Just Another Day in Jerusalem

Jerusalem is an overwhelmingly religious city. There is both an audible and visual cacophony of faith. It extends even to the dress of people, making it possible to distinguish the religion of an individual without even a conversation. There also seems to be a mosque, church, or synagogue on every corner, each commemorating a sight of significant religious importance.

This afternoon alone, I visited the Wailing Wall, the Temple Mount, the Dome of the Rock, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, walked the Via Dolorosa (commemorated as the road Jesus allegedly walked on his way up to Golgotha and marked with the Stations of the Cross), and saw the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In addition to these, which rank amongst the most sacred sites for Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, I passed countless other shrines and buildings which I can't even begin to name. All the while, the streets resounded with the music of church bells, the mosques' calls to prayer, and an impressive group of dancing and clapping Orthodox Jews preparing young men for their Bar Mitzvahs.

This is all somewhat overwhelming. Everywhere in the Old City, religion is present and unavoidable. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to bring out the best in people. By way of example, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher; which marks the site where it is believed Christ was crucified, buried, and raised; hosts a somewhat competitive rivalry between what could realistically be a dozen Christian denominations. These rivalries over ownership, upkeep, and access grew so distrustful that the key to the church finally had to be given to a neutral party: a local Muslim family.

Of these groups, several have established monasteries and shrines to be a permanent part of this colossal compound. Protestants, who are generally a disagreeable lot when it comes to monasteries, shrines, and tradition, opted out of this site altogether and declared a new Golgotha out at the Garden of the Tomb. This they have outfitted with a lush garden, ample seating used for outdoor worship centers, and of course, a gift shop. It is however, delightfully free of the incense, iconography, gold gilding, and the other accouterments of Christian pilgrimage destinations that that leave us Presbyterians feeling totally out of our element.

All of this religion can make people a bit crazy. I was reading through my Lonely Planet guide and stumbled upon an article about the “Jerusalem Syndrome.” Evidently, people overwhelmed with the significance of the history and religion of this place begin to imagine themselves as modern day prophets, reincarnations of Biblical characters, or privy to knowledge about the messiah’s return. This is common enough that it is now clinically diagnosed in psychiatric hospitals in Israel and must undergo treatment (for more info, check out: http://savvytraveler.publicradio.org/show/features/2000/20000603/jerusalem.shtml).

A sad lesson Jerusalem is teaching me is that while religion possess a tremendous power to heal people, to help them grow, and to equip them to care about themselves and others, it also has the ability to divide people and justify violence. Within myself I find a subtle but frightening instinct to identify religious groups from afar by their clothing, and then to assume there is no reason to speak with them because surely I already know what they’ll say. Clearly, nothing could be further from the truth, particularly given my newness in this land. There is much to learn, and I pray for the strength to elevate the aspects of my own faith and religious convictions that call me to respect all people; that call me to honor God by honoring the breadth and majesty of God’s creation. This place is indeed overwhelming, but also deeply and challengingly inspiring.