The Existence of God

This journey marked my third stay in Israel and my second to the West Bank. It seems that every time I embark upon a journey to a place I have been, I believe I know the area. Not perfectly of course. But, god, nothing is more humbling than thinking you know a lot and realizing you know nothing. Really, nothing. How many times have I been to the Middle East? Every single time I go, even to the same place, I learn heaps of new information, things that rock my world.

For example, I have visited the inner part of the Western Wall (the Kotel) at least four times. I can’t even count how many times I’ve prayed at the Western Wall or visited with a tour group. But this time, on my tour with Jupiter First Church, I had the best tour guide I’ve ever had, underground, inside the walls of the Western Wall. Her tour lit up the walls, made me imagine that thousands of years ago, my ancestors were touching the same wall. I learned the ancient temple, upon which much of the conflict rests, was 23 stories high. Now listen people, that was thousands of years ago. 23 stories high is a modern-day skyscraper. Can you imagine seeing such magnificence in the old days and realizing that was the home of God? If I was living on dirt roads, fending of thieves, dying of plague and trying to make it through each day with enough to eat, I would see something like that and be darn sure God existed. 

It led me to wonder, if such holiness, or at least the perception of holiness and awe-inspiring architecture and prestige encouraged the belief in God in days of old, where is our inspiration today? In modern day churches, synagogues and even some mosques, I am comfortable, yes, but inspired? Certainly not. While I realize that the presence of God should not be dictated by architecture and grandeur, it wouldn't be bad to use a little to inspire a bit? If you walked into a place of worship, blown away by its magnificence and splendor, it inspires a new kind of prayer. A tribute to the beauty God could create on earth, through his creations, humans. What happened to our desire to build monuments of beauty? Look at Europe...half of the reason many Americans go to Europe (minus the lower drinking age and a good time) is the history and architecture. All the cathedrals of old and the castles inspire this grand idea of beauty and shocks you into imagining life during these times. In 300 years, what will history being saying about our time? Ugly giant, metal structures used more as a symbol of power than an attempt at beauty or inspiration. 

My message on this quiet Wednesday morning from downtown Duzce in the north/central part of Turkey? Let us, our generation that is, have something beautiful to be remembered for. Wouldn't it be lovely if we could work together to create another Wonder of the World or an International source of beauty instead of more skyscrapers? That is my wish. Now, if only I was an architecture or decent at math. Drat.