• Respecting the role of religion in our community • Keep students in school longer Respecting the role of religion in our community The recent intrusion of religion into politics has been disturbing to many members of our faith community.
• Respecting the role of religion in our community
• Keep students in school longer
Respecting the role of religion in our community
The recent intrusion of religion into politics has been disturbing to many members of our faith community. The Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai‘i is the largest Buddhist denomination in this state and we work hard to meet the spiritual needs of our community. However we are very troubled by what we have seen of efforts by some that seem to over-step the limits to which religion can play a role in the democratic process and in government.
The Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai‘i firmly abides by the separation of church and state mandated by the federal and state constitutions. These living documents that are the framework of our civil society clearly prohibit the establishment of any religion by our government while ensuring that all people can embrace any faith they choose. This careful and wise balance protects all of us because it ensures that our government truly represents all of its citizens regardless of their religious affiliation. Our elected leaders should remember that they represent all of Hawai‘i’s diverse population and uphold both the Constitution of the state of Hawai‘i and the United States of America. Their duty as public servants should be their first priority. Their personal religious beliefs are exactly that: personal.
While religious and spiritual beliefs can inform the foundation of how we interact in the world and the decisions we make, it is not the place of elected officials to impose their personal beliefs through government or to target a group because of the cultural or religious beliefs they hold. We do not all have to believe alike or worship alike to be able to live together as Americans. We should be mindful that Hawai‘i is religiously diverse and our government needs to represent all of us regardless of our differences. Candidates for elective office should be judged on their record and on what they hope to achieve for the public good, not on the religious or spiritual beliefs they privately hold.
Religion should be a means of bringing people together and not be used to divide our community. Religious intolerance has no place in our culture of aloha and should not be encouraged. During World War II, our temples were forcibly closed and most of our ministers were incarcerated behind barbed wire in camps simply because there was a perception of difference from mainstream America at that time. Many remember there was a time when being a Buddhist was considered “un-American.” Today we watch with sadness and regret the extremist behavior and sentiments being expressed towards Muslim Americans since 9/11. We need to pay heed and learn. The lessons of our past must inform our present to ensure that the bigotry of the past is not allowed to repeat itself in our time or in the future.
Religion has an important place in our lives and in our society. However, we need to always remember that our personal paths to spiritual liberation are indeed personal and unique to ourselves. All religious traditions are equal in that they offer ways of understanding this human life and how we should treat one another. The values of compassion, love, respect and tolerance that make Hawai‘i so special are universal and not limited to any one religion. We should all be mindful of how our thoughts, words and actions affect the people and world around us. Those who aspire to political office and positions of leadership have an especially important obligation to demonstrate that they understand and will respect the boundaries that separate the personal from the public. To not do so is to violate the constitution and does a serious disservice to what it means to be American.
Thomas R. Okano, bishop, Alton Miyamoto, president, Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai‘i
Keep students in school longer
Hawai‘i’s education is rated sixth lowest state in the nation….hmmm!
Dropouts amongst students in Hawai‘i’s schools is the highest in the nation….hmmm!
President Obama wants throughout the nation for teachers to stay in school an extra month of the school year and continue to teach. So that students don’t forget what was thought during the school year. It’s a good idea! Since students lose a lot of school days during the year.
On another note, TGI letter (Oct. 1), “No more spraying,” author Diana Labedz. What is the time frame you are writing about? I drive through the area (Kekaha beach) on Kaumuali‘i Highway three times a day (morning, noon, and at pau-hana time) for five days a week. The only time I’ve noticed the state workers there this year was late August through early September. They were digging up with a backhoe the unwanted weeds and overgrowth, sand that was starting to overtake the bicycle/walk path on the highway. The big truck you talked about was a water truck that was washing up the pathway.
If they were spraying those chemicals (Garlon 4 and Roundup) a lot of us driving through on the highway to get to work would have noticed the strong odors. Some of us would probably feel sick.
There was no medical reports of people being affected by the poison chemicals. The dry spots is the effect of our droughted summer.
If there was really chemicals there, the vines and greenery wouldn’t grow back so soon. Don’t you think?
Howard Tolbe, ‘Ele‘ele
