Show Standard-Examine- September 17 1988 r Judy Charu das with microphone leads a ceremony during Hare Krishna's birth celebration in Spanish Fork OwensStandard-Examme- r WB By JOHN DeVILBlSS Standard Examiner religion editor SPANISH FORK — The happy chanting and burning incense wafting through the September night air of this small Mormon community seems so out of place So do the four llamas resting quietly in their corral next to the Hare Krishna temple Maybe that is why some local prank sters like to drive by at night honking their horns while shouting “Hare Krish- na” Charu dasa president of the Utah temple says they don’t mind the bantering It comes with being the new kid in g is realtown Besides such ly an way of paying respect to the Supreme God they worship Lord Krishna On this particular night dozens of name-callin- off-hand- devotees and Krishna supporters are celebrating the appearance of Krishna when he last descended to earth some 5000 years ago to play the role of a n dynasty prince in a To help break barriers of misunderstanding the annual festival is open to the public Some curious onlookers showed up including several students from Brigham Young University Charu says they open their doors to the public as their way of showing the community that they have nothing to hide They do not use drugs as somC critics claim They worship their God Krishna and invite people of all faiths''" to do the same He says no one is forced to accept anything against their will Bai Bhavi dasi Charu’s wife and vice president of the temple says she is amazed at the overall tolerance Utahns show for them and their beliefs stnfc-ridde- “It’s they mind-bogglin- g are” she how accepting says “They’re human and gentle enough to be able to appreciate other religions and other walks of life — to be able to accommodate them in their own lifestyles” g Other than some by a few “crazy cowboy types” who appear to be shouting more at their llamas than at their temple she says they have never been mistreated since coming to Utah Compared to Los Angeles where “we’re just beating our heads against the walls most of the time” she says they find living in Utah the preferable place to be “In Utah the people are more religiously inclined than most other places in America” she says “They’re not prejudiced people” Charu and Bai moved to Utah in 1981 name-callin- after purchasing a 1000-waradio station KHQN 1480 in Spanish Fork They chose to settle in Utah County because of the “cosmopolitan” atmosphere created by the nearby university he tt says After running the $250000 station commercially for the first two years they saved enough money to turn it over exclusively to Hare Krishna broadcasting in 1983 The money they earn from a vegetarian food catering business they run in Los Angeles helped pay for the station and helps keep it going she says The station run by six people during daylight hours only mostly broadcasts lectures about Krishna consciousness Their signal can be heard throughout Utah County he says See KRISHNA on Page 6 Church begins pipe organ restorationPage 4 ‘ |