| 1st
Century Palestine |
21st
Century USA |
| There
are only two Jewish
temples in the world,
the main one in
Jerusalem and a small
one in Egypt. |
There
are tens of thousands
of churches in the
U.S., and hundreds of
thousands worldwide. |
| The
Jerusalem Temple is
indirectly controlled
by political
authorities. (For
example, the Roman
procurators kept the
high priest's garments
locked in the Antonia,
a fortress at the
corner of the Temple
complex, and permitted
the priest to wear
them only during
Passover.) |
No
government controls
the church. Indeed,
"the separation
of church and
state" is
vigorously defended. |
| It
is assumed that all
Jewish people will
revere the Temple. |
It
is assumed that many
American people will not
revere the church. |
| The
Temple relies partly
on involuntary taxes
for its income,
particularly the
half-shekel tax that
all Jewish males aged
20 and over paid each
year. Some income
comes as gifts. |
Churches
completely rely on
voluntary gifts for
their income. |
| The
Temple is the heart of
Jerusalem's economy. |
Churches
are never the heart of
the local economy. |
| Most
Jews go to the Temple only a few
times in their life.
Those who live outside
of Palestine may never
visit the Temple. |
Most
people (of the ones
who go to church) go
weekly. |
| The
Temple is a place to
sacrifice animals, pay
Jewish taxes, and
offer a few prayers. |
Church
is a place to
fellowship, study, and
worship. |
| Hundreds
of thousands of
animals are sacrificed
every year (assuming
laws in the Old
Testament were
followed), and
everyone regards it as
normal, even non-Jews. |
Animals
are never sacrificed,
and if they were,
animal rights
activists would
protest and most
people would be
disgusted. |
| The
Temple needs a huge
supply of water to
wash all the blood
away. |
Churches
need a small amount of
water for drinking and
sanitation. |
