did.
“What was genius about the design is they maximized everything. At this point, the Church is still worried about money. This design uses every available space [and] the efficiency of what the saints were doing. It maximized, being the first of the small temples.”
Unlike the Salt Lake City and Alberta temples, which had been built using stone, the Laie Temple was built using cement and crushed rocks for the structure. Marlowe said he loved the idea of the Hawaiian saints using rocks from their island -lava stones- in the building of the temple. In ancient times, he said, Hawaiians used lava stones for constructing their temples.
“Looking very carefully,” Marlowe pointed out, “the shape of the temple becomes a Grecian cross from a view up above. Now don’t think crucifix. The Grecian cross had a reference to the four corners of the Earth, of taking the gospel to the four corners of the Earth. The purpose of the gathering is to come to temples, to bring people from the four corners of the Earth.”
The completion of the temple
The temple was completed by 1918, although it could not be dedicated at the time due to World War I ending and the influenza outbreak. Joseph F. Smith eventually died of pneumonia and did not live to see the dedication. The temple was ultimately dedicated on Nov. 27, 1919, by President Heber J. Grant. As was traditional with temple dedications, Marlowe said, the leadership were the first to enter into the completed temple.
Marlowe showed a photograph taken the day of the dedication. It depicted hundreds of people dressed in their finest clothes lining up to enter into the temple. He said 300 or more people attended a session. On Sunday, President Grant held a Primary session, where all the Primary children were allowed to enter the temple. Outside, he led the children in song.
Marlowe has written a book on the history of the temple. It is called “The Laie Hawaii Temple: A Century of Aloha.” He said the book was written with support from the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and help from a committee lead by Elder Aley K. Auna Jr., the former Hawaii Area Seventy Authority. Marlowe said the book is being edited and is scheduled to be released in September. It is published through the Religious Studies Center–BYU/Deseret Book. He is also scheduled to give a devotional address during the Fall 2019 Semester.
Writer: Elijah Hadley