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Faith & Worship
 Organized religion in Hawaii started with the first Hawaiians, who brought their different gods and goddesses with them from the Polynesian Islands. Over time, local gods were added until there were enough to control almost every aspect of life in the Islands.
The first New England missionaries to set foot on these shores brought a new religion with them called Christianity, after which immigrants from other parts of the world arrived, with each culture bringing religious traditions from its native land. True to the nature of the Hawaiian people, all new forms of worship were tolerated, and even welcomed, as they blended into the new tropical society. Today, there are almost 900 religious organizations in Hawaii, and many other unregistered groups are known to exist, as well. If you already belong to a denomination or organization, chances are you'll find it here. Next to California, Hawaii encompasses a greater diversity of religious traditions than any other state and ranks among the most religiously diverse areas in the world. Hawaii's most prominent religions are Christianity, Buddhism, Indigenous Hawaiian, Judaism, Shinto and Taoism. There are 630 Christian churches in Hawaii and almost 100 Buddhist, 35 Indian and Hindu, five Shinto, two Jewish, two Scientology and one Muslim, Unitarian and Unification places of worship. Nearly 100 churches are classified under "New Religious Movements," and there are 28 places of assembly for the Baha'i religion. Active worship centers, including churches and temples, now number over 1,000, giving a statewide per capita ratio of at least one center for every 1,000 people. Prominent Historical Churches Kawaiahao Church 957 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu 522-1333 Sunday Services - 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The first Christian church built in Hawaii, Kawaiahao's design is very New England, the handiwork of Rev. Hiram Bingham, who led the first Congregationalist mission to Hawaii in 1820. Fourteen thousand coral slabs, quarried by hand from reefs 10 to 20 feet under water, comprise the main structure. Each slab weighs more than 1000 pounds and is mortared into the building with burned seashells. Wood for the interior of the structure was cut from the Koolau Mountains. Formal portraits of Hawaii's royal families line the upper gallery, and some of the original missionaries are buried on the makai side of the building. Worship services are held in Hawaiian and English every Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Free tours are offered on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on Sundays following the services. Hawai'i's Westminster Abbey  Most residents on O'ahu are familiar with Kawaiaha'o Church, especially its Big Ben-like clock that overlooks Punchbowl Street and Kapiolani Boulevard. Dedicated in 1842, the Church is referred to as the Westminster Abbey of Hawai'i. The name means "fresh water pool of Hao," referring to a sacred spring that once ran near here. Hao was an ancient queen of O'ahu.
The design of the church is very New England, the handiwork of Rev. Hiram Bingham, who led the first Congregationalist mission to Hawai'i in 1820. Constructed of blocks of coral from the Pacific Ocean, it is mortared with burned seashells. Formal portraits of Hawai'i's royal families line the upper gallery of the church, and some of the original missionaries are buried on the makai side of the building. Worship services are held in Hawaiian and English every Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Free tours are offered on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Sundays following the services. Phone ahead (522-1333) for scheduling.  Kaumakapili Church766 N. King Street, Honolulu 845-0908 Sunday School - 9 a.m. Sunday Service - 10:30 a.m. The first Kaumakapili Church (pronounced ka-oo-mah-kah-pee-lee) was built in 1837 at the corner of Beretania and Smith streets in Chinatown. That building burned to the ground in the great fire of January 10, 1900, which was started by city officials to eradicate areas contaminated with bubonic plague. In addition, it wiped out Chinatown. The new version of the congregational church was rebuilt in the working-class neighborhood of Kalihi, where it was more in keeping with the lifestyle and values of the common people. They wanted a more comfortable place of worship, away from Kawaiahao, which they perceived to be for wealthier people.  Liliuokalani Protestant Church66-090 Kamehameha Highway Haleiwa 637-9364 Hawaii's last ruling monarch, Queen Liliuokalani, chose as the site of her summer home the banks of Haleiwa's picturesque Anahulu River. She attended the local protestant church, now called Liliuokalani Protestant Church, and in 1892 presented it with a one-of-a-kind clock that still graces the rear wall. In place of 12 numbers, one of the clock's seven dials uses the 12 letters of the Queen's name to show the passing of time. The other dials monitor the phases of the moon and the days of the month, week and year.  St. Andrew's CathedralBeretania and Queen Emma streets, Downtown Honolulu Sunday Hawaiian Mass - 8 a.m. Choral Eucharist - l0 a.m. 524-2822 King Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho) and his wife, Queen Emma, were devout followers of the Church of England. The royal couple decided to build a French Gothic cathedral of their own and imported the sandstone for the building from the English countryside. They called it St. Andrew's Cathedral. Although the King died on St. Andrew's Day in 1863, the cornerstone wasn't placed until 1867 by his successor, King Kamehameha V. The great 20-by-50-foot window on the Ewa (west) side of the building is one of the largest stained-glass windows ever created in the United States. In the lower right corner is a likeness of Liholiho and Emma. The church is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. Free organ concerts are held at noon on Fridays. Guided tours are available Sundays following services. |
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