Landscapes of the Sacred #1: Axiom #3

1.      In Landscapes of the Sacred, Lane (2002) talks about the third axiom and discusses how a “sacred place can be “tred upon without being entered” (pp19). I think the point that Lane makes is pretty cool so I figured why not make a blog post about my thoughts on the matter. I found it very peculiar that by simply being present in the midst of a ‘sacred’ place that one still has not truly ‘entered’ it. However, when I really think about it, it makes a lot of sense. To me, anything can become a sacred place for someone; it all really just depends on how it is interpreted by that person. In fact, in class Dr. Redick mentioned how numerous times he has walked passed something that is sacred to others but not to him. In that very instance, Redick is “treading” across something sacred but not necessarily entering it to because to him it may not be sacred. I know I too have personally run into similar circumstances. One time I was in La Paz, Bolivia on a mission trip for my church. We were walking through a sacred landscape that many Bolivians go to in order to see the beauty of the mountains. Now to me, I certainly gazed upon the beauty of the mountains; however, it was not sacred for me as it is for the citizens of that country. I was certainly treading in the midst of something sacred but not exactly entering it.