In a recent turn of events that pits religious sensibilities against freedom of expression, a group from the Awakening Generation Church has stirred local controversy by protesting a 90-foot statue of the Hindu deity Hanuman at the Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land, Texas. Leaders of the temple are now weighing the necessity of hiring full-time security and installing surveillance to assure the safety and serenity of their worship space following the group's demonstration, whereby members conveyed an exclusive devotion to Jesus Christ over the temple's figure, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
During the protest, which occurred a week after the statue's official unveiling, church members allegedly disrupted the peace by involving temple visitors in theological debate and prayer aimed at undermining the Hindu idol, the WION reports reveal some of the protesters shouting forthrightly that "May all the false gods burn to the ground," while temple visitors pushed back, questioning the protesters' knowledge of Hindu scriptures. In defense of temple visitors, Dr. Ranganath Kandala, the temple's joint secretary, “I told them, ‘our teachings say that worship your own, but respect all. I respect your God and you and I expect you to respect us,’" a notion which seemed to fall on deaf ears amidst the fervor of the church group.
Greg Gervais, the leader of the recently formed church, in an interview with the Houston Chronicle maintained their intent was not to harass, but to pray, clarifying their stance on monotheism by saying his congregation believes Jesus is the sole path to divinity; they're also planning to continue their prayer walks, indicating the possibility of further such activities around Sugar Land.
The temple's administration, on the other hand, expresses grave concern at these developments, the events prompting an unforeseen expenditure to secure the premise in the wake of such demonstrations, where the cost of hired guards for the past week alone amounted to $550 as Dr. Ravi Tamerisa, one of the temple founders, told the Houston Chronicle; this spending is a testament to the lingering apprehensions over possible future disturbances. Furthermore, the temple's reactions are accompanied by a sentiment of hurt stemming from the church group's decision to circle the statue counterclockwise, which is antithetical to the Hindu tradition of clockwise circumambulation as a sacred practice.
The contentious statue, known as the "Statue of Union," not only holds spiritual significance but also distinguishes itself as the third tallest statue in the United States, following the Statue of Liberty and the Pegasus and Dragon statue, and concurrently claims the honor of being the tallest Hanuman statue outside India, citing the details from WION.
