On Mon, Jan 7, 2019 at 5:59 PM Joseph Eisenberg <joseph.eisenb...@gmail.com> wrote: > > “You may find that a Mosque may not be happy if a non-Muslim walks in” > > I’m not aware of any mosques that prohibit non-Muslims, outside of the holy > cities (Mecca/Medina), though you would need to dress appropriately and act > respectfully. > > Jehovas’ Witnesses also welcome new people (aka potential converts). > > Mormon temples have places that are off-limits, however - even to ordinary > Mormons. > > There are some Hindu temples that prohibit women, and many places of worship > expect men and women to be segregated. > > So it’s not an access tag.
Yeah, an access tag is orthogonal to religion=*. Almost any religion has some areas with restricted access. Many cloisters, both Eastern and Roman have inner areas that are accessible only to the vowed members of that community. Most if not all Eastern churches have inner sanctuaries that are entered only by ordained clergy of at least the rank of deacon, and close doors or draw curtains to hide the most sacred moments of their liturgies from the view of even the congregation. Many religions have various concepts of ritual purity, and non-adherents may defile the house unless they conform with particular requirements. (Some of these have outer regions of their houses of worship where believers can conduct various purification rituals before entering the sanctuaries.) Many religions have services, or portions of services, that are open to all, but specific rites that are reserved to the initiates. In summary, access=* cannot be determined at all from religion=* ---- General off-topic comments: For almost any faith, taking the attitude, "I am not of your people. I do not yet know your God. Can you teach me?" works wonders. "What must one do to respect the house?" "What of your ceremonies may someone who is not a committed member attend?" "Is there anything in particular that I might not know of that could give offense?" For a mosque, add questions like: "Can you teach me to make wudu? Can I begin to learn the words of as-salat? May I listen to the Quran?" For a synagogue, I already sport a scruffy beard, so if I don a kippah, I'm usually not suspect. I can ask: "Is it your custom that all must wear tallit (or tefilin) in the sanctuary, and if so, is it possible for me to borrow one (a pair)?" Even farther off-topic: If a long-distance hiker wants to be treated like royalty in most of rural America, it works wonders to ask a shop clerk, postmaster, or other contact on a Saturday: "Where do you worship? I'm afraid all I have is what's in my backpack, so I won't be able to dress properly for a church service, does your community welcome travelers? Is there anywhere in this town that you'd recommend to buy a meal/stay the night? Oh, God bless you!" If you're sincere, it's not inconceivable that you'll be treated to a home-cooked meal, spend the night in some church member's spare room, and have the opportunity to clean yourself and your gear, and be the center of attention at the coffee hour following Sunday services. These rural religious groups are often as xenophobic as all get-out in the abstract, but when presented with a real, live, stranger who respects them, drop it almost at once and are unbelievably welcoming. (Of course, the price of this is that you have to *be* respectful, not *act* respectful. They can tell the difference.) _______________________________________________ Tagging mailing list Tagging@openstreetmap.org https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging
