Omnipresence

In Structuring the Past: Israelis, Palestinians, and the Symbolic Authority of Archaeological Monuments by Neil Asher Silberman, Temple Mount is illustrated as a site of communion honoring a specific deity based on a religion. Each God has their own name(s) and guidelines to adhere by, including the site of their worship. Having a place to worship together in a community strengthens the identity of each individual of a certain faith as it connects them to their past worshippers. “The ruins of the Temple of Jerusalem retained their importance to the Jews as a tangible symbol of their former national independence” (68).

In "The Temple Mount--A Personal Account" by Menachem Magidor the idea of God being “omnipresent” is brought into play by calling him “the place” since “he is the place of the world” (364 ). This corresponds with the phrase God is within all of us, at any time, at any place. This however also brings to question how “The House of the Lord” can exist when God is not tied to one specific location. When people pray to their Gods, is the location for their worship as important as the actual display of devotion?

The act of praying gives worshippers the ability to “Share a very deep experience of a community with whom [they] have a very powerful bonding, in spite of the long time span separating [them], [and] is a fundamental part of [their] identity” (364). Even when some religious aspects are brought into question, there is no denying the experience in itself is meaningful to those who practice and believe in the faith. Connecting with past worshippers in a place they also believed to symbolize sacredness can be enough to be considered faithful since it establishes a devout identity.

The Temple Mount is significant in that it is a physical space, but also an “inaccessible object of the imagination” (364). This is one of the many reasons so many are attracted to the site in that they try to find a deeper connection in regards to their beliefs by having a location to gather and practice their faith. They are limited however in the belief of genuine practice since the omnipresent clause conflicts with the meaning of the Temple Mount. Would they be going against their own faith if they believed that ultimate devotion was practiced in only the most holy and sacred of sites? Is God really omnipresent when culture dictates that archeological sites are meant to be holy for the purpose of prayer reaching their deity?

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