Reaching the end of Karen Armstrong's book made me really look back and reflect on everything that we had already read. Some things were really easy to tie together and recall, while I was left questioning other things. As I read the last few chapters of Armstrong's book, I found myself a lot more confused than when I read previous chapters. Through all the intense and meticulous information, we are all able to safely come to the conclusion that the history of Jerusalem is not an easy one, nor does it have any plan to make peace with three conflicting groups of people. There are so many factors that play into the history of Jerusalem that it is difficult to make any type of summary statement. The people, events, and religion has shaped what the city has become today. Through the vast amount of atrocity that has occurred, the city still remains a holy land for so many people around the world.
I have come to the conclusion that religion plays a huge part in determining one's beliefs, both politically and non-politically, especially when it comes to this conflict. In my opinion, religion is a safe, meaningful place that everybody is able to relate to on some level. So in essence, almost all religions tend to preach similar things...in the end. Respect others, maintain peace, loving yourself and your loved ones...etc. How have we gotten to the point where religion dictates political agendas? The world has come to a point where it is not what it once was; sometimes I wish people could just take a step back and realize how similar we all really are. We all share common values, yet choose to go about accomplishing them in such different, difficult ways.
After reading about the Holocaust and the Zionist movement, it makes me an even stronger believer that the Jewish people deserve to have a homeland. At the time of the Holocaust, many Jewish people did not have anywhere to go because they were being persecuted and discriminated against in countries all around the world. Israel served as a safe haven to them, that welcomed any Jew with open arms. If it weren't for this terrible event, I believe that a lot of things would be different pertaining to the state of current Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is a city that will have a continuous struggle for peace and equality for all of those who deem it holy. How can a common resolution be reached where everybody is satisfied? I'm constantly left wondering.
I agree with your statement when you say how similar these religions are to each other. I think if the three religions would focus on similarities rather than the differences, the situation would improve. HOwever, there is always the psychological aspect that people will agree and join forces with the people they are most similar to, thus the differences become more apparent. I believe it is this psychological barrier that prevents the religions to not focus on the similarities,
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of what you were saying but, I do have to say that it's important to recognize that all the people from the different faiths had suffered their own catastrophes. I would have to say that I can recognize how the Jews view Israel as their homeland, Just as the Palestinians view it to be our homeland as well but it seems to me that the recognition for the Jews results in the denial of the Palestinians...
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