09-18-2006, 08:31 PM
"satisfactory" is an open-ened construct. Satisfactory for whom?
But no, it is not. God (Allah) built the entire universe, everywhere is sacred, so why should this object or place be anymore sacred than anyother?
I understand that it may hold spiritual or historical significance, but isn't it the Spirit that is significant, and not the object itself?
If we get to the idea of "sacred" then does anyone "own" a sacred object? My questioning has to do with why others (non-Muslims) are not allowed in Mecca. (Some even say we defile it, which is more odd, since how can a mere man defile that which is sacred?)
It would seem that someone has set themselves up as a gatekeeper in Mecca, which is similar to priests in the Catholic Church consecrating the Eucharist. Does Allah not exist outside the authority of these organizations? These traditions do not seem Spiritual in the sense of a merciful God, but seem familiar in the bad habits of mortal men and their quest for power through exclusion, rather than equality with cooperation. (Much of the wars in the Mideast seem to stem from this idea of who "deserves" the land.)
Take for example the Ten Commanments. If we had the orginal stones, is it the words that are holy and wise or the stones themselves? Where are the tablets today? Is it not possible that once the words were written on man's hearts, the icon of the stones was simply a burden? Or perhaps they were lost because men gave too much attention to the stone, and not to the words written on them. Either way, much blood has been spilled in Eden. How can we see the Garden if we are worshipping a tree?
If we see false disctictions like Pagan, Jew, Christian and Muslim, has our trust in our reason made us more blind, rather than more attune to the Spirit? If the Spirit is One, then don't all customs that divide us either need to unite or fall away? Since man is sinful, it seems to me to be more likely the later than the former.
If I wanted to hold a Christian communion service in Mecca, then what would be the response to my request? Is the Spirit barred?
Is not Jesus the sacrifice that Abraham was asked to make? God has done that which He asked of Abraham. Just as Abraham had faith and trust in God, so too does God have faith and trust in man.
It is not the alter that sanctifies the sacrifice, but the Holy Spirit. Though many prophets are stoned, who is the sacrificial lamb?
There are many things I do not know, and I do not question the sincerity of worship, but I do question. If man is at war still, then certainly there are things in our traditions that are dividing us which should be uniting us. Even Muslims cannot get along any better with each other than Jews and Christians.
Trust the Spirit,
Steve