The Enduring Call of Islam's Holiest City

I was in Arabia 1970's

I was in Riyadh in the 1970's. A Muslim Turkish woman took her U.S. husband--a convert to Islam -- and they circled the Kaaba as she had done before. The crush was so great that he almost had his face pushed into he depression that holds the holy stone, a meteorite, but it was a thrilling experience. Many elderly people were carried to touch it. She said many wait to the end of life to have all their sins forgiven. It seems like a charming idea, a universal longing to die with no regrets. Religion seems to invite people to want a "forgiving presence" in their lives and to be rewarded for good deeds. i prefer to honor people like James Smithson, the English atheist who gave us the Smithsonian for the advance of knowledge. And atheist Edison whose electricity lights most churches. And atheists Morse and his telegraph, and Burbank for plant genetics. We could have stem cell research now, replacing even teeth, eyes, fingers and hearts, if we had a majority of freethinker lawmakers.

Stones revered in many faiths and monarchies

Stones are part of many religious rites. The meteorite at Mecca came "from another world," as if "From God." The Stone of Scone is under the throne of the early British Empire. Stones are equated with testes, which leads to the idea that this is "a man's world." The Old Testament is based on the rite of taking an oath and if the oath is broken, the man will lose his testes by castration. The Apostles "testify" that Jesus appointed them to be his successor and keep all the money and food they managed to collect by begging. Peter means "stone," as does the world petrification, "turned to stone." The Ten Commandments were supposedly carved on stone by God, although at the same time he is said to have no physical body and is a "spirit." Women do not have testes, so a testes-based church says the man is the head of the female. It is interesting to read tithe-inviting religious literature and wonder why any female would be attracted to it.

Mecca in Saudi Arabia

Is it the same place referred to in the Bible as Becca!???

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Open to ALL Seekers?

From the main Sacred Places web page the link for Mecca is listed under The Seekers: http://www.usnews.com/features/news/sacred-places/sacred-places.html

"Places that draw pilgrims of various beliefs—and the simply curious."

Sadly, per Saudi law, non-Muslims are prohibited from entering Mecca. Being curious or of an open mind will not grant you entrance to Mecca.