Michelle Lambert

COMM 2150-500-Sp18
Religious meeting review
Feb 12, 2018

I chose to attend the Hare Krishna temple in Spanish Fork. It is a beautiful place even in
the wintertime. The people were very nice and welcoming. I took a few pictures to put
things into perspective. Here is what the front looks like:

The temple is kind of out in the middle of nowhere. I think they wanted it to be distanced
from the center of commerce. The program they held the night I attended was very
interesting to watch. They started with Kirtan, chanting to a drum and mini organ that
resembled an accordion but was on a little stand that sat on the ground. They said that the
sounds lifted our vibration in our soul. Then the Caru Das gave a talk about Fear and how
to overcome it. The most interesting part of the evening was the Aarti Ceremony. They
started chanting again, but this time everyone was standing and kind of dancing. They
honor the 5 elements (earth, air, fire, water, and ether) and blow a conch shell. It was fun
to watch. We didn’t stay for the feast because it smelled a bit strange. I am pretty
adventurous but my sister who came with me is not.
Krishna’s are a little similar to the Hindu area of religion, but are polytheistic and follow
specifically the teachings of Bhakti. They believe in Karma (what you give you get back)
and in reincarnation. They believe that we are spiritual being in a temporary body so we
can learn to be more loving and God like. This poster at the temple was very intersting:

Of the Hofstede Value Orientations (Bebee, pg 107), I feel that this religion subscribes to
the long-term versus short-term value orientation. It is defined as “a cultural variability
dimension that reflects a cultural-group orientation toward virtue or truth. The long-term
orientation emphasizes virtue, whereas the short-term emphasizes truth.” (Bebee, pg
109). They emphasize virtue so they would be of the long-term orientation.

After learning the basics about this religion, I felt that it would be safe to attend and
observe without being pressured to disregard my religion. I learned that Krishna is their
form of God and they feel blessed by just saying his name. I was correct in my feeling
about being safe at their temple. It had a good feeling to it and everyone participated at
his or her own level. They are charitable and kind to anyone who comes to their services.
Knowing that they emphasize virtue was very useful going in. I could watch for
statements that expressed it. I can use what I learned here in many areas of my life. When
I am curious about something, I can research, find someone who personally knows about
it, and then find an experience. I can be open-minded and appreciate others for what they
believe and how they treat others.
References:

http://www.krishna.com, (2002-2015) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.

Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2014). Intercultural communication in contexts. New

York: McGraw-Hill.