One of the central themes of Jesus' ministry on earth was unity. Prior to his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus prayed that those who followed him "may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me." (John 17:20). But unity has often proved elusive, especially for the many Christian denominations represented in the small, but holy city of Jerusalem.

While all Christians may be united in faith, they are typically divided by doctrine. So fierce are those doctrinal divisions at times that they erupt into physical confrontations, such as the annual inter-denominational scuffle during the ceremony marking the Miracle of the Holy Fire on Easter Eve at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's Old City. Opponents of the Church like to point to such conflagrations and the divisions that spawn them in order to criticize our faith.

At sunrise, on a mid-September day, more than 1,200 Israelis arrived at the Dead Sea, stripped naked and floated in unison in the salty lake while the Jewish American photographer Spencer Tunick shot photos for his upcoming installation entitled "Naked Sea."

The project is intended to draw attention to the environmental plight of the receding Dead Sea and to encourage people to vote for it in the New Seven Wonders of the World competition.

Israel's Ministry of Tourism may not be on the list of supporters found on the exhibit's website, but the fact that the ministry invested in a press release on the subject certainly smacks of cooperation.

"Artist Spencer Tunick has today revealed the breathtaking first image from his historic artwork at the Dead Sea to support the global campaign to promote voting for the Dead Sea as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature (campaign ends 11.11.11.)," read the Israel Ministry of Tourism's release dated October 25.

The Tourism Ministry, a government body, imprudently uses flattering words like "breathtaking" and "historic" to describe a photo which is neither as it features naked bodies crudely and irrelevantly obscuring a natural landmark vying for "natural wonder" status.

The entire episode begs the question: Was this publicity stunt appropriate?

For a country that is overwhelmingly dependent on faith-b

Another Holy Land site, Wadi Rum, was added to UNESC's World Heritage List this summer. The majestic site is situated in mountainous desert terrain in souther Jordan near the border with Saudi Arabia and encompasses over 275 square miles of majestic, mountainous desert including spectacular sand dunes, sheer-sided mountains and dramatic cliffs. The Red Rose Nabatean City of Petra is located close to the Wadi Rum Nature Reserve.

The area is considered part of the ancient Nabatean trade route which leads across southern Jordan west through Israel and into Egypt. The landscape is marked by sandstone and granite mountains, wide valleys and narrow and deep canyons. Most remarkably, jidden within the canyons are numerous ancient rock drawings and inscriptions dating to the Nabataans who controlled the major trade route. In selecting Wadi Rum, the UNESCO website states that:

"Petroglyphs, inscriptions and archaeological remains in the site testify to 12,000 years of human occupation and interaction with the natural environment. The combination of 25,000 rock carvings with 20,000 inscriptions trace the evolution of human thought and the early development of the alphabet. The site illustrates the evolution of pastoral, agricultural and urban activity in the region."

Biblical and classical sources refer to "aram". The book of Job also mentions the land of Uz, which many believe refers to the area as well.

Traveling throug

In a first known tour of its kind, 25 Ethiopian Catholics made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land designed specifically for them and their specific spiritual needs especially during the Easter holiday.

Usually Catholics from Ethiopia join Orthodox Christians, the majority religion in their nation, on tours to the Holy Land. But this time, the Catholic pilgrims celebrated Easter in Jerusalem and have been touring the entire country in a weeklong visit spiritually catered to Catholics.

Most of the people in the group were in Israel for the first time.

Meaza Yohannes, a Bible teacher, said it is amazing for her to see everything she has been teaching for 20 years  with her own eyes.

“The Bible is coming alive,” she told Travelujah. “It is so awesome I cannot even explain. We know what we read in the Bible, but now it is real. This country is rich in culture and rich in history and tradition.”

Ethiopia is the second oldest Christian country in the world, after Armenia. Christians make up about 63 percent of Ethiopia’s population with about 44 percent Orthodox and 10 perce