Under normal circumstances, readers of The New York Times can click on a byline and learn more about the reporter behind a story.
At the moment, there is no URL embedded with the Times byline “Sarah Pulliam Bailey.”
However, faithful religion-news readers will recognize that byline after years of seeing it in The Washington Post (and several other familiar locations before that). Is this step one in a contributing writer role? Readers can only hope.
Now, what about the story under the byline? The double-decker headline is certainly dramatic and readers will discover, in this complicated feature, a story with some familiar church-state law overtones. How does one handle a Hindu-Temple-and-state reference in Associated Press Style? Oh, that headline:
A $96 Million Hindu Temple Opens Amid Accusations of Forced Labor
The temple in Robbinsville, N.J., about 15 years in the making, is believed to be the largest in the Western Hemisphere. But its construction has also been clouded in controversy.
This is a read-it-all story, for several reasons. It’s clear that this story is a door into more coverage of the legal and financial wrangling that are ahead.
Readers can see the essential DNA in this summary material near the top:
The recent opening of Akshardham Mahamandir in Robbinsville, N.J., was a historic moment for Hindus in New Jersey and beyond. The temple, about 15 years in the making, is believed to be the largest in the Western Hemisphere and is expected to draw religious pilgrims and tourists from all over the world.
It has also been clouded in controversy.
Federal law enforcement agents raided the temple construction site in 2021 after workers accused the builders, a prominent Hindu sect with ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and his ruling party, of forced labor, low wages and poor working conditions. Their lawyers said workers who were Dalit, the lowest rung in India’s caste system, were specifically targeted. A federal criminal investigation is ongoing, as is a wage claim lawsuit.
A spokesman for the temple, Ronak Patel, said the workers came to the United States as volunteers, not as employees, and that volunteerism is a core part of their faith tradition. He said that temple officials were cooperating with the investigation.
In the meantime, the temple, which sits on 180 acres and includes 10,000 statues and spires nearly 200 feet tall, is attracting visitors by the thousands, some there to view the elaborate architecture and design, others for a more spiritual experience.
In legal terms, the key words are, of course, “volunteerism is a core part of their faith tradition.”
So where does this labor fit into the traditional First Amendment legal grid in which courts strive not to “entangle” government officials in doctrinal matters, but the government can carefully ask questions about profit, fraud and clear threats to life and health?
The legal puzzle is linked, of course, to spectacular details about the temple itself — captured in photography and plenty of factual details.
One of the first sights visitors see when they approach the temple is a 49-foot gold statue of the sect’s chief deity, Nilkanth Varni, the child-yogi form of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, balanced on one leg in a yogic posture. Though the temple is intended for Hindu worship, organizers wanted to make parts of the building more accessible to non-Hindus. That’s why it includes representations of figures who would be familiar to Muslims, Sikhs and Jains. There are also quotes from Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein.
For Hindus, the temple is the heart of religious life and where they believe God resides in sacred images of deities, said Yogi Trivedi, a scholar of religion at Columbia University, who served as a volunteer spokesman for the temple during its dedication weekend. Temples, he said, are used for rituals such as the waving of a sacred lamp, communicating with the divine, music and chanting, and the bathing of the sacred image of a deity.
The bottom line: This doesn’t look like a “settled out of court” situation, to me.
Near the end, there is another clear statement of the church/temple-state clash that is ahead. Note the presence of these terms “federal investigation” and “religious liberty.”
Patricia Kakalec, a lawyer for the workers, says she plans to continue fighting for nine of the laborers who are part of the complaint, but their civil claim is on hold pending a federal investigation. …
The conflict illustrates the complicated lines between U.S. labor laws and the religious concept of selfless volunteerism, which Hindus believe is a key part of their tradition.
“If religious groups are subject to all of the restrictions that apply to other groups, it’ll restrict what they’re able to do,” said Charles Haynes, a senior fellow for religious liberty at the nonprofit Freedom Forum. “But if there’s real exploitation here,” he added, “BAPS could be on the hook for government intervention.”
Yes, “real exploration” could be another way to say “profit,” “fraud” or both.
Stay tuned. And watch for that familiar byline.
FIRST IMAGE: Screen shot of a publicity photo from the official akshardhamusa feed on X. Click here for the full website about the temple project.