The action was taken by Kimmel and four other church elders over the weekend after a Kona jury last week found church pastor Dennis Shields, 49, of Captain Cook, guilty of misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Shields admitted ownership of 7.9 ounces of marijuana found in his house in 1994 but unsuccessfully argued that he had a right to it under the U.S. Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, primarily intended to protect American Indian religions.
The law would have permitted acquittal of Shields if he met certain tests, including being mandated by his religion to use marijuana. Shields testified marijuana changed him from an agnostic to a believer, but its use is optional.
Shields's friend Jerry Rothstein said he spoke with two jurors after the verdict Thursday. They said the jury considered the lack of a mandate the crucial factor requiring a conviction, Rothstein said.
Deputy Prosecutor Melvin Fujino, who won the misdemeanor conviction against Shields, said he doubted the change by the church would prevent more prosecutions.
Fujino had formally recognized the sincerity of Shields's beliefs during the trial. He noted that Shields had even said the invocation for the county council two or three times.
But the sudden marijuana-mandate change at the heels of the conviction will make it harder for church members to convince a judge or jury of their sincerity in a future trial, he predicted.
On Saturday, Kimmel, who lives on Maui, issued this statement on the Internet:
"Please be advised that, as of this date, April 12, 1997, it is the Mandate of the Religion of Jesus Church that all members of the Church are required to use Cannabis spp. (marijuana) as the Sacrament of Divine Communion for daily meditation and worship and on special occasions such as, but not limited to, April 7th, April 9th, August 10th, August 21st."
The dates refer to the crucifixion of Jesus, his resurrection, the day on which Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, and the day of Jesus' birth.
The dates come from the Urantia Book, the "primary text" of the church, a religious work given to humans through a "contact personality" in the 1920s, Kimmel told the Star-Bulletin. The term "Religion of Jesus" also comes from the Urantia Book, he said.
Kimmel said he was teaching physics, earth science and biology at a public high school in Marin, Calif., when his students gave him marijuana in 1967.
Until then he was an atheist. "Marijuana helped me find God," he said. Kimmel founded the new church in 1969.
Kimmel said he operated divinity schools on Kauai and Molokai from 1973-77, and still holds church services at his Maui home every Sunday.
The mandate will provide no protection for Shields with his current conviction, but could lead to new charges: Shields noted that his church now requires him to use marijuana, even though he is on probation for one year.