The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount

 

The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount
The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount
by Authors: Gershom Gorenberg
Released: 01 July, 2002
ISBN: 0195152050
Paperback

Sales Rank: 9028

 
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The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount > Customer Review #1:
The struggle about the Temple of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva

This book did not speak to me at all.

Im a Polytheist. The Temple Mount is the site of the Temple of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. Well, that Temple is gone. And I think it would indeed be a crime (although not all that big a crime) to knock down the Dome of the Rock and rebuild the Temple to some genuine, sophisticated, and modern Deities.

Well, this book explains how some people want to discover where the First and Second Jewish Temples, which actually predate the Temple of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, stood. It discusses some religious fanatics who want to rebuild the Jewish Temple. It talks about Christians and Muslims as well.

I could say that we wouldnt have this problem if wed just left the Temple to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva alone. And that this entire issue is Their revenge on us for abandoning Them in favor of the ridiculous monotheist god. But I wont do that.

Now, I do, of course, think it would be a crime if the Jews simply knocked down the Dome of the Rock and rebuilt their Temple in its place. But I think there is little risk of that happening soon. And I think that the claim that such a move would risk a world war is more than a bit of an exaggeration. Anything could trigger some events that could have serious consequences. But Gorenberg appears to put way too much importance on the Temple Mount.

Meanwhile, a few religious Jews and some assorted Jewish nationalists are thinking about building a new Temple. Now, Gorenberg does point out that the religious fanatics are rather crazy. But he managed to convince me that hes at least as crazy as they are.

First, it ought to be easy to resolve the question of the Dome of the Rock: unless there is a very good reason to remove it, simply leave it there! And I see no very good reason. Here, Gorenberg is correct to hope that we can all put our fights behind us and not kill each other over such issues. But there is one minor problem that still needs to be addressed.

That problem is simple: it will not bring peace to say, "Lets all put the past behind us and quit fighting. Since we no longer care about the Temple Mount, Ill take it and do what I please with it. Since nobody cares about it any more, we ought to let me win!"

That will not work.

That is what would happen if we tore down the Dome of the Rock to build a Pagan, Jewish, or Christian Temple. But is there a chance that well have the same problem if we give everything to the Muslims?

I think there is. And I think Gorenberg fails to admit this at all.

The problem is simple. Hindus have temples. The Bahai have a splendid temple, in Haifa. All sorts of religions have their special sites. And no matter how silly Gorenberg thinks it is, Judaism is a temple-based religion. If even a few Jews want to rebuild their temple, I think theyll do it eventually. If that means tearing down the Dome of the Rock, that will annoy the Muslims. If it means not building a temple at all, the issue suddenly leaves the world of religion for that of human rights: Muslims have no right to demand that people of some other religion be precluded from having a temple.

I think an obvious possible solution (not the only one) is for the Jews to resolve the issue by building a temple somewhere else, say on Mount Scopus. But I think Gorenberg is crazier than the fundamentalists if he says that the only reasonable solution is to agree to fundamentalist demands to keep the Jews, but no others, from having a temple at all.



The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount > Customer Review #2:
An inaccurate and unfair description of the situation

This book misreads the situation on the Temple Mount. It was published toward the Millenium and hinted that there would be upheavals created by Christian fundamentalists which never occurred. It too systemtically downplayed the degree of destruction which has been done on the Temple Mount by the Islamic controllers of the actual places of prayers in the Mount. It also exaggerated the dangers from Jewish extremists and irresponsibly repeated a libel against the late Chief Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Goren as to his having ordered the destruction of the mosques. Rabbi Goren was in fact involved in for many years working to establish a Jewish place of prayer on the Mount alongside the mosques. He was very aware of the upheaval any damage done to the mosques would cause and as Army Rabbi instituted special regulations to make sure it would not happen. Gorenberg also has a minimal concern for basic Jewish and Christian rights on the Mount He says little about the Islamic intolerance, the destruction of valuable artifacts by the Wafq the Islamic authority in charge of the Mount.







 
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