A Letter Concerning Laie
Posted by Andrew | Filed under Mormon Fun Facts
There is a small town on the Hawaiian island of Oahu called Laie (pronounced Lay-ee) that is virtually owned entirely by the Mormon Church. This town is home to the Laie Temple and a Visitors Center, a place I visited in January while in Hawaii. This is a formal written complaint.
Dear Proprietor of the Laie Temple Visitors Center,
As a member of the Church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I clarify to be sure that we are both on the same page through I doubt you had any doubts in your mind), I found my visit to be quite dissatisfying. Not to say that the facility is poorly maintained or that the lovely Senior Missionary couple were rude or unwelcoming. Everything in those regards were just fine.
I am aware that there is a lot of history behind both the Temple and the town of Laie, which most likely would not exist without the Church’s involvement. The Temple is the fifth oldest in the world, and the first one built outside of Utah. It practically represents the Church’s movement in the islands of the Pacific, one of great Missionary movements in the Church’s history.
And yet, I come to the Visitors Center, and it is entirely dedicated to Missionary work for the hear and now. No information about the history of the Temple, or the history of the town. No video presentations about the construction of the Temple, or the early members of the Church in Hawaii, or the early Sandwich Islands Mission. Nope, all you had was a pile of free Books of Mormon and various Church literature, a video presentation of members of the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency giving their testimonies, and so on.
My point is, the vast majority of the 100,000 people who visit the Center every year are probably already members of the Church. So, why the exclusive Missionary work? Why not give the people who are already members a lesson about the history of their Church and hose down the non believers in back?
Sincerely,
Andrew Davis, a ranting blogger.
One Response to “A Letter Concerning Laie”
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Eremeeff Says:
June 21st, 2009 at 04:25Where are you from? Is it a secret?
Have a nice day