The Middle East is the cradle of monotheistic religion. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam were all born there. All three of these religions, at their best, speak about reconciliation and living with your neighbor in peace. And yet last month Israel and Gaza were at war again in what has become a repetitious pattern of military confrontation.
What has gone so terribly wrong? Why have these three religions failed so miserably in inspiring their adherents to act in terms of their highest values of peace and reconciliation? The answer is simple. For most of these adherents, religion is about belief. Take the city of Jerusalem as an example. Religious beliefs centering on Jerusalem have transformed the city into a sacred piece of real estate for Jews, Muslims, and Christians.
Jews believe that God gave them Jerusalem as a gift to be their eternal capital. A look at this gift from the perspective of history is interesting. Prior to David invading and conquering the city around 1,000 BCE, Jerusalem was settled by a wide array of peoples. David ruled a united Israel from Jerusalem until 970 BCE. His son Solomon succeeded him, and ruled to 930 BCE. Following Solomon’s death, Israel split into a Southern and a Northern kingdom. Jerusalem remained the capital of the Southern Kingdom while Shechem became the capital for the North.
Jerusalem was never again the united capital of Israel until 1980. The city fell out of Jewish control completely in 586 BCE following the Babylonian invasion. With rare exceptions, Jerusalem remained outside of Jewish control for 2,500 years. The Jews regained sovereignty over West Jerusalem at the end of the Arab-Israeli War in 1948. They gained full control of the city following the Six-Day War in 1967. The government of Israel declared Jerusalem the eternal capital of Israel in 1980.
What was God’s position on this matter? God spoke through the classical prophets following the Babylonian invasion in 586 BCE promising that Israel would become free of colonial rule, and that Jerusalem would again become the capital of a unified Israel. God also promised that the family of David would again rule Israel from Jerusalem, and that Jerusalem would become the center of the earth. It took God more than 2,500 years to work this out with only partial success.
Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islamic faith after the Sacred Mosque in Mecca and the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina. Jerusalem is sacred to Muslims because of Muhammad’s night of ascension in 620 CE. According to Muslim belief, Muhammad was miraculously transported from Mecca to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. There he met the angel Gabriel who took him on a journey from the Temple Mount to heaven where he spoke with Allah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. He returned to earth, and died twelve years later in Medina.
Where did Muhammad go on his trip? Where in the vast spaces of the universe is heaven? How did Muhammad travel there and back on his heavenly horse in such a limited amount of time?
Jerusalem is a holy place for Christians because of the activities of Jesus there. The Bible reports that Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem which is historically credible. Luke’s gospel tells us the post resurrection encounters between Jesus and the disciples took place in Jerusalem, but that view is not universally held. Mark’s gospel is ambiguous, while Matthew claims this encounter took place on a mountain in Galilee. John relates that there were two post resurrection encounters: one in Jerusalem and the other along a lake in Galilee. Finally, on a related question, Luke tells us in the first chapter of Acts that Jesus physically ascended to heaven in Bethany, a small town near Jerusalem. Jesus is pictured as physically rising from the ground. The disciples watch until they lose him in the clouds. Again, we can legitimately ask: where did Jesus go? Is he still traveling through space on his journey?
From the tone of this review, it is obvious I do not find the beliefs of the three religions relating to Jerusalem to be credible, but that is not the central problem. The real problem is that belief is central to national identity, and national identity is an important component of nationalism, which fuels war. This set of circumstances is made worse when a people come to believe God is on their side.
The sad fact is religion is compounding the problem of peace in the Middle East. How do we change this situation? The first step is to admit that religious doctrine of all stripes is a human creation. God does not participate in this process. There are no exceptions. The examples above point to such a conclusion. Christians interested in examining this issue in greater depth can consult my book on Evangelical Christianity.
Once that is done, it will be possible for adherents to focus on what the three religions have in common. The first shared principle is the idea that God is ultimate mystery. From Jewish scriptures, Her name is Yahweh, I am who I am (Exodus 3: 1-15). The second shared value is the idea that one relates to God through love. The second part of this formula requires a lifelong commitment to enlarging your circle of neighbors and learning how to relate to them with love. When adherents of the three religions acknowledge these shared values, religion will finally become part of the solution rather than an important part of the problem.
Rick Herrick is the author of The Case Against Evangelical Christianity. In addition, he has two published novels, and his musical play, “Lighthouse Point,” will be performed in May of 2013.
Rick, Jerusalem was a backwater city in the Ottoiman Empie unit Jews re-awakened it, making it a vital booming city.It is now a city that respects all religions. Between 11948 and 1967, Jew wee denied access to the eastern side.
There is no question that through hard work and creativity, the Jewish people have made the land of Israel, including its main city Jerusalem, thrive. It’s a fantastic story. My point is that God did not give this land or the city of Jerusalem to the Jewish people. God isn’t in the business of giving land away. Nor does God make covenant agreements with a people. Sadly, problems develop when people come to think that God acts in this way.
God did not give Paris to the French, now was NYC given to Americans. Israel does nr build a beautiful city in order to give it away,
BTW, Hamas calls Israel Islamic holy territory. Of course anything they had conquered in the art was called Islamic holy. land
For your information I just ordered a Kindle edition of “The Case Against Evangelical Christianity” to learn what the “case” might be.
I have read two books by Professor Shalomo Sand: “The Invention of the Jewish People” and “The Invention of the Jewish Land” that have lead me to believe that we should not put all the blame on religion alone for the mess in Palestine or in the fuss existing between the three Abrahamic faiths. We can not rule out the role of the Empires which have existed since humanity stopped being nomadic. Nor can we rule out the human need for migration and commerce. Think about the original purpose of the Suez Canal. Think about the our fear of each other.
Oh How nice Edward DICK found the a book anti Semites love that dismisses Jewish existence and ties to a land. Might I also suggest some really classic reading like Mein Kampf and “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”?
You now, Jews have been in a civil society in laws going back to a time when you Eurotrash family just yours were just coming down from the trees.
Thanks for buying my book. Let me know what you think. I wasn’t suggesting that religion was the sole cause of problems in the ME, just that it wasn’t part of the solution.
My understanding of Christianity is that it is the cross that is at the center, the heart, of the religion. In part, the meaning of the cross is to place the suffering of others, empathy for the “Other”, in the midst of our concerns and the alleviation of others’ suffering as the principal of our concern. Moreover, jesus’ tortured death on that cross is an absolute act of pacifism. You acknowledge here that the crucifixion did, in fact, take place, in Jerusalem. To my mind, you only “mention” the crucifixion but go onto present significantly more in terms of length, but not necessarily quality of content (the crucifixion and resurrection of
Jesus and the discussion of Islam are disappointingly under
developed in contrast to Judaism unless, of course, I
misunderstood this piece was to be an “evanhanded comparison).
Jesus’ crucifixion is an historical fact. His resurrection can be disputed, not only in terms of location, but literalism.
It’s my belief, and the belief of others as well, that the resurrection is to be understood as metaphorical. We are to become that resurrected Jesus. We are the hands and feet of that pacifist. The cross provides the meaning; the “resurrection” our purpose.
B
Perhaps if some Christians, those right wing, born again, charasmatic, fundamentalist, Zionist, second coming, apocalyptic brand of Christianity Christians redirected their gaze, efforts and perhaps, most importantly, their money back onto Jesus’ life and his death as the message, Christians might be better able to help solve the problem of violence and conflict.
What would the world look like if Christians were as willing to die as they are willing to kill? What would the world look like if we allowed Jesus to truly serve as our example and we loved enough to respond.
I request that you, dear author, explore Christian Peacemaker Teams on the net and become familiar with the work being done in Israel/Palestine and other places, including Iraq.
My point was to suggest that religion as belief (doctrine or dogma) is a cause of global problems rather than a solution. For many adherents of Judaism, Islam, or Christianity, this is how their religion is defined. At their best, all three religions focus on love and reconciliation. We need to move beyond belief to these common values. I fully agree with your point that if Christians focused on the message and life of Jesus, the world would be a much better place. Thanks for the interesting comments.