Summary Of Annabel Wharton's Spectacularized Jerusalem

In Annabel Wharton’s chapter, “Spectacularized Jerusalem: Imperialism, Globalization, and the Holy land as Theme Park,” she starts off by talking about what the Disneyland in Florida means and represents for the American lifestyle. Disneyland is used as a standard to describe theme parks in general. There can be a comparison made between Disneyland and the Holy Land of Experience to establish the latter is a theme park as well. Both the theme parks are unitary in their plans and all the rides and attractions are arranged around a central structure. Disney’s term for such a landmark is a “wienie” and in Disneyland it is Cinderella’s castle (Wharton, p.193). For the Holy Land of Experience this would be Herod’s temple. Upon entering the theme park there is the Jerusalem Street
The visitors experience the Holy Land in its entirety as they, “see, touch, and smell the antiquity of the shrine’s veneration," (Wharton, p.192). Another way to distinguish between the theme park and the holy shrine is comparing the use of the Anointing Stone. In the Holy Sepulchre pilgrims pour oil over it and then wipe it off with these white cloths and that oil is kept in flasks. The whole idea here is the contact with something holy which is not a possibility for people to do at the Holy Land Experience. When on a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre people will take the time out for prayer and worship. This might also be the case when visiting Holy Land of Experience as tourists may pray but not because of the site itself but due the religious beliefs already instilled in them (Smith, An Introduction to Christianity Online: Lecture 8, University of Toronto). At the Holy Speulchre there is the experience of Jesus as the one, resurrected, people on their knees with the oil at the stone versus the Holy Land Experience where visitors experience him as an actor – “a guy who smiles at the camera at the gift shop,” (Smith, An Introduction to Christianity Online: Lecture 8, University of