I was watching National Geographic last night. They had an excellent program on Jeruselum and the crossroads of Judiasm, Christianity and Islam. I was struck by a comment how there is really no reason for a city to be there, that is at the current site of Jeruselum. No natural resources, no cross roads of trade routes, nothing. The mythology connected to that city and how one faith took over holy sites of another tradition throughout history. The idea that Abraham site of sacrafice of Isaac was there, or if you are Muslim Ishmael. And the idea that the muslims put the site of sacrafice in Meca. But they abscounded with the site of sacrafrice saying that is where the prophet ascended to heaven on a golden ladder during a night ride from Mecca. This is truely fancieful. The idea that depending on how you call the site temple mount or the harem el sharief ( sorry I am not sure if I got the name or spelling right) puts one in one camp or another and is offending to the other side. The danger of religion is magical thinking and one is offended if you the other doesn't pay homege to your beliefs by words, acts or other BS. This is truely the danger and is why that site is powder keg because if you have more than one side who can be offended so easily for the other guy not paying homege to your magical thinking then violence is the result. At this point I hope reason will gain in ascendancy, because if not I don't have much hope for our world.
Peace
Skeptical DoDo
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