Lane talks about three approaches to viewing a sacred place. There is the ontological, cultural, and phenomenological approach. Each of these views takes a different point of view on seeing a place a sacred. The ontological view sees a place as radically set apart from everything profane. The place itself has it own chthonic power and numinosity. Supernatural forces have invaded the place. A cultural approach says that a place is void of any meaning making it open to unlimited interpretations. Different parties can have different meanings for a place and are willing to fight for it. A phenomenological view focuses on the individual’s interaction with self, the landscape, and it’s animals. It emphasizes intersubjectivity and the embodiment of the human experience in place.
I guess that these three approaches can help explain why people are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to protect a place. Jerusalem is a good example. For an ontological approach the Jews view this as a holy city where the Temple was. They view this place as a place is truly holy. The land itself where the Temple was is seen as holy. But where the Temple was is now the site of the Dome of the Rock. This place is seen holy to the Muslims. They see it as a holy place different from the Jews. This is seen in a cultural approach. For a phenomenological approach the Jews and Muslims can come to Jerusalem and have an intersubjective moment as they interact with the place.
Taylor Quinn
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