The Temple Mount: Three Opinions
This week, I read the articles "The Temple Mount--A Personal Account" by Menachem Magidor,
"The Haram Al-Sharif" by Sari Nusseibeh, and "What do I think about when I imagine myself walking on the Temple Esplanade--Al-Haram Al-Sharif?" by Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini. Each one explores how three different people from three different religions who come from different parts of the world view the same spot- the Temple Mount.
The article written by Menachem Magridor discusses the Temple Mount and what it means to the Jewish people. What makes this article fascinating is the fact that the author doesn't even practice the Jewish religion. He is agnostic. However, he still sees that the Temple Mount for what it means to his culture and ethnicity, not his religion. For Magridor, the Temple Mount is a symbol of Jewish culture. It was at the center of the Jewish faith for centuries, and he identifies with the impact it has had on his culture over the years. This is one of the things that sets Judaism apart, in my opinion. Judaism is a religion that goes along with ethnicity and culture. This status gives Jews the ability to see Jerusalem as more than simply the center of religion. That is something that is difficult for me to do, being religious. I have neither the Jewish ethnicity nor its religion, but the city still matters to me for religious reasons.
The article by Nusseibeh deals with the Muslim perspective on the Haram Al-Sharif. The author emphasizes the sacredness of the site and asks the question: what makes a location sacred? There are multiple ways by which a site becomes sacred. One, because people thought that a place deserved special treatment and another which stated that if God said this was a sacred place, then that's exactly what it is. Then, the author discusses a uniquely Muslim way of viewing sacred spaces.
Finally, the article by Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini analyzes the Christian perspective on the Temple Mount. He sees the Temple Mount in a more religious sense, which isn't surprising, seeing as he is a Catholic priest. He writes about how being there reminds him of all the major events that have happened according to the Bible. Then, he recalls the historical influences on the site. Personally, this perspective aligns the most with my own, not only because I'm Catholic like the author, but also because that's simply what I think of when I think about Jerusalem. When I hear the city's name, my thoughts immediately go to Jesus and his death there and to the crusades, which were major events in Jerusalem's history. I am like the tourists in the poem of the same name. I don't look at the man with the grocery baskets; I look at the Roman arch above him. This is certainly a one-sided view, and it's one I should work on changing if I am to see it in a more objective way, but I don't need to. If there's anything these articles have taught me, its that everyone sees Jerusalem differently, and that's one of the things that makes the city so special.
"The Haram Al-Sharif" by Sari Nusseibeh, and "What do I think about when I imagine myself walking on the Temple Esplanade--Al-Haram Al-Sharif?" by Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini. Each one explores how three different people from three different religions who come from different parts of the world view the same spot- the Temple Mount.
The article written by Menachem Magridor discusses the Temple Mount and what it means to the Jewish people. What makes this article fascinating is the fact that the author doesn't even practice the Jewish religion. He is agnostic. However, he still sees that the Temple Mount for what it means to his culture and ethnicity, not his religion. For Magridor, the Temple Mount is a symbol of Jewish culture. It was at the center of the Jewish faith for centuries, and he identifies with the impact it has had on his culture over the years. This is one of the things that sets Judaism apart, in my opinion. Judaism is a religion that goes along with ethnicity and culture. This status gives Jews the ability to see Jerusalem as more than simply the center of religion. That is something that is difficult for me to do, being religious. I have neither the Jewish ethnicity nor its religion, but the city still matters to me for religious reasons.
The article by Nusseibeh deals with the Muslim perspective on the Haram Al-Sharif. The author emphasizes the sacredness of the site and asks the question: what makes a location sacred? There are multiple ways by which a site becomes sacred. One, because people thought that a place deserved special treatment and another which stated that if God said this was a sacred place, then that's exactly what it is. Then, the author discusses a uniquely Muslim way of viewing sacred spaces.
Finally, the article by Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini analyzes the Christian perspective on the Temple Mount. He sees the Temple Mount in a more religious sense, which isn't surprising, seeing as he is a Catholic priest. He writes about how being there reminds him of all the major events that have happened according to the Bible. Then, he recalls the historical influences on the site. Personally, this perspective aligns the most with my own, not only because I'm Catholic like the author, but also because that's simply what I think of when I think about Jerusalem. When I hear the city's name, my thoughts immediately go to Jesus and his death there and to the crusades, which were major events in Jerusalem's history. I am like the tourists in the poem of the same name. I don't look at the man with the grocery baskets; I look at the Roman arch above him. This is certainly a one-sided view, and it's one I should work on changing if I am to see it in a more objective way, but I don't need to. If there's anything these articles have taught me, its that everyone sees Jerusalem differently, and that's one of the things that makes the city so special.
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