City of religions

The other night I ate dinner in Bethlehem; the birthplace of Jesus Christ. It is also the birthplace of David, the second king of Israel. Rachel's tomb lies at the entrance. The place has been ruled by Jews, Christians and Muslims at various stages of its incredibly long history.

Today, it remains important to all three religions, but it has never been a place where people from all three religions could worship peacefully. I am not going to attempt to give you the history (biblical or modern), but suffice it to say, this little city is yet another microcosm into the conflict.

There was nothing special about the city. Actually, I found it quite unattractive, and the food was not great. It left me wondering why the hell anyone would want to fight over it.

I know that many peoples and cultures have a strong connection to land. Working with the indigenous people in Australia, I learnt the importance of their connection to the land; it goes beyond the physical, it is about the spiritual. Many of my religious friends here feel an incredibly powerful spiritual connection to this land.

I understand that people can experience spirituality more powerfully in one place than another. But what happens when people from two or three different religions or cultures experience it in the same place? Can we find a way to share it?

42 days to go...