He Touches the Mountain and They Smoke!

Kilauea has become active again capturing the attention of many. The sight of lava shooting a thousand feet into the air is awesome to behold. It inspires awe and wonder in the hearts of Hawaii Locals and visitors. Pre-contact Hawaiians, when they saw Kilauea erupting, believed that it was Madam Pele, Pelehonuamea (the volcano goddess), displaying her power. In response, they would make offerings to her. These offerings (ho`okupu) included banana, pork, red fish, lehua flowers, or ohelo berries.

The ohelo berries held a special significance in Pele worship. The ancient Hawaiians refrained from picking ohelo berries on their way to Kilauea but once there they would eat the berries after tossing the first one into the crater as an offering to Pele. Making an offering to the gods is part of traditional religions but incompatible with the Christian religion. Christians believe in one supreme God who made heaven and earth. In the Ten Commandment, God prohibited the worship of the other gods:

You shall have no other gods beside me.

(Exodus 20:3, RSV; variant reading “before”)

This rule against worshiping other gods is not because the other gods were fictional, but because the Israelites were to give their worship to Yahweh (Iehova) alone. This is affirmed in Isaiah:

I am the LORD; that is my name!

I will not give my glory to another

or my praise to idols

(Isaiah 42:8, RSV)

A Christian would view the Kilauea eruption as God at work in his creation. We read in Psalm 104:

He looks upon the earth and makes it tremble;

He touches the mountains and they smoke.

(Psalm 104:32, OSB)

It is not far-fetched to understand this verse as describing volcanic eruptions. The Keil and Delitzsch commentary on Psalm 104 makes no mention of volcanoes (see V. 5, v. 3, p. 136). However, the UBS Handbook on Psalms supports the idea that verse 32 is referring to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions (p. 888). This is significant because the United Bible Societies provides resources for bible translators. So, rather than be in awe of Madam Pele, the Christian will view the Kilauea eruption as an awesome display of God’s power in his creation.

 

Reenchanting the World

Many people today have uncritically accepted the secular materialism of Western modernity becoming oblivious to the spiritual reality around them. Western modernity has in the words of the German sociologist, Max Weber, disenchanted the world. This has left many in the West, even Christians, feeling a hunger for the spiritual, myth, and mystery. Growing numbers of local Hawaiian, in their spiritual hunger and their attempt to rediscover their Hawaiian roots, have embraced elements of traditional Hawaiian spirituality, retelling the mo`olelo (traditional stories) and offering up pule (prayers) and ho`okupu (gifts) to the gods. If one keeps one’s eyes open, one can spot ti-leaves-wrapped ho`okupu around Hawaii. These offerings are not mere cultural forms but profoundly spiritual acts.

Unlike modernized Christians, Orthodox Christians are sensitive to the spiritual power of praying, chanting, and making offerings, and would view the return of traditional Hawaiian religion with grave concern. Rather than rush to judgment when they see ho`okupu (offerings) as immoral, Orthodox Christians should instead view ho`okupu as signs of a hunger for the truly spiritual, for the Creator God, who is Life. We should also bear in mind that when the priest processes in the Great Entrance during the Liturgy, the bread and the wine he carries will become ho`okupu that will be offered up to God in the Eucharist (the Thanksgiving). At one point, the priest will cry aloud: “The Holy Gifts (ho`okupu) for the People of God!”

 

Offering Worship to Pele?

I recently saw on FaceBook a posting of a picture of a thousand-foot-high eruption with the caption: “Mahalo nui Aloha Pele.” (Thank you very much, Pele.)  It’s hard to tell if the OP (original poster) was expressing sincere religious convictions in saying “Mahalo Nui Loa Pele” or they were attempting to be sophisticated in their display of knowledge of local culture. However, for an Orthodox Christian to post such a comment even tongue-in-cheek would be a grave offense against one of the fundamental principles of Orthodoxy: offering right worship and/or right prayers to the one true God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Worship is to be offered to God alone.

 

Orthodox Christians and Religious Diversity

Hawaii in 2025 has become religiously diverse. Many Hawaii residents are Christians, Buddhists, or even non-religious. So, what ought an Orthodox Christian do when in a religiously diverse group? In the past, when the majority of people in Hawaii identified as Christian, it would not be much of a problem if a generic Christian prayer was being offered. However, the situation becomes much trickier if there is an attempt made to incorporate traditional Hawaiian religion. My advice is that the Orthodox Christian refrain from jumping to conclusion but to be respectful of one’s neighbors. Another advice I would give is that there is a difference between being a respectful part of the audience and actively offering up prayers to other gods. The former is permissible for Orthodox Christians, but the latter is prohibited to Orthodox Christians.

Being Hawaiian is a complicated matter. Although they are the indigenous people of Hawaii, they live in a society dominated by non-Hawaiians. With the coming of the American Congregationalist missionaries in the early 1800s, the Hawaiian people converted to Christianity en masse. However, in the 1890s, the Congregationalist leadership supported the American overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. Under American rule, Hawaiian culture was suppressed and marginalized. In recent years many Hawaiians have begun to react against American colonialism and secular modernity. Many have become critical of Christins colluding with American imperialism. This has led some to abandon Christianity and embrace traditional Hawaiian religious practices. Religious gatherings have become increasingly eclectic and even syncretistic. One might witness an ordained Christian minister invoking the Hawaiian gods! How should an Orthodox Christian respond to this kind of situation?

For example, what should an Orthodox Christian do if he or she are at Kilauea watching the eruption and one sees one’s friends tossing ohelo berries into the crater as an offering to Pele? My advice is that Orthodox Christians of Hawaiian ancestry hold on to the traditional form but introduce Christian elements so that the prayer is compatible with Orthodoxy. For example, the Orthodox Christian could pray in olelo Hawaii Psalm 104:32:

32  Nānā mai nō ʻo ia i ka honua, a haʻalulu ihola ia;

            Hoʻopā mai ʻo ia i nā mauna, uahi aʻela lākou.

(Baibala Hemolele 104:32)

[Who looks on the earth and it trembles,

Who touches the mountains and they smoke!]

(Psalm 104:32, NIV)

Then, the Orthodox Christian could close their pule (prayer) invoking the Trinity:

Ma ka inoa o ka makua, ke keiki, a me ka Uhane Hemolele,

hookahi Akua i keia manawa a mau loa aku. Amene.

            [In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

One God, now and forever. Amen.]

It is important to keep in mind that the word “orthodox” means “right worship” or “right prayer.” Right prayer brings us closer to the one true God; wrong prayer can lead to spiritual confusion and even apostasy. Therefore, to be Orthodox in Hawaii means being loyal to Christ (or stick tight wid Jesus Christ) even if one is the only Orthodox Christian in the group. As the Apostle Paul exhorted the early Christians in Thessalonica:

So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. (2 Thessalonians 2:15, RSV)

To “stand firm” means not being “wishy washy,” “going with the flow,” or conforming to peer pressure but to humbly and without being judgmental hold fast to your Orthodox beliefs.

 

Psalm 104: God’s Power and the Beauty of Creation

As noted earlier, one of the consequences of modernity is the disenchantment o the world. For Christians seeking to break out of the secular mindset, Psalm 104 can help them rediscover an enchanted view of the universe. Psalm 104, read prayerfully, reveals an ancient spirituality that sees the spiritual in nature. It uses poetic language—not scientific terms—to describe the order of cosmos. The opening line describes Yahweh (Akua, Iehova) creating the heavens in a manner similar to a pastoral nomad stretching out his tent or a carpenter laying down the beams for a house. It proceeds to describe the heavens are inhabited by spirit beings:

He makes winds his messengers,

Flames of fire his servants.

(Psalm 104:4, NIV)

Descending down to the mountains, Psalm 104 describes how God cares for creation by means of the rain that falls from the sky and waters the earth, causing grass to grow thereby providing food for the animals in the field. Much of Psalm 104 is about the rich diversity of flora and fauna in God’s creation. Man is described as part of the natural order. There is no language giving humanity supremacy over creation or creation being under under a curse as is so often assumed by Western Christians. It is much closer to the Orthodox worldview which views creation as a gift from God that is to be consecrated and offered to the God in worship.

As Psalm 104 reaches the end, it takes on a reflective tone. Verses 27 to 30 describes how creation depends on God for its sustenance—God provides food at the proper time. In his sovereignty God can withhold his blessing from us and later bestow his blessing. The recurring cycles of life and death is part of the natural order, but more importantly it teaches that our existence is contingent on God’s grace. God withholding his Spirit resulting in the loss of life and God breathing his Spirit upon creation bringing forth new life is an expansion of the Holy Spirit’s creative presence in Genesis 1:2. The worldview we find in Psalm 104 differs sharply from pre-modern paganism which viewed humans being vulnerable to the whims of spiritual forces (gods). Likewise, it differs from modern science which views human existence as subject to impersonal material forces that can be overcomed by means of modern science and technology. In contrast to the two rival worldviews, the Christian worldview holds that our existence is framed by the grace and power of the one true God who came to save us from our sins through Jesus Christ.

If one reads Psalm 104 attentively one will find it filled with references to the beauty of creation. One can even find a reference to whales.

There is the sea, vast and spacious,

Teeming with creatures beyond number—

Living things both large and small.

There the ships go to and fro,

And the Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

(Psalm 104:25-26, NIV)

The early Hawaiians explained natural events from a spiritual perspective. For example, in their mo`olelo (traditional stories), early Hawaiian believed that when there was an earthquake Pele was stamping her feet. A similar viewpoint can be found in Psalm 104, which also sought to explain natural events from a spiritual perspective.

Who looks on the earth and it trembles,

Who touches the mountains and they smoke!

(Psalm 104:32, RSV)

Psalm 104 refutes deism—the belief that God created the universe then left it to operate on its own. This can be seen in the repeated usage of the phrase “he makes” to indicate God causing something to occur in creation. Thus, when we witness the awesome power of Kilauea erupting, we are getting a glimpse of the awesome power of the Creator God, who created the Hawaiian Islands.

 

In the morning, when I go to work in Kapolei, as I head over Red Hill, I can see the entire Waianae Range before me. This awe-inspiring sight brings to mind Psalm 90:

Before the mountains were born

or you brought forth the earth and the world,

From everlasting to everlasting you are God.

(Psalm 90:2, NIV)

According to modern science, the Waianae Range  we see today is a remnant of a much larger shield volcano that began erupting as early as 3.9 million years ago and probably ceased erupting about 2.5 million years ago. That’s old! In comparison, Kilauea is much younger. Scientists believe that Kilauea is between 280,000 to 210,000 years old, and that it was only 100,000 years ago that Kilauea grew above sea level. For us moderns, geologic time can help us better understand what it means to say God is eternal—”from everlasting to everlasting.” Faced with the immensity of God’s creation, we can only give praise and worship to God.

 

Conclusion

The Hawaiian Islands—including Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Mauna Kea—are all part of God’s creation. As Orthodox Christians, we can view Hawaii with the eyes of modern science but we should also view them with spiritual eyes. Viewing Hawaii with spiritual eyes means not only viewing God’s creation with awe and wonder, but also with thanksgiving and praise to the one true God. This can be seen in the verses surrounding Psalm 104:32, which was cited earlier.

May the glory of the LORD endure forever,

May the Lord rejoice in his works,

Who looks on the earth and it trembles,

Who touches the mountains and they smoke!

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

(Psalm 104:31-33, RSV)

Psalm 104 teaches us that all of Creation is meant to display God’s beauty, his power, and his glory. The Kilauea eruptions, not only remind us of God’s awesome power, they also remind us that our purpose in life is to sing  songs of praise to God our whole life.

Lopaka Iliahi

 

References

Baibala Hemolele (The Hawaiian Bible). ULUKAU: HAWAIIAN ELECTRONIC LIBRARY.

Robert G. Bratcher and William D. Reyburn. 1992. A Handbook on Psalms. New York: United Bible Societies.

C.F. Keil and F. Delitzsch. 1982. Commentary on the Old Testament: Volume V Psalms. Reprinted 1982. Translator: Francis Bolton. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Orthodox Church in America (OCA). “Offertory: Great Entrance.”

Andrés Felipe Barrero Salinas. “Max Weber on Disenchantment: Is Religion Obsolete?” TheCollector.com

U.S. National Park Service. n.d. “Wahi Kapu o Pele (‘Sacred Place of Pelehonuamea’).”