PRANKISH LORD

Hare Krishna Temple (LUCKY SEVERSON, August 29, 2003, RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY)

MARY ALICE WILLIAMS, guest anchor: Hare Krishna. The name conjures up saffron-robed devotees and 1970s songs. But where are they today? They have their own congregations now, a new temple in which to worship, and help from unlikely strangers. Lucky Severson found one vital Krishna community at the Stone Center of the Latter Day Saints.

LUCKY SEVERSON: About 60 miles south of the Salt Lake Mormon Temple, along the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, at the very epicenter of Mormondom, there is one edifice that is distinctly not Mormon. For a split second, you might wonder if you were in a far away country, like India. What you have here is the very first traditional Hare Krishna Temple built in the U.S.A.

Ten years ago when the Hare Krishna first proposed building a temple on a hill in a county that was over 95 percent Mormon, you could imagine the overall reaction here. It could best be described as disbelief. [...]

As his wife Vie looks on, Caru Das entertains a group of curious senior citizens. The Temple has become one of the most popular attractions in Utah County.

CARU DAS (President, Hare Krishna Temple, Utah): The first words coming out of many of our visitors' mouths when they come through the doors is: How did you guys get to be here? What are you doing here? How did this happen?

SEVERSON: It happened after [Dr. Stan Green, a radiologist, and a Stake President, which is a Mormon position above bishop] dropped by to check out the strange folk with ponytails, who had come to the area in the mid 1970s after learning that people here are exceptionally religious. The two men became good friends, and that led to offers of help from the neighbors and a $25,000 check from the Mormon Church -- otherwise known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, or LDS for short. It is not the first time the LDS Church has contributed to other religions within Utah.

Dr. GREEN (State President, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints): And I'm not sure they could do all of this if they had to pay for everything, and yet certainly they deserve a place to worship just like I deserve a place to worship.

CARU DAS: You know, we think of ourselves as the little brother in the area. And the LDS Church, metaphorically speaking, as the big brother, comes up, pats you on the back, and says good work, you know, we're glad you're here. Keep it up, and here's something to help out, and that was great for us.

Stands in sharp contrast to the bombing in Najaf, no? Posted by Orrin Judd at August 29, 2003 7:51 PM