Jerusalem Continues....

Today was a really interesting day. We began by going to the Dome of the Rock. It was interesting to learn more about Islam and to hear someone else's perspective on the whole Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock issue. I appreciated the conversation.
Directly after the Dome of the Rock we went to the Western Wall. This was an experience. I took many prayers with me, and found a place to shove them into the wall. It took a while to get to the wall because it was packed. I didn't want to butt in, because I felt that the Jewish women had more of a right to be there than I did. Finally, I found a place to pray, and as I prayed, another woman shoved her prayers by the ones I put in, making them to explode all over me, knocked right out of the crack. It was intersting, and a bit symbolic. As I reflected on the the situation, I realized that many of the people there were probably praying for the Temple Mount. It seemed so odd considering we were just up there.
After lunch we went to the Israel Museum, which had the Shrine of the Book. This was really interesting to me. I loved seeing the old scrolls, trying to translate it, and to just feel the history and tradition behind many of the writings we call sacred.
Lately it has been coming to my attention that there is not only conflict among religions, but within religions. We try to find peace with religions that "look" different, but we cannot even all agree within our own religion. How can we make progress with a stranger when we cannot even be friends with our own neighbors?
Peace,
K ><>