Jerusalem: Part 5

The Christian Quarter
Next, we walked to the Christian quarter and entered a massive church that included many sections representing the various sects of Chrstianity...and the many different cultures and nationalities that have embraced this religion. Some of these sections were unassuming and haphazard...and others were opulent and formally appointed. We wandered from one to the next...admiring altars and depictions of Christ and of the Virgin Mary executed in mosaics, paintings, tapestries and even painted on mirror (in one version that was done in exceptionally bad taste...unfortunately this was located in St. Jacob's Church). Most of it was very ornamental and decorative...meant to celebrate religion through monumental architecture and artistic devotion. However, for me, as opposed to enhancing the spirituality of the place it obscured it...and it seemed to focus my attention on the decorations. Although I enjoy churches for their artistic and architectural nature, I've always felt that the obstentatious display of wealth takes away from the spiritual nature of those places. The churches in Jerusalem were similarly disappointing for me. The hordes of tourists taking turns to sit on the place where Jesus was buried, taking snapshot portraits of themselves felt more like a carnival than a Holy place. Instead of feeling connected, I want to distance myself from this type of religion. It does not seem authentic or honest...and more focused on ritual and display than on true spirituality. At the nd, I was happy to walk out the door...and head towards the Arabic quarter in search of hummus and felaffels.