1 IS NOTHING SACRED?: JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BIBLE LANDS by George D. Chryssides, York St John University UK A paper presented at the CESNUR 2017 International Conference The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, Jerusalem, Israel 2 - 6 July 2017 [This presentation is part of a longer chapter entitled “Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Middle East”, and will appear in Minority Religions in Europe and the Middle East , edited by the author.] For many – perhaps most – followers of a religion, space is not uniform. Mircea Eliade distinguished between “sacred” and “profane” space, highlighting the notion that certain locations or buildings afford special manifestations of the sacred (Eliade 1959: 20-67). Such locations can be places of pilgrimage, shrines for healing or miracle-working, or repositories of sacred relics. The name “Holy Land” indicates that Israel and its surrounding territory has a special significance, shared by the three Abrahamic faiths, although, interestingly, it does not abound in places for healing, or relics such as Moses’ staff or the wood of Christ’s cross. In contrast with the majority of religious believers, Jehovah’s Witnesses are not noted for sacred spaces. Anyone who has visited a Kingdom Hall or an Assembly Hall will readily note the absence of sacred objects, and find buildings that are entirely functional. For the most part, the only indication that the premises are for religious purposes is the Yeartext on the wall and possibly a baptismal pool, which is covered over except when in use. Even the “emblems” that are passed round at the annual Memorial can be disposed of afterwards, as if