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Hindu temple opponents won, now push too much
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Chandler won’t be getting a Hindu temple near Galveston Street and Dobson Road after all. And the blame doesn’t fall on a meddling city government or a lack of respect for religious freedom. The culprit is the misplaced hope of the planned temple’s worshippers that they could ignore the prior restrictions on the property they had purchased.
From the outset, residents of the Five Clemens Place subdivision objected to construction of a 7,500-foot temple for the Sri Venkata Krishna congregation. The residents criticized the idea of something other than a home going on the site as too intrusive, despite the strong historical connection between neighborhoods and places of worship.
We observed in April 2007 that the city would be on shaky legal ground if it tried to interfere with construction of the temple. The City Council granted permission to build in June 2007.
But the prospective neighbors didn’t accept that outcome. So five homeowners sued the congregation several months later, calling attention to property deed restrictions that forbid such a use. A judge recently ruled those restrictions are clear and enforceable, Tribune writer Gary Grado reported Friday.
And this dispute still isn’t over after 18 months, as the suing residents now want the judge to deny the congregation any right to worship in the house that exists on the original property and was slated to be torn down.
This reaction would appear to be a slight against Hindus as an alternative religion in U.S., as it’s hard to imagine the neighbors would put the same effort into stomping out Bible study classes in someone’s home.
The opposition’s energy would be more productive if they were to aid the Hindu congregation in finding another location for a future temple that works for everyone. This certainly would enrich the karma of Five Clemens Place.
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