As a pastor who loves the richness and depth of the Scriptures, time spent in Israel is a trip of love seeing the actual places where faith events occurred centuries ago. Despite fear for one’s own safety at times, the Holy Land rewards the pilgrim with a surprising experience of a shared place for the three major mono-theistic religions in the world, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
That the three religions are different must be understood to be a fact. While Christianity grew out of Judaism, and Islam shares prophets and teachers with both, each religion is distinct and has its own special emphases in the Holy Land – whether stories, beliefs, traditions, dress, food or special geographic sites.
Yet in this geographic area just slightly bigger than Vermont, with its mountains, rivers, seas, cities and towns, and deserts, you find a common humanity amidst a shared holy land. Together they share this land of emotional intensity and spiritual meaning where three faiths co-exist.