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
Church
766 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 Church
66-090 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 Cathedral
Beretania 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.
