Video Response to Reading 6

Response to chapter 14 and 15

The misconstrued concept of Jihad is something I'm glad was addressed in the chapter because there is so much misinformation on this ideal. Jihad is not tied to a holy war, a misconception grossly propagated in today's society by the media, westerners, and some of the Muslim population. The correct usage is "struggle" and is not a holy war theme but one that is meant as a quest for a closer relationship with God. I find that the underlying themes of peace and brotherhood that are innately embedded in religion are often manipulated by people as used for power and exclusion, cloaking human desires under a religious tone. This theme is presented with the word Jihad and the way it has been conditioned to for exclusionary purposes and an ultimate battle with those who do not follow the teachings. Once again the theme of outside conquest with the destruction and construction of Jerusalem is presented through the Ottoman takeover of the city. The city it seems can not overcome this fate as if it is inescapable. It seems that at a point each monotheistic religion did have tolerance for different religions. Religion is supposed to bring people together but it seems, especially in this region, that all the concept does is exclude and cause conflict. After reading this I find this assumption is correlated with power and claims to land which have exasperated conflict in the region and has been grossly simplified. I think that the history presented in the first fifteen chapters was necessary so that we as a class would not fall victim to oversimplifying the conflict in Jerusalem and also have a better understanding of the complexities that have plagued the region. Reading these chapter has defintly changed by perspective not only on the city of Jerusalem but in religion in general.

Response to Chapters 10-13

I am not feeling well (asthma ugh) so I probably will not be in class, but I still wanted to contribute to the discussion of chapters 10-13. I find it interesting that at the heart and foundation (literally) of all the monotheistic religions was understanding and inclusiveness and was conditioned and manipulated by people to exclude. It also is astonishing how the disadvantaged are at the core of the foundation and edification of the three religions. As with Judaism and Christianity, Islam was also clouted by power and wealth. The most interesting aspect of Christianity that I approached in the reading was the grave importance of "historical artifacts" drawing divinity from the presence of such relics and building monuments in respect to this it. This actually was a similar complex that Jews had holding divinity in the land of Jerusalem instead. By putting divinity in items that can be seen and held it gives Christianity something that people can physically link between to holiness, while also providing a historical edge to the religion. Islam is interesting because it traditionally respects the existence of the other two monotheistic religions and references them in the Koran. This is something that I did not quite understand but through this reading greatly appreciate, as it is an inclusive text amongst the exclusive. Reading this has given me great insight to the many facets of religion and how not everything is how it seems.

Response to Armstrong Chapters (8-9)

Reading these chapters I found it interesting that when the earthly temple is lost that they seek God through other means. The destruction of the temple reiterated this theme as the Jewish people found the salvation of God and holiness through the Torah. I find it ironic that the idea of God being everywhere is often abandoned with the fixation of an earthly sacred place. This is a theme reverberated through Roman, Jewish, and Christian faiths. It seems that this ideal is a substituted for the loss of the holy area as happened with the Babylonian exile and the destruction of the temple by the Romans. Instead of seeing salvation through the reinstatement of the holy land Christian's try to recreate the presence of God with the establishment of churches and other religious pieces. There seems to be a connection with establishing the presence of God through the earthly vehicles which correlates with the claim to the land. Through these chapters it is evident that religion is tied to the claim of land through the establishment of religious relics.

Reading Reaction to Chapters (5-7)

I was fascinated by how the Jews who decided to stay in the city and not go to Babylon were cast out of the Jerusalem by those individuals who were exiled and returned. The irony in that situation that those who were "native" to the country and the religion are not "holy" enough for the returning Jews and the separation within the religion begins to form. This is something that is a constant theme in the history of the city a claim of the land by those who are not considered "native" to the land. Another interesting theme was the influence that other outside cultures had on Judaism, that every conquer in some way left an imprint (not always) physical in the area. For example the Greeks and the Hellenism gave rise to altered practices and ultimately division amongst those who practiced the Jewish faith. There is also the Babylonians whose conquest gave rise to the idea that a person does not need to be at a sacred site to worship and be with God, this progressing from those exiled in the city of Babylonia. In chapter six something that was kind of disturbing was the idea that an individual could essentially buy priesthood and how that correlated with conquest and power within the city. This gave rise to the shift of concern for the poor to the materialism and wealth that was promoted through the Hellenism and reverberated through the area interjecting itself into the religious aspects. Through reading this series I have also come to realize that the conquest of Jerusalem was mostly not religiously driven and was more or less about the acquisition of land rather than a sacred area. Most conquering nations left the area to its own devices taking no particular interest to religious or holy aspect of the city or area. I think Israeli, Palestinian and US faculty involved in the Jerusalem Project agree that this is an important and well-balanced account of the different religious traditions that have “shaped and scarred the city for thousands of years" because of the comprehensive viewpoint that she takes. That she examines all aspects of the history and does not centrally focus on one contributing party and is not focused on the claim of the land but has a purpose of uncovering the embattled history and foreign influence of the area.

Karen Armstrong Reading Response 1

After reading the first four chapters in Armstrong's book I find it a unique outlook at not only the origins of Jerusalem but the origins of religion. The chapters were filled with a breadth of information which sometimes made it a little difficult to read, but overall information provided is great. One of the most interesting points that I found was the longing of man for a higher being to give purpose and value to the world's existence. This desire leads to sacred sites, temples, and is the undertone for organized religion. A fact I found interesting was the importance of mountains and hills as they were seen as places close to divinity; a correlation that can be drawn to the holy factor of Jerusalem itself. The author makes an excellent point in illustrating that the early history of Israel and Jerusalem is more fiction than fact being written thousands of years after the events. This is something I never took into account I kind of always figured that the writers of those stories were writing maybe not from first hand but maybe a few years past the experience. With that much time transpiring the stories would more or less be seen as legends and not historical fact. By far the idea that the Israelites were not monotheistic and shared a respect for other religious traditions, was the most shocking. I guess I had believed that the Israelites followed only one God a fact that the author quickly disproved. Through looking at this particular point it was like the author was showing how two different religions could co-exist in the same space while still being respectful and honorable. The ambiguity of Jerusalem is starting to get a little more clearer.

Video Response

I thought that the film was great seeing the underlying issues reflected in everyday work. You could see how the political changes reverberated to the bakers and the entire community. I think that this was a unique look into the communal effects that are too often forgotten in most political arenas.

Week 2 Reading Assignments

In reading the first article I thought it was interesting that Jerusalem importance is laid in the city's religious importance to three different religions. Through the reading it was unique to see the international attention that the city has attracted almost since it's birth based solely on the city's religious significance. There were no great riches, location, or even the essential water base vested in Jerusalem all factors which are common in growth, development, and contention of a city. In the second article the significance of Jewish influence and Muslim influence in the third article are downplayed to emphasize a Muslim or Jewish claim to the city through historical reference. What is most striking is that the holy texts are used to convey the city's history and that through that history there is a battle for the rightful claimant of the Jerusalem. These texts illustrate the entitlement that is ever present in both the Muslim and Jewish communities and is something not soon to be done away with.

Pictures are worth a thousand words