Laie Hawaii Temple
Encyclopedia
Laie Hawaii Temple is a temple
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) located on the northeast shore
of the Hawaiian island of Oahu
. The temple sits on a small hill a half-mile from the Pacific Ocean
in the town of Lāie
, 35 miles (56.3 km) from Honolulu
. Along with Brigham Young University Hawaii
and the Polynesian Cultural Center
, the Laie Hawaii Temple plays an important role in the town of Lā'ie, with the temple Visitors' Center attracting more than 100,000 people annually.
Laie Hawaii Temple was the first LDS Church temple built outside of the continental United States. The temple is also the oldest to operate outside of Utah
, and the fifth-oldest LDS temple still in operation. The site of the temple was dedicated by Church President Joseph F. Smith
on June 1, 1915, and the completed structure was dedicated by Church President Heber J. Grant
on November 27, 1919. Laie Hawaii Temple was formerly known as the Hawaiian Temple or the Hawaii Temple until a standard naming convention for LDS temples was adopted in the early 2000s.
, the first ten Mormon missionaries
to Hawaii departed San Francisco on the ship Imaum of Muscat. After 20 days at sea, the ship arrived on December 12, 1850, in Honolulu Harbor
at what was then known as the "Sandwich Islands" (Hawaiian Islands
). A week later, nine missionaries received their assignments; two headed to the island of Kaua'i, three to Lahaina on the island of Maui
, two to the Big Island of Hawaii
, and two stayed behind in Honolulu. These nine missionaries formed the basis of the Sandwich Islands Mission. The first LDS Church congregation in Hawaii was established on the island of Maui in 1851. Missionaries settled on the island of Lānai
in 1854, and in Lāʻie on the island of Oahu
in 1865.
, one of the original ten missionaries, visited Lāʻie in 1900 and became revered as a prophet
for promoting the idea of a new Hawaiian temple among his congregations.
In 1915, Joseph F. Smith
, then sixth president of the LDS Church, announced plans for the first temple outside the continental United States and chose Lāʻie for construction. According to Mormon folklore
, precious materials arrived just in time to complete the building of the temple: Temple builders ran out of wood (a scarce commodity on the islands) during initial construction, but local members received lumber when a ship ran aground and needed to unload some of its cargo of wood. The temple builders volunteered to help the ship and were given the lumber out of gratitude. The lumber taken from the ship proved to be just enough to finish the temple.
When news of the new Laie Hawaii Temple reached Native Hawaiian converts (and other Polynesians) living far from home in the town of Iosepa, Utah, many decided to emigrate back to Hawaii. Although the Hawaiians had lived in Iosepa since 1889, the closest temple, Salt Lake Temple
, was 75 miles away from the colony. Moving to Laie gave the Hawaiians the ability to be closer to the new temple and allowed them to perform sacred ordinances without having to travel great distances. By January 1917, most of the Hawaiians returned home, leaving Iosepa a ghost town
.
LDS Church President Heber J. Grant
presided over the Hawaiian Temple's dedication on November 27, 1919. Grant called the Hawaiian people "descendants of Lehi" (a prophet
in the Book of Mormon
), and saw the future of the new temple in Lāʻie as a magnet for Polynesia
n converts. After the temple was completed, more Polynesians moved to Lāʻie, hoping to participate in temple ordinances. Tourists were also drawn to the area, and guide books of the time compared the Lāʻie temple to the Taj Mahal
.
The 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor
gave rise to another popular tale about the Laie Hawaii Temple in Mormon folklore. According to variations on this story, Japanese
aircraft pilots attempted to bomb
or strafe
the Hawaiian Temple just prior to or just after the attack, but were thwarted by mechanical failure or from an unseen protective force. Some stories suggest that the Japanese pilot who attempted to attack the temple was converted to the LDS Church after he saw a picture of the temple in the possession of Mormon missionaries in Japan. Although there is an eyewitness who believes he saw the attempted bombing, and a former missionary who says he met the Japanese convert, historians have found little supporting evidence that would substantiate these stories.
rededicated the temple on June 13, 1978.
A $5.5 million renovation, renewal, and beautification
project along Hale Laa Boulevard leading to the temple began in 2003, lasting 14 months: Norfolk pines suffering from termite infestation were replaced with royal palms
, new decorative lighting was added to the terraces, and landscaped roundabouts were put in place. At the same time, the Visitors' Center was upgraded with interactive kiosk
s and new displays.
The temple underwent another extensive renovation beginning in 2008 to make mechanical and structural upgrades. The project was complete by July 2011.
referred to in the biblical canon
. The temple is often compared to the Cardston Alberta Temple
, designed by young architects Hyrum Pope and Harold Burton. Pope and Burton's design was also used for Laie, and their work is rooted in the Prairie style architecture made popular by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
in the early twentieth-century. The temples also evoke Mesoamerican architectural
motifs, a favored theme of Burton's.
The temple sits on an 11 acres (4.5 ha) site that was once part of a large sugarcane plantation
. Construction of the temple first began in February 1916. Native materials consisting of crushed lava rock were used to build the temple, along with reinforced concrete. The building's gleaming white finish was created using pneumatic stone-cutting
techniques. The temple has the shape of a cross when seen from the air; the highest point of the temple is 50 ft (15.2 m), and it measures 102 ft (31.1 m) from east to west and 78 ft (23.8 m) from north to south. The front exterior was designed in the form of a Greek cross, but lacks a tower, a rarity in LDS Church temples. Apart from the Laie Hawaii Temple, only two other church temples lack towers or spires: the Cardston Alberta Temple and the Mesa Arizona Temple
.
The exterior of the temple exhibits four large frieze
s planned by American sculptor J. Leo Fairbanks and built with the help of his brother Avard Fairbanks
. Modeled four-fifths lifesize and cast in concrete, the bas-relief friezes depict God’s dealings with Man. The north frieze depicts the story of the Book of Mormon
. The west frieze shows the people of the Old Testament
. The New Testament
and the Apostasy are depicted on the southern frieze of the temple, and the restoration of the Church through Joseph Smith is shown on the east frieze. On the grounds of the temple are statues also designed by the Fairbanks brothers, including Joseph
being blessed by his father and one of the Prophet Lehi
in a scene from the Second Book of Nephi
in the Book of Mormon
.
As visitors approach the temple and pass a number of reflecting pools, a maternity fountain sits in front of the uppermost pool. Designed by the Fairbanks brothers, this bold relief honors Hawaiian Motherhood and depicts a Hawaiian mother holding a giant clam
shell while pouring water over her children. The act is supposed to symbolize mothers pouring their love, hope and care onto their children.
The landscaped temple grounds contain tropical garden
s, with plants such as hibiscus
, Brazilian plume
, birds of paradise, lantana
, red ginger
, bougainvillea
, plumeria
, Ixora
, and others. At the base of the temple grounds is a fountain separating an LDS Family History Center
and a Visitors' Center, where a ten-foot sculpture replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen
's Christus stands inside the entrance.
The Laie Hawaii Temple is 47224 square feet (4,387.3 m²) and houses three ordinance rooms and six sealing rooms. Landscape artist LeConte Stewart
designed many of the murals found inside the temple.
and eternal marriage, a ritual in which couples and families are sealed for time and all eternity. Because of these strict guidelines, non-Mormons are not allowed inside temples, but public tours of the grounds outside and of the visitors' centers are available.
| version = Ph. D. dissertation
| publisher = Brigham Young University
| date = Dec. 2005
| url = http://patriot.lib.byu.edu/ETD/image/etd1151.pdf
| format = PDF
| accessdate = 2008-06-28
}}ahu's Hidden History: Tours Into the Past
| publisher = Mutual Publishing
| year = 1998
| location = Honolulu, HI
| pages =
| isbn = 1-56647-211-3
}}
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) located on the northeast shore
North Shore (Oahu)
The North Shore, in the context of geography of the Island of Oahu, refers to the north-facing coastal area of Oahu between Kaena Point and Kahuku Point...
of the Hawaiian island of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. The temple sits on a small hill a half-mile from the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
in the town of Lāie
La'ie, Hawai'i
Laie is a census-designated place located in the Koolauloa District on the island of Oahu in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. In Hawaiian, lāie means "ie leaf" . The population was 4,585 at the 2000 census.-History:Historically, Laie was a puuhonua, a sanctuary for fugitives...
, 35 miles (56.3 km) from Honolulu
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
. Along with Brigham Young University Hawaii
Brigham Young University Hawaii
Brigham Young University–Hawaii is a private university located in Laie, Hawaii. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
and the Polynesian Cultural Center
Polynesian Cultural Center
The Polynesian Cultural Center is a Polynesian-themed theme park or living museum located in Laie, on the northern shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Dedicated on October 12, 1963, the PCC occupies owned by nearby Brigham Young University–Hawaii....
, the Laie Hawaii Temple plays an important role in the town of Lā'ie, with the temple Visitors' Center attracting more than 100,000 people annually.
Laie Hawaii Temple was the first LDS Church temple built outside of the continental United States. The temple is also the oldest to operate outside of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and the fifth-oldest LDS temple still in operation. The site of the temple was dedicated by Church President Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
on June 1, 1915, and the completed structure was dedicated by Church President Heber J. Grant
Heber J. Grant
Heber Jeddy Grant was the seventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was ordained an apostle on October 16, 1882, on the same day as George Teasdale...
on November 27, 1919. Laie Hawaii Temple was formerly known as the Hawaiian Temple or the Hawaii Temple until a standard naming convention for LDS temples was adopted in the early 2000s.
Sandwich Islands Mission
During the California Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, the first ten Mormon missionaries
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
to Hawaii departed San Francisco on the ship Imaum of Muscat. After 20 days at sea, the ship arrived on December 12, 1850, in Honolulu Harbor
Honolulu Harbor
Honolulu Harbor, also called Kulolia and Ke Awa O Kou, is the principal seaport of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii in the United States. It is from Honolulu Harbor, located on Mamala Bay, that the City & County of Honolulu was developed and urbanized, in an outward fashion, over the course of the...
at what was then known as the "Sandwich Islands" (Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
). A week later, nine missionaries received their assignments; two headed to the island of Kaua'i, three to Lahaina on the island of Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
, two to the Big Island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
, and two stayed behind in Honolulu. These nine missionaries formed the basis of the Sandwich Islands Mission. The first LDS Church congregation in Hawaii was established on the island of Maui in 1851. Missionaries settled on the island of Lānai
Lanai
Lānai or Lanai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The only town is Lānai City, a small settlement....
in 1854, and in Lāʻie on the island of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
in 1865.
Lāie
In 1865, the Church purchased a 6000 acres (24.3 km²) sugarcane plantation as a gathering place for the Latter-day Saints in the area. While on a mission to the Sandwich Islands, Joseph F. Smith first proposed building a temple in Hawaii during a meeting in Lāie on February 15, 1885. George Q. CannonGeorge Q. Cannon
George Quayle Cannon was an early member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and served in the First Presidency under four successive presidents of the church: Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow...
, one of the original ten missionaries, visited Lāʻie in 1900 and became revered as a prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
for promoting the idea of a new Hawaiian temple among his congregations.
In 1915, Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, then sixth president of the LDS Church, announced plans for the first temple outside the continental United States and chose Lāʻie for construction. According to Mormon folklore
Mormon folklore
Mormon folklore is a body of expressive culture unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members. It includes tales, oral history, popular beliefs, customs, music, jokes, and other traditions....
, precious materials arrived just in time to complete the building of the temple: Temple builders ran out of wood (a scarce commodity on the islands) during initial construction, but local members received lumber when a ship ran aground and needed to unload some of its cargo of wood. The temple builders volunteered to help the ship and were given the lumber out of gratitude. The lumber taken from the ship proved to be just enough to finish the temple.
When news of the new Laie Hawaii Temple reached Native Hawaiian converts (and other Polynesians) living far from home in the town of Iosepa, Utah, many decided to emigrate back to Hawaii. Although the Hawaiians had lived in Iosepa since 1889, the closest temple, Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
, was 75 miles away from the colony. Moving to Laie gave the Hawaiians the ability to be closer to the new temple and allowed them to perform sacred ordinances without having to travel great distances. By January 1917, most of the Hawaiians returned home, leaving Iosepa a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
.
LDS Church President Heber J. Grant
Heber J. Grant
Heber Jeddy Grant was the seventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was ordained an apostle on October 16, 1882, on the same day as George Teasdale...
presided over the Hawaiian Temple's dedication on November 27, 1919. Grant called the Hawaiian people "descendants of Lehi" (a prophet
Lehi (Book of Mormon prophet)
According to the Book of Mormon, Lehi was a prophet who lived in Jerusalem during the reign of king Zedekiah . Lehi was an Israelite of the Tribe of Manasseh, and father to Nephi, another prominent prophet in the Book of Mormon...
in the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
), and saw the future of the new temple in Lāʻie as a magnet for Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
n converts. After the temple was completed, more Polynesians moved to Lāʻie, hoping to participate in temple ordinances. Tourists were also drawn to the area, and guide books of the time compared the Lāʻie temple to the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
.
The 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
gave rise to another popular tale about the Laie Hawaii Temple in Mormon folklore. According to variations on this story, Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
aircraft pilots attempted to bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
or strafe
Strafing
Strafing is the practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. This means, that although ground attack using automatic weapons fire is very often accompanied with bombing or rocket fire, the term "strafing" does not specifically include the...
the Hawaiian Temple just prior to or just after the attack, but were thwarted by mechanical failure or from an unseen protective force. Some stories suggest that the Japanese pilot who attempted to attack the temple was converted to the LDS Church after he saw a picture of the temple in the possession of Mormon missionaries in Japan. Although there is an eyewitness who believes he saw the attempted bombing, and a former missionary who says he met the Japanese convert, historians have found little supporting evidence that would substantiate these stories.
Renovation
Beginning in May 1976, the temple was closed for a two-year remodeling project, expanding from 10500 square feet (975.5 m²) to over 47000 square feet (4,366.4 m²). Church president Spencer W. KimballSpencer W. Kimball
Spencer Woolley Kimball was the twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973 until his death in 1985.-Ancestry:...
rededicated the temple on June 13, 1978.
A $5.5 million renovation, renewal, and beautification
Beautification
Beautification is the process of making visual improvements to a person, place or thing. With regard to a town, city or to an urban area, this most often involves planting trees, shrubbery, and other greenery, but frequently also includes adding decorative or historic-style street lights and other...
project along Hale Laa Boulevard leading to the temple began in 2003, lasting 14 months: Norfolk pines suffering from termite infestation were replaced with royal palms
Roystonea
Roystonea is a genus of eleven species of monoecious palms, native to the Caribbean Islands, and the adjacent coasts of Florida, Central and South America. Commonly known as the royal palms, the genus was named for Roy Stone, a U.S. Army engineer...
, new decorative lighting was added to the terraces, and landscaped roundabouts were put in place. At the same time, the Visitors' Center was upgraded with interactive kiosk
Interactive kiosk
An Interactive kiosk is a computer terminal featuring specialized hardware and software designed within a public exhibit that provides access to information and applications for communication, commerce, entertainment, and education....
s and new displays.
The temple underwent another extensive renovation beginning in 2008 to make mechanical and structural upgrades. The project was complete by July 2011.
Architecture
Church President Joseph F. Smith wanted the architecture of the Laie Hawaii Temple to resemble Solomon's TempleSolomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was the main temple in ancient Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount , before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE....
referred to in the biblical canon
Biblical canon
A biblical canon, or canon of scripture, is a list of books considered to be authoritative as scripture by a particular religious community. The term itself was first coined by Christians, but the idea is found in Jewish sources. The internal wording of the text can also be specified, for example...
. The temple is often compared to the Cardston Alberta Temple
Cardston Alberta Temple
The Cardston Alberta Temple is the eighth constructed and sixth operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in Cardston, Alberta, it is the oldest LDS temple outside the United States. It is one of eight temples that do not have an angel Moroni statue, and one of...
, designed by young architects Hyrum Pope and Harold Burton. Pope and Burton's design was also used for Laie, and their work is rooted in the Prairie style architecture made popular by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
in the early twentieth-century. The temples also evoke Mesoamerican architectural
Mesoamerican architecture
Mesoamerican architecture is the set of architectural traditions produced by pre-Columbian cultures and civilizations of Mesoamerica, traditions which are best known in the form of public, ceremonial and urban monumental buildings and structures...
motifs, a favored theme of Burton's.
The temple sits on an 11 acres (4.5 ha) site that was once part of a large sugarcane plantation
Sugar plantations in Hawaii
Sugarcane was introduced to Hawaii by its first inhabitants in approximately 600 AD and was observed by Captain Cook upon arrival in the islands in 1778. Sugar quickly turned into a big business and generated rapid population growth in the islands with 337,000 people immigrating over the span of a...
. Construction of the temple first began in February 1916. Native materials consisting of crushed lava rock were used to build the temple, along with reinforced concrete. The building's gleaming white finish was created using pneumatic stone-cutting
Stone carving
Stone carving is an ancient activity where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, evidence can be found that even the earliest societies indulged in some form of stone work....
techniques. The temple has the shape of a cross when seen from the air; the highest point of the temple is 50 ft (15.2 m), and it measures 102 ft (31.1 m) from east to west and 78 ft (23.8 m) from north to south. The front exterior was designed in the form of a Greek cross, but lacks a tower, a rarity in LDS Church temples. Apart from the Laie Hawaii Temple, only two other church temples lack towers or spires: the Cardston Alberta Temple and the Mesa Arizona Temple
Mesa Arizona Temple
The Mesa Arizona Temple is the seventh operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Mesa, Arizona, it is the first of five LDS temples built or planned in the state.-History:...
.
The exterior of the temple exhibits four large frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
s planned by American sculptor J. Leo Fairbanks and built with the help of his brother Avard Fairbanks
Avard Fairbanks
Avard Tennyson Fairbanks was a prolific 20th century American sculptor. Three of his sculptures are in the United States Capitol, and the state capitols in both Utah and Wyoming, as well as numerous other locations, also have his works...
. Modeled four-fifths lifesize and cast in concrete, the bas-relief friezes depict God’s dealings with Man. The north frieze depicts the story of the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. The west frieze shows the people of the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
. The New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and the Apostasy are depicted on the southern frieze of the temple, and the restoration of the Church through Joseph Smith is shown on the east frieze. On the grounds of the temple are statues also designed by the Fairbanks brothers, including Joseph
Joseph (Book of Mormon)
In the Book of Mormon, Joseph is a priest, and a younger brother of the Prophets Nephi and Jacob.-Family:See also Joseph ....
being blessed by his father and one of the Prophet Lehi
Lehi (Book of Mormon prophet)
According to the Book of Mormon, Lehi was a prophet who lived in Jerusalem during the reign of king Zedekiah . Lehi was an Israelite of the Tribe of Manasseh, and father to Nephi, another prominent prophet in the Book of Mormon...
in a scene from the Second Book of Nephi
Second Book of Nephi
The Second Book of Nephi is the second book of the Book of Mormon. The book is usually referred to as Second Nephi, and is abbreviated "2 Ne." According to the book, it was written by the ancient prophet Nephi, who lived around 600 BC....
in the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
.
As visitors approach the temple and pass a number of reflecting pools, a maternity fountain sits in front of the uppermost pool. Designed by the Fairbanks brothers, this bold relief honors Hawaiian Motherhood and depicts a Hawaiian mother holding a giant clam
Giant clam
The giant clam, Tridacna gigas , is the largest living bivalve mollusc. T. gigas is one of the most endangered clam species. It was mentioned as early as 1825 in scientific reports...
shell while pouring water over her children. The act is supposed to symbolize mothers pouring their love, hope and care onto their children.
The landscaped temple grounds contain tropical garden
Tropical garden
A tropical garden features tropical plants and requires good rainfall or a decent irrigation or sprinkler system for watering. These gardens typically need fertilizer and heavy mulching....
s, with plants such as hibiscus
Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world...
, Brazilian plume
Justicia umbrosa
Justicia umbrosa is an ornamental shrub native of Cerrado vegetation of Brazil. This plant may be propagated by herbaceous stem cutting, and it can usually get to 1,50 - 2,50 m tall...
, birds of paradise, lantana
Lantana
Lantana is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in the Australian-Pacific region. The genus includes both...
, red ginger
Red Ginger
Red Ginger , also called Ostrich Plume and Pink Cone Ginger, are native Malaysian plants with showy flowers on long brightly colored red bracts. They look like the bloom, but the true flower is the small white flower on top.Its two varieties are called Jungle King and Jungle Queen...
, bougainvillea
Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina . Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus...
, plumeria
Plumeria
Plumeria is a genus of flowering plants of the family that includes Dogbane: the Apocynaceae. It contains 7-8 species of mainly deciduous shrubs and small trees...
, Ixora
Ixora
Ixora is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. It consists of tropical evergreen trees and shrubs and holds around 500 species. Though native to the tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world, its centre of diversity is in Tropical Asia. Ixora also grows commonly in...
, and others. At the base of the temple grounds is a fountain separating an LDS Family History Center
Family History Center (LDS Church)
Family History Centers are units of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
and a Visitors' Center, where a ten-foot sculpture replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish-Icelandic sculptor of international fame, who spent most of his life in Italy . Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen into a Danish/Icelandic family of humble means, and was accepted to the Royal Academy of Arts when he was eleven years old...
's Christus stands inside the entrance.
The Laie Hawaii Temple is 47224 square feet (4,387.3 m²) and houses three ordinance rooms and six sealing rooms. Landscape artist LeConte Stewart
LeConte Stewart
LeConte Stewart was a Mormon artist primarily known for his landscapes of rural Utah. His media included oils, watercolors, pastel and charcoal, as well as etchings, linocuts, and lithographs. His home/studio in Kaysville, Utah is on the National Register of Historic Places.-Personal life:Stewart...
designed many of the murals found inside the temple.
Admittance
Laie Hawaii Temple is not used for regular Sunday worship. As temples are considered sacred houses of the Lord, only church members who keep Gospel covenants are allowed to enter for the purpose of participating in sacred ceremonies such as baptism for the deadBaptism for the dead
Baptism for the dead, vicarious baptism or proxy baptism is the religious practice of baptizing a living person on behalf of one who is dead, with the living person acting as the deceased person's proxy...
and eternal marriage, a ritual in which couples and families are sealed for time and all eternity. Because of these strict guidelines, non-Mormons are not allowed inside temples, but public tours of the grounds outside and of the visitors' centers are available.
Temple Presidents
- William M. Waddoups, 1919–1930
- Castle H. Murphy, 1930–1931
- William M. Waddoups, 1931–1936
- Edward L. ClissoldEdward L. ClissoldEdward L. Clissold was a leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in both Hawaii and Japan.Clissold was a resident of Hawaii by the early 1930s. From 1931-1932 he served as president of the Lions Club of Honolulu...
, 1936–1938 - Castle H. Murphy, 1938–1941
- Albert H. Belliston, 1941–1943
- Edward L. ClissoldEdward L. ClissoldEdward L. Clissold was a leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in both Hawaii and Japan.Clissold was a resident of Hawaii by the early 1930s. From 1931-1932 he served as president of the Lions Club of Honolulu...
, 1943–1944 - Ralph E. Woolley, 1944–1953
- Benjamin Bowring, 1953–1956
- Ray E. Dillman, 1956–1959
- H. Roland Tietjen, 1959–1963
- Edward L. ClissoldEdward L. ClissoldEdward L. Clissold was a leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in both Hawaii and Japan.Clissold was a resident of Hawaii by the early 1930s. From 1931-1932 he served as president of the Lions Club of Honolulu...
, 1963–1965 - Harry B. Brooks, 1965–1971
- C. Lloyd Walch, 1971–1978
- Max W. Moody, 1978–1982
- Robert D. Finlayson, 1982–1986
- D. Arthur Haycock, 1986–1989
- Victor B. Jex, 1989–1992
- Albert Y. G. Ho, 1992–1995
- T. David Hannemann, 1995–1998
- J. Richard ClarkeJ. Richard ClarkeJohn Richard Clarke has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1976. He has been a member of the church's presiding bishopric and a member of the Presidency of the Seventy....
, 1998–2001 - Glenn Y. M. Lung, 2001–2004
- Wayne O. Ursenbach, 2004–2007
- H. Ross Workman, 2007–present
See also
- Kona Hawaii TempleKona Hawaii TempleThe Kona Hawaii Temple is the 70th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The temple is located in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii and is the second temple built in Hawaii, along with the Laie Hawaii Temple...
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsComparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsBelow is a chronological list of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with sortable columns. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth...
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
- Temple (Latter Day Saints)
- Temple (LDS Church)Temple (LDS Church)In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in HawaiiThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in HawaiiThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in the Hawaiian Islands in 1850 following the Edict of Toleration promulgated by Kamehameha III, giving the underground Hawaii Catholic Church the right to worship, and at the same time allowing other faith traditions to begin...
Further reading
a of Lāie into a Gathering Place and Plantation: The Creation of an Alternative Space to Capitalism| version = Ph. D. dissertation
| publisher = Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
| date = Dec. 2005
| url = http://patriot.lib.byu.edu/ETD/image/etd1151.pdf
| format = PDF
| accessdate = 2008-06-28
}}ahu's Hidden History: Tours Into the Past
| publisher = Mutual Publishing
| year = 1998
| location = Honolulu, HI
| pages =
| isbn = 1-56647-211-3
}}