Berkley Center

As a theology major, I have an affinity for visiting historic religious sites, both intact and in ruins. I actually think I prefer ruins in that much more is left up to the imagination. What has surprised me the most is the common thread between the famous St. Paul’s Cathedral of London, the stunning Border Abbeys of Scotland, and even the awe-inspiring dome of the Aya Sofya [Hagia Sophia]: they all cost money if one wants to get past the foyer, but photography is usually not allowed as they are places of worship. I appreciate the need for maintenance since some of the walls date back 500 years. But people from countless countries roam London, Istanbul, and villages in Scotland with the aim of setting foot where history makers once stood. Who put a price on doing so? Who owns Melrose Abbey, the burial site of Robert the Bruce’s heart? Being a broke college student, I could not afford the $20 that would grant me entrance to St. Paul’s after spending $14 to see the inside of Westminster Abbey.

Of course, I realize that cities have been making money off of their religious buildings for centuries. The monks, canons, and friars of the United Kingdom used to be the tax collectors. I giggle at the idea of monks collecting money in America in the name of the federal government, just envisioning the impending lawsuit concerning the separation of church and state. The immense power the Church used to possess is evident in the size and splendor of its landmarks throughout Europe. The attempt of a president, now, to spend millions on a religious site would be ludicrous to Americans, and even the British. This is because secularism has permeated many countries' baseline ideals…but not all.

Qatar is structured by the Wahhabi school of thought. All of the girls I met wore gorgeous hijabs, their cuffs studded with beads and jewels. Many did not socialize with boys in the evening, and instead had a curfew by which they needed to be at home with their families. If a student did wind up imbibing too much alcohol and called a taxi, the taxi could take them straight to jail. Drinking is for the home, if at all.

Turkey literally lies between the Middle East and Europe, its culture an amalgamation of the two regions' ideals. Though the nation is secular, the call to prayer continues to ring out across the chaotic, colorful streets of Istanbul, causing the ruckus that is the Grand Bazaar to seem diminutive. Women choose whether or not to wear hijabs. Alcohol is sold in restaurants but at exorbitant prices because of the tax on the forbidden drink.

The extremity of a nation’s religious identity, whether holding the city tightly or completely missing from statutes and social infrastructure, provides no answer for the wars and conflicts the Berkley Center, Georgetown University, and institutions around the world try to combat. Both secular and religiously affiliated nations fight. There are fervent followers of faith that fight and those that do not; the same follows for questioners, atheists, and everything in between.

The key issue that sparks different persons’ and nations’ interests is ownership. People mistake self-righteousness for ownership, believing that their “truth” dictates possession of the land of “false” that needs saving. People are dangerous when they believe that their minds possess truth. Obviously a huge problem occurs when both sides believe they possess truth. The issue of highly priced cathedrals and historic sites pales in comparison to those of Israel and Tibet, where the land perpetually feels the battles of the righteous. Yet, the issue is still illustrative. London tells the world that it owns St. Paul’s, when in fact it should be the world’s. The places of import to history are the world’s because they have shaped everyone’s lives in the highly interconnected, complex centuries of social interaction.