By Christopher Bigelow
 |
| Krishna and Mormon will soon collide in Payson, Utah. |
PAYSON, UT—In southern Utah County, it's a tale of two temples. For several
years now, the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple has been bringing local people to
Krishna Consciousness. Meanwhile, the LDS Church is currently building its new
Payson Utah Temple nearby.
"There's no doubt in our minds that the Krishnas are trying to steal our children," said local LDS stake president DeVern Parry. "I mean, look on their temple website. They specifically give transit directions from BYU. We needed our own temple to counteract this spiritual confusion, and Salt Lake finally understood the urgency."
Each year, Parry noted, the Krishna temple holds a "filthy, pagan" color festival, during which participants throw colored powders into the air and onto each other. "When I looked in with my binoculars last year, every other shirt was a BYU shirt," Parry said. "They'll let anyone trample through their so-called temple without any kind of recommend or anything. I tell you, the Woodstock hippies had nothing on these people."
Local Krishna leader Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad says he doesn't understand the fuss. "We are simply doing our own version of that which has been done in other religions. Regardless of a person's religious background, we can help them develop spiritual maturity and equip them for service in the temple and for their life mission in the world, in order to magnify Krishna’s Holy Name."
"It makes me sick," said Parry. "This last spring, I overheard two Mormon young people making plans to go to the color festival. One said, 'Let's dress all in white and go do a temple session.' I tell you, it's an outright mockery of sacred things. If we left the Krishnas unchecked down here, we'd soon have a generation of Lamanites on our hands."
While a dedication date has not yet been set for the Payson Utah Temple, local sources confirmed that a color festival will be held annually on the temple grounds. "But it will be Mormon style," an anonymous source said. "Only the three primary colors, and only one teaspoon of powder per person. Temple workers will be standing by with vacuums to take care of the dust. We'll have a regional choir perform, not these pseudo-religious rock bands like the Krishnas do. Our kids will love it—there won't be any draw for them to worship with the Krishnas anymore."
"There's no doubt in our minds that the Krishnas are trying to steal our children," said local LDS stake president DeVern Parry. "I mean, look on their temple website. They specifically give transit directions from BYU. We needed our own temple to counteract this spiritual confusion, and Salt Lake finally understood the urgency."
Each year, Parry noted, the Krishna temple holds a "filthy, pagan" color festival, during which participants throw colored powders into the air and onto each other. "When I looked in with my binoculars last year, every other shirt was a BYU shirt," Parry said. "They'll let anyone trample through their so-called temple without any kind of recommend or anything. I tell you, the Woodstock hippies had nothing on these people."
Local Krishna leader Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad says he doesn't understand the fuss. "We are simply doing our own version of that which has been done in other religions. Regardless of a person's religious background, we can help them develop spiritual maturity and equip them for service in the temple and for their life mission in the world, in order to magnify Krishna’s Holy Name."
"It makes me sick," said Parry. "This last spring, I overheard two Mormon young people making plans to go to the color festival. One said, 'Let's dress all in white and go do a temple session.' I tell you, it's an outright mockery of sacred things. If we left the Krishnas unchecked down here, we'd soon have a generation of Lamanites on our hands."
While a dedication date has not yet been set for the Payson Utah Temple, local sources confirmed that a color festival will be held annually on the temple grounds. "But it will be Mormon style," an anonymous source said. "Only the three primary colors, and only one teaspoon of powder per person. Temple workers will be standing by with vacuums to take care of the dust. We'll have a regional choir perform, not these pseudo-religious rock bands like the Krishnas do. Our kids will love it—there won't be any draw for them to worship with the Krishnas anymore."
This is absurd. The LDS church helped to build that Krishna temple.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.clipfile.org/2002/02/15/542/
The statements by Parry are the most hateful things I have every read, patently un-Christlike, and absolutely un-Mormon. He should be removed.
This is satirical.
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