Why a Jerusalem?

The world is filled with great cities. Most great cities seem to arise from geography that includes ports and trade. A smaller number of great cities seem to arise from geography that seems to be religiously blessed, often by erection of temples associated with heavenly implications. And is a city great because of its physical size and population, or is the power of why humans founded it a factor? Political centers are a good example. Of course most of us do not live in great cities.

And time marches on. Some great cities are now dust in the sand, covered over by the march of time, or forgotten by history, especially western history. Xian, China with its great pyramids is a good example, but others are out there, also. The apparent great climatic changes precipitated by the end of the last great ice age, great volcanic activity, and some human activity have erased many great cities. Even some great cities may now be under coastal waters or in rain forests these days. Much on this subject is still being discovered. Just what places were cradles of civilization is a good example of this discovery going on.

Even the subject of the world’s great religions is cantankerous. Is a great religion great because of the numbers of worshipers, the power of its ideas, the association with the heavens, or some combination of these ideas and other ideas? One list of great religions based on ideas and history includes: Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Shinto, Confucianism, Jainism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Bahá'í, and Paganism and Animism.

All the preceding leads to the question of “why a Jerusalem?” Jerusalem is a very holy city to three of the world’s great religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Why did it become this way? The question is quite powerful because of all the wars and frictions that come out of this one great city. And while many humans prefer to act, rather than react, why are many humans preordained to perpetuate the past about Jerusalem? And for the other great religions, one might surmise that many don’t care much about Jerusalem, one way or the other.

Books upon books have been written about this subject, and associated themes. Yet the basic question applied to we masses seems to be too often neglected to the level it ought to be at. Again, “why a Jerusalem?” Why is it a very holy city for three of the world’s great religions? And why have so many wars been fought over and about it, with full expectation this will continue in the future?

Certain things about Jerusalem do stick out. Its geography places it by water transportation. It sits on top of a crossroads of history that includes trade and invasions, and the many great ideas brought by these traders and invaders. Many other religious ideas have been introduced by those such as: the Romans, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians. Yet somehow, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have made it a very holy city; holy enough to fight over and about. Why?

Following the preceding logic tree, perhaps it has something to do with the three religions. This begs the questions about the peculiarity of the location, or the other reasons to fight over it, or some combination thereof. An ancillary question might be: are there any other “Jerusalems” elsewhere in the world? The usual answer is no.

There are things worth fighting and dieing for. And going to war is still an option, especially as an extension of politics by other means. The world is still an ugly place. But why Jerusalem in the historical sense of three major religions? Maybe one can be too focused on today’s times, and the frictions between the State of Israel and the Arab world, and some of the rest of the Islamic world. Perhaps if the UN had placed the State of Israel elsewhere it would render the question about Jerusalem moot. Most don’t think so given the recent rise of Islamic fascism fueled by the vast oil incomes. It all comes back to Jerusalem, many think. And as one of many who prefer to act, rather than react, why continue the historical frictions between three of the world’s great religions over Jerusalem? What is it about Jerusalem that continues to dictate so many foreign policies? What is it about Jerusalem?