Landscapes of the Sacred #1

Ashley Barham
12/1/15

I applied the three approaches that define a sacred place to my knowledge of the Pilgrimage to Mecca many Muslims make. In Landscapes of the Sacred, Belden describes the approaches that define a sacred place: ontological, cultural, and phenomenological. The ontological approach says that a scared place is set apart from things that are profane, and example of this in Mecca is that as soon as a pilgrim steps onto the sacred territory, there is no violence, sexual intercourse, or thinking of things other than God. This rule helps to keep Mecca sacred. The cultural approach expresses “that sacred places inherently possess an intentionality and power drawn from within or beyond themselves” (43). Since Mecca holds the Sacred Mosque, built by the Prophet Abraham, it is defined as sacred by the cultural approach in that its power comes from an entity bigger than them. Last but not least, the phenomenological approach gives a voice to the sacred place itself and part of being present in the sacred place is to touch and be touched by its physical features (44). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca houses the Black Stone, which is a piece of rock that Mohammad himself is believed to have kissed during his farewell pilgrimage. When millions of Muslims travel to Mecca and kiss that same stone, they are, according to the phenomenological approach, participating in that sacred place.