Doom of the Rock
Religion as Munchausen syndrome isn’t only a private affair. Take, for example, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
This is the holiest place in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam. It is holy to Jews because this was where YHVH commanded the Jews to build their Second Temple. It is holy to Muslims because this was where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) rode his magical horse Buraq into the heavens to meet Allah and bring Islam to the world. The Muslim Dome of the Rock sits on the site of the long-demolished Second Temple.
Many Jews want to destroy the Dome of the Rock and rebuild the temple. Many more Muslims want to destroy the Jews if they try. Attempting either will trigger World War III.
Did YHVH really command the building of the temple in Jerusalem, or were the Jewish leaders of the southern kingdom of Judah seeking a monopoly on YHVH worship? Did Muhammad (PBUH) really ride a flying horse from Mecca to Jerusalem and from Jerusalem to heaven, or is this simply a story legitimizing Islamic practice?
If these are stories rather than histories, fighting over them is madness. And, in case you were wondering, they are stories.
Tell people there’s an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure.
often attributed to GEORGE CARLIN