Actually, followers of Jesus don’t put a premium on place either. Since His resurrection from the dead, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 50 days later, both individual followers and local gatherings of followers of Jesus are the dwelling place of God.
This is a wonderful article. Thank God, really, for our freedom to lead a peaceful and quiet life, free to love God and our neighbors
So government red tape and BS nearly stopped something truly beautiful from being built? My daily reminder of why I’m libertarian. What gorgeous piece of architecture.
Just building things anymore is impressive. I know little about Hinduism but the temple stands as testimony to the strong faith required to build it in this day and age, and I can’t help but imagine lesser, taxpayer-funded structures which cost far more than $96M. I celebrate the effort and will make a point to see it soon.
As an Indian American who grew up here in NJ, went to Rutgers, and is very much a part of the diaspora, your journey was a joy to read. I live 15 mins from this Temple and, yeah, it's a sight to behold. God bless...
Congratulations. It's nice to hear about the real "Religion of Peace" for a change, and not that other religion that causes so much trouble in the world.
Kiran, this was beautiful and refreshing. So many horror stories lately about the ‘downside’ of multiculturalism. Most of us in the host countries of the West can and do get behind immigration when the folks coming in have similar values (or at least, aren’t actively hostile to ours) and a lot to contribute, like the vast majority of the Hindu diaspora. Absolutely love this!
Nice and I can only imagine what the cost would be without volunteer support of the faithful. A beautiful church not only brings glory to God but us a draw to the community for generations and is thus always a good investment.
The author writes "we Hindus don’t even need a place to practice our religion.... (Hinduism) has never put a premium on place.. We don’t need temples—or any buildings, really—in which to practice our faith. "
This is an astoundingly incorrect statement. Literally the opposite of True. It betrays a total lack of understanding of the history and practice of what Hindu religion is and how it has been practiced and the role of temples in it. The implication seems to be that this (and maybe other) temples are somehow a vanity project, a fancy community/cultural center that happens to be a place of worship instead of a place of spiritual/religious upliftment. If that is the implication, it is straight up false and maybe malicious reporting.
In fact it is such a howler, that I would suggest the editors to issue a correction. It is pure hokum.
Let me explain.
The ultimate goal of "practicing" Hinduism is Moksha i.e. liberation from the cycle fo birth and death. This is achieved through various paths, think of them as methods viz. path of knowledge, devoition, Karma, rituals etc. These are often thought of as separate but are in reality the same and interrelated in practice. Temples serve not only as places of "worship" (in a Judeo-Christian sense) but they have always served and continue to serve as places of transmission of these methods. Specific temples are well known for worshiping specific deities, learning the method of worship that is particular for that particular deity etc.. They appeal to people on that particular path. Temples served not only as religious but also stores and transmission-places of cultural and non-religious knowledge systems.
That the author (and most Hindus) have a little shrine at home where they worship daily does not diminish the importance or the need to have temples. You will be laughed at in India for spouting such balderdash.
If fact, it is because of temples that Hinduism survived the centuries of onslaught of Islamic and European Christian zealotry that was unleashed in Indian subcontinent. Indeed, these invaders specifically targeted temples because they correctly saw them as nerve centers of the entire Hindu religio-cultural systems. Which brings me to my next point....
The author also claims "...(destruction of temples by Mughals and Christians) did little, if anything, to stop the practice of Hinduism." Again, this is stupendously ignorant. The kind of stuff one would expect to read in NYT.
Hinduism survived the monotheistic onslaught precisely because of its ability to evolve in face of these upheavals. Temples placed such a crucial role in this that, History of India is replete with incidents where whole cities and towns often sacrificed themselves in front of vastly superior military forces to protect these temples.
The kookery published in this article is a slap in the face of millions of Hindus undertake strenuous pilgrimages every year to specific temples across the subcontinent for their religious betterment.
I would urge the author to educate herself in the religion of her ancestors. And no! Just calling up "Nana and nani" for a couple of quick quotes to slant her writing for her western audiences does not count!
What a delightful piece. Thanks for sharing this. Once again I'm saddened to read Fedzilla charges in with criminal coercion and lies to stymie people of faith from expressing their belief publically. We should all ask the Catholics how they've ended up as a "terror organization" for questioning the content of the education their children receive. Our republic has been taken from us by the roaringly mad leftists and their extreme elements. We've permiited this to happen.
What a lovely story! A much needed change from all the distressing news.
Thank you for sharing this with us!
Actually, followers of Jesus don’t put a premium on place either. Since His resurrection from the dead, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 50 days later, both individual followers and local gatherings of followers of Jesus are the dwelling place of God.
This is a wonderful article. Thank God, really, for our freedom to lead a peaceful and quiet life, free to love God and our neighbors
So government red tape and BS nearly stopped something truly beautiful from being built? My daily reminder of why I’m libertarian. What gorgeous piece of architecture.
Just building things anymore is impressive. I know little about Hinduism but the temple stands as testimony to the strong faith required to build it in this day and age, and I can’t help but imagine lesser, taxpayer-funded structures which cost far more than $96M. I celebrate the effort and will make a point to see it soon.
As an Indian American who grew up here in NJ, went to Rutgers, and is very much a part of the diaspora, your journey was a joy to read. I live 15 mins from this Temple and, yeah, it's a sight to behold. God bless...
Faith-the light in the darkness. A consistent message be it Hindu, Christian, Jew. Comforting.
Congratulations. It's nice to hear about the real "Religion of Peace" for a change, and not that other religion that causes so much trouble in the world.
Kiran, this was beautiful and refreshing. So many horror stories lately about the ‘downside’ of multiculturalism. Most of us in the host countries of the West can and do get behind immigration when the folks coming in have similar values (or at least, aren’t actively hostile to ours) and a lot to contribute, like the vast majority of the Hindu diaspora. Absolutely love this!
Nice and I can only imagine what the cost would be without volunteer support of the faithful. A beautiful church not only brings glory to God but us a draw to the community for generations and is thus always a good investment.
The author writes "we Hindus don’t even need a place to practice our religion.... (Hinduism) has never put a premium on place.. We don’t need temples—or any buildings, really—in which to practice our faith. "
This is an astoundingly incorrect statement. Literally the opposite of True. It betrays a total lack of understanding of the history and practice of what Hindu religion is and how it has been practiced and the role of temples in it. The implication seems to be that this (and maybe other) temples are somehow a vanity project, a fancy community/cultural center that happens to be a place of worship instead of a place of spiritual/religious upliftment. If that is the implication, it is straight up false and maybe malicious reporting.
In fact it is such a howler, that I would suggest the editors to issue a correction. It is pure hokum.
Let me explain.
The ultimate goal of "practicing" Hinduism is Moksha i.e. liberation from the cycle fo birth and death. This is achieved through various paths, think of them as methods viz. path of knowledge, devoition, Karma, rituals etc. These are often thought of as separate but are in reality the same and interrelated in practice. Temples serve not only as places of "worship" (in a Judeo-Christian sense) but they have always served and continue to serve as places of transmission of these methods. Specific temples are well known for worshiping specific deities, learning the method of worship that is particular for that particular deity etc.. They appeal to people on that particular path. Temples served not only as religious but also stores and transmission-places of cultural and non-religious knowledge systems.
That the author (and most Hindus) have a little shrine at home where they worship daily does not diminish the importance or the need to have temples. You will be laughed at in India for spouting such balderdash.
If fact, it is because of temples that Hinduism survived the centuries of onslaught of Islamic and European Christian zealotry that was unleashed in Indian subcontinent. Indeed, these invaders specifically targeted temples because they correctly saw them as nerve centers of the entire Hindu religio-cultural systems. Which brings me to my next point....
The author also claims "...(destruction of temples by Mughals and Christians) did little, if anything, to stop the practice of Hinduism." Again, this is stupendously ignorant. The kind of stuff one would expect to read in NYT.
Hinduism survived the monotheistic onslaught precisely because of its ability to evolve in face of these upheavals. Temples placed such a crucial role in this that, History of India is replete with incidents where whole cities and towns often sacrificed themselves in front of vastly superior military forces to protect these temples.
The kookery published in this article is a slap in the face of millions of Hindus undertake strenuous pilgrimages every year to specific temples across the subcontinent for their religious betterment.
I would urge the author to educate herself in the religion of her ancestors. And no! Just calling up "Nana and nani" for a couple of quick quotes to slant her writing for her western audiences does not count!
What a delightful piece. Thanks for sharing this. Once again I'm saddened to read Fedzilla charges in with criminal coercion and lies to stymie people of faith from expressing their belief publically. We should all ask the Catholics how they've ended up as a "terror organization" for questioning the content of the education their children receive. Our republic has been taken from us by the roaringly mad leftists and their extreme elements. We've permiited this to happen.
This is extraordinary. How beautiful. What a wonderful gift the Hindu-American community has given to the rest of us.
I respect that the Hindu people are still creating beautiful works of art. Meanwhile this is what we westerners consider the height of art: https://twitter.com/BgmLudwig/status/1716785883645424074
Good on them for not only keeping the traditions alive, but creating a building for the whole community and future generations to visit and admire!
Thank you for such an uplifting and beautiful story.
What a beautiful place! As a Jewish guy I hope to visit, and learn more about Hinduism. I will of course take off my shoes, out of respect.