It has been fifteen years since I visited Israel. I led groups there four times in eight years, then stopped because there never seemed to be a good time to avoid unrest. I really enjoyed those trips in part because of the people who were part of them, but also because of the opportunity to let the geography and the architecture speak to me of distant times. There is nothing like travelling around Israel to help lift the Jesus story off the pages of the Good Book and other books to give it added dimensions of meaning.
Unfortunately Israel is a place of strife, including fighting related to religion. The supposedly holiest places are often the most contentious. On Sunday there were clashes between young Palestinians and soldiers on and around the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The one photo above gives a good view of the Dome of the Rock, controlled by Muslims and the Western Wall below controlled by Jews. There are often clashes between aggressive members of both groups. Not far away is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Christians fight amongst themselves!
This is one of the dreariest realities of religion, taking the fundamental messages of peace, love and compassion and distorting them to foment hatred, mistrust, and violence.
Do you feel that you have a clear picture of what motivates tension in Jerusalem or does it baffle you? Would it help to have an opportunity to have some of the issues explained?
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