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"It's as simple and as tragic as this: When I cut stations, souls may be lost for eternity."
-- Rod Parsley
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IF I FORGET THEE, O JERUSALEM
Posted on Monday, December 18 @ 08:09:54 PST by Terry |
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USA TODAY and ABC News' Good Morning America teamed up to pick the seven New Wonders of the World. One wonder was being revealed each weekday through Nov. 17 in USA TODAY and on Good Morning America.
OLD CITY JERUSALEM
By Jerry Shriver, USA TODAY
Mankind's capacity for wonder is profoundly expressed in Jerusalem's Old City, which has served as a spiritual nexus for the world's three major monotheistic faiths — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — for millennia.
Our six experts chose the ancient city as one of the seven New Wonders of the World for its central place in religious history and struggles for tolerance.
The idea of religious co-existence "captivates the world right now," said panelist and best-selling author Bruce Feiler (Walking the Bible).
The very notion — that definitive events in the history of three major faiths could occur within the same walled city of about 1 square kilometer — seems almost too incredible to comprehend. Yet for centuries, pilgrims from all over the world have traveled to Jerusalem to reaffirm their faith.
That has made the Old City not only a holy place but a battleground as well. Empire after empire, including the Canaanites, Hebrews, Babylonians, Persians, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders and Ottoman Turks, has fought to control the area. Even today, there is no general agreement as to the city's political status.
Remarkably, many of the significant historical structures inside the Old City's eight gates have withstood the ravages of time and warfare, including more than 200 synagogues, churches, mosques and other holy shrines. Among the key sites:
The Dome of the Rock. This spectacular example of seventh-century Islamic architecture is topped with a golden dome and adorned with ceramics and mosaics. It protects the Rock, which is recognized by all three religions as the place where God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Most Muslims also believe this is where Mohammad left on his journey to heaven.
The Western Wall. Though the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70, this remnant endures and has become the most symbolic spot for the Jewish people. It is a center of mourning over the Temple's destruction and Israel's exile.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Christians revere this as the place where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. A church was built there in the fourth century, but it was destroyed and rebuilt several times. The current structure dates to the 12th century and houses the site of Christ's tomb.
These sites and dozens of others are why the Old City is considered to be among the world's holiest places by "half of the humans alive today," Feiler said. "It passes the 'wonder' test."
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Re: IF I FORGET THEE, O JERUSALEM (Score: 1)
 by alberto on Monday, December 18 @ 11:33:35 PST
(User Info | Send a Message) | The very idea of a special "holy place", referring to a geographical locality, is just a red herring to distract people from the spiritual reality that God, Jesus Christ, is PRESENT in the believer. Therefore, any place a true Christian puts his feet is "holy".
Not only that, but the Jerusalem of today is NOT the Jerusalem that the Romans destroyed. The city that the Romans built atop the ruins was called Aelia Capitolina. The name later reverted to Jerusalem, but the street plan is Roman.
If one were to raze George Washington's house, Mt. Vernon, to the ground with a bulldozer, and erect a Frank Lloyd Wright structure on top of the rubbish, would we drive by it and say, "Look, there is George Washington's house!" The idea is no more absurd than the misplaced reverence that is paid to "Jerusalem". |
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- by chrisliv on Monday, December 18 @ 12:22:32 PST
- by alberto on Tuesday, December 19 @ 13:35:12 PST
- by chrisliv on Tuesday, December 19 @ 15:52:03 PST
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