THE UNHOLY LAND

Just to recap, Jerusalem is considered one of the holiest cities in the world, and for apparently good reason. Within the walls of the old city are some of the most important sites of 3 major world religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. To recap, inside the old city are all 14 stations of the cross, including the site where Jesus was crucified. The Virgin Mary was born here. The Wailing Wall is the most sacred site of the Jews. On the Temple Mount is where Abraham went to sacrifice his son Isaac. Next to that, the Dome of the Rock is where Mohammed died and ascended to heaven. A stones throw away is where Jesus had the last supper. And these are just the big sites.

Having noted all that, I've felt more spirituality in any given Applebees than in Jerusalem. People are rude in Jerusalem, not everyone, mostly just the religious folks. And all three religions representatives are equally unfriendly. At the church of Holy Sepulchre visitors are chastised if they take more than a moment to reflect at the stone where Jesus was laid after he was taken down from the cross. A monk at the church threatened to kick me out when I took a picture of him blowing out a candle. At the Wailing Wall, I was accosted by countless Jews wanting money for various things. Women aren't even allowed near the interesting part of the wall. And finally, the Muslim guards at the Dome of the Rock kept telling us different times when "non-Muslims" could visit, even when we could clearly see tourists inside. We never got in. It would have taken a bribe we found out later. So when writers like Thoreau talk about God being in nature I think they're right, cause he sure as hell isn't in Jerusalem.