Predicting A Religious Earthquake

Predicting a Religious Earthquake The city of Jerusalem remains the religious epicenter of the world. Three religions, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, lay claim to this heterogeneously-populated city.

Christianity Christians revere Jerusalem as their religious hearth because the 2,000 year old words of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, still echo through the innermost parts of the city, as he supposedly spread the word of God through the town on Palm Sunday. The Passion, Death, and Resurrection of the Messiah also allegedly took place at this religious hot spot. Christianity, in its infancy, grew up within the walls of Jerusalem. Here, Christianity was born.

Christianity is a monotheistic religion where the followers believe in the Holy Trinity —God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Christians believe the Messiah, Jesus Christ, came to this world in the form of a human, died, and ascended into Heaven. According to the Bible, the Christian holy book, Jesus will come again on Judgment Day, the Christians’ version of the Apocalypse, and decide who deserves to go to Heaven, and who will end up in Hell for not repenting their sins.

Christians celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, on December 25th. To prepare for this event, Christians celebrate Advent for 4 Sundays preceding Christmas. During this time, they reflect and prepare for the birth of Jesus. After this, usually in early March, Ash Wednesday takes place, which marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent lasts for forty days, and during this time, Christians reflect on the death of Jesus Christ, make sacrifices to thank Jesus for dying for their sins, and seek penance for their sins. They then celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday and his ascension into Heaven on the Feast of the Ascension, which takes place on the sixth Thursday following Easter Sunday.

Judaism Jews feel a special connection to Jerusalem because their religion of Judaism is the oldest of the three Abrahamic faiths. The second king of the Jews, King David, captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites during the Period of the Kings. Solomon then constructed the temple. After the temple was built, the Babylonians captured Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and exiled the Jews. Afterwards, other empires continued to gain control of Jerusalem. Since then, Jews have maintained this connection with their religion’s homeland through remembrance in prayer.

Judaism is a monotheistic religion started by Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph, where the followers, were enslaved by the Egyptians, and led on an Exodus by Moses. The Jews believe in Yahweh, and they interpret the words of the prophets literally. Jews believe the Torah, the Jewish religious book, is the only Torah. They believe Yahweh is omniscient and He punishes the bad, and rewards the good. Jews also believe the Moshiach has yet to come, and the Moshiach was not Jesus Christ. On Judgment Day, the dead will be resurrected. The Jews celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. This celebration symbolizes the Jewish struggle for religious freedom. This event lasts 8 days, gifts are given on each day, and dreidel games are played. During this religious celebration, they reflect on the Miracle of Oil, where the Jews only had enough oil for 1 day, yet the menorah stayed lit for 8 days. (Talk about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover. Then, Islam)