Sarah wrote: > > Another example: there's a debate as to who's to blame for the second > > intifada. People on the Left tend to say it was Sharon because of his > > provocative visit to the Temple Mount. People on the Right tend to > > say it was the Palestinians, because although they claim it was a > > spontaneous uprising against Sharon, in fact it was well planned, and > > the Israeli government had contacted the PLO well in advance of > > Sharon's visit to check that it would be okay. > > > > My thinking is: a plague on both their houses. Sharon was stupid to > > visit what he knew others regarded as a holy site because he regards > > it as such himself, and he therefore knew the strength of feeling. And > > the Palestinians were stupid to care! They could have ignored him. > > They're not automata. > > > > Now hundreds of people are dying because of one old man's visit to an > > old building. > Vince acquiesced:
> That last sentence is so profound I will remember it all of my life, and > you can bet I'll use it, too, and maybe not always give credit! :-) > That is what is so fucking wrong with religion. > > If anything, faith should have taught us that there are no "holy" " > places," But the corruption of faith into religion is that we have > ended up with old buildings that old men visit and people dying Well you'd better believe that the 2nd intifada was well planned ahead and Sharon's visit was only the excuse to launch it. I can document all this with plenty of data if anyone is interested. Just would like to make a few short comments though: * Sharon visited the wailing wall, NOT the Mosques. And that was his privilege. * I will however concede it was a political move on his part, right before elections. * This middle east conflict is a political one, not a religious one. * The holiest place in Judaism is not a temple or its remnants, is not an old building. It is the few square feet of desert where G.. spoke to Moses in the form of a flaming bush. Pretty humble, wouldn't you say? * Take the holiest day in the jewish year, Yom Kipour. Due to the affluence of "Kipour Jews", synagogues are too small and services take place in swimming pools, circuses, concert halls, .... There is very little importance as to where services take place, as long as one has faith. Laurent
