Sacred Spaces in the Three Major Monotheistic Religions

From the reading that we did and our discussions in class, I found it to be very interesting how Islam formed, and the similarities in how it views sacredness compared with Judaism and even Christianity. In the reading, it was mentioned how Muslims believe that all things are sacred because they all come from God. This is different from the Jewish faith, where there is a differentiation between the sacred and the profane. This means that all places for Muslims are sacred and “no one location was holier than another” (Armstrong 1997, 238). This is interesting because it is a very large difference compared to Judaism, where sacred space and time are separated from profane space and time. Places like the Temple of Jerusalem were held sacred to Israelites because it became a place of veneration when entered/ it held divine objects such as the Ark of the Covenant. In Christianity, the idea of the sacred being separate from the profane also exists. Not only are churches and chapels sacred places, but there is sacred time as well, with times like masses being set aside from profane time, as well as these times occurring in sacred places. During mass, phones are supposed to be silent, and people are supposed to be quiet, respectful, and reflective. There is also evidence to support the idea of sacred spaces in early Christian communities, with an article about the early Christian perception of sacred spaces demonstrating that “the adoption and adaptation of the temple theme in texts and buildings by the community ultimately confirms [the idea of sacred spaces]”(Hadley, https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/mcr/article/view/25558/29630#:~:text=In%20a%20similar%20fashion%2C%20Paul,3%3A17). In addition to sacred places and times, there are also sacred objects in these faiths. Even though it has not been discussed directly in class, Christianity contains objects such as saints’ relics, icons, and artifacts from ancient times that hold significance (such as portions of the cross). Some of these same objects are shared with Judaism, but most importantly (at least in my opinion), each of these religions has a sacred text. While all of these differences and similarities exist between the faiths, it is interesting to see the different ways that they express their ideas of what is considered sacred. It is pretty refreshing to realize that even though there are differences in these faiths they all hold many of the same principles important.