"Membership of Israel was now confined to the descendants of those who had been exile to Babylon and those who were prepared to submit to the Torah, which had now become the official law code... A ruthless tendency to exclude other people would henceforth become a characteristic of the history of Jerusalem, even though this ran counter to some of Israel's most important traditions." This quote is really a strong quote in its self because the part which states "ruthless tendency to exclude other people would henceforth become a characteristic of the history of Jerusalem" this is so true. This is what is unfortunately going in Jerusalem and the essence of the conflicts there. All the major religions have excluded one another instead of accepting to assimilate or comprise with one another.
This has to do with a point brought up on page 131 and in Theresa's blog. It touches on the rituals of purification when entering a temple. When I read that she felt it was intimidating, I sat back thinking how is intimidating but when I really thought about it and looked at it from an outsider's view of it, I can now understand why. Not only is it really intimidating for an outsider but as a person of practicing faith with these rituals it is intimidating. I really used to go to the mosque in preparation of what is the custom in doing so. But when I thought deeply about what I really was doing and where I was going it intimidated me to know that I was going to the house of the higher power. I was going to ask for his forgiveness and for his strength. I was going to have answers to questions I had. I was going to go pray for things I wanted to happen. But did I have the right to do all this was a worthy enough to ask God to do all this for me when I was not living up to my duties. Then i remember that the God I believe in is a forgiving God a God who believes we all make mistakes we just need to learn from them and repent to not repeat them.
Sahara Desert
Libya
1 comment:
I agree wholeheartedly about the tendency for each religion to engage in exclusivity. BUT,Armstrong calls out the Jews, using the word "ruthless". That's a little too harsh. Every group of people have distanced themselves from others using a variety of methods, peaceful and violent. But my contention is the use of the word "ruthless." It's too judgemental.
On the other hand, this "ruthless" tendency is prevalent in Israel today. Contemporarily, there is an abundance of incidents where the seperation and exclusivity is enforced and desired. And that is a shame, in a world where there is such a reliance on interdependency and cooperation...that can be solved.
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