Actually, a temple in shinto is not designed to contain or constrain... but an 
earthly residence for the Kami (sprits) to reside in or not reside in when 
they 
 
are communing with their worshipers. 

Much like a church is the earthly home of the Spirit of God to commune with 
his 
 
followers. He is everywhere... but his worshipers cannot be, and instead they 
gather together to share their faith together.

A temple itself is not worshiped.

This spirit of community is what I think Bell would say is the true purpose of 
a temple. To bring people together... and this capacity for love and sharing 
is 
 
what a temple is merely the housing for. Or to put it in terms that K1 might 
use... The temple is merely the housing for the parts of a great engine...but 
the engine itself is not the same as what that engine does. It's fueled by the 
love of the members of that temple... and what it creates goes beyond the 
bounds of that temple... much the way that combustion and exhaust do not stay 
purely within that engine... This can be seen everywhere... from people from 
that temple volunteering time at a hospital, bake sales to help get money for 
a 
 
family in financial trouble. to gifts of charity to help the needy. 

These acts of kindness are acts that come out of the morals of the people... 
and morals are founded on religeon.

Or as Bell might sum it up. 

 A temple is a place to come together, and what is found and built there is 
greater than what lies within its walls. 
 |
^_^

Hmmm... I think I need a better Belldandy AscII symbol
> If I could ask just one of the goddesses one question it would be this.
> 
> "Belldandy, isn't every Shinto shrine or other temple simply a concrete
> example that mankind does not get it?  Isn't it a futile attempt to
> constrain the infinite into finite space and wall it off?"
> 
> -HJC
> 
> 
> 
> 
>