I was reminded in Israel that religion doesn’t work

I am returning this morning from leading a study tour of the Holy Land. (Today’s article was posted yesterday before our plane left Tel Aviv.) Each time I travel to Israel, I am impressed again with the beauty, history, and spiritual significance of this singular land.

As our group took communion while looking over Jerusalem, I reminded them that this “Holy City” is venerated by the world’s great monotheistic religions and more than half of the planet’s population. Before us stood some of the most famous structures in these religions.

For Muslims, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock comprise the third-holiest site in the world. For Jews, the Western Wall of the Temple Mount is the holiest place on earth. For Christians, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or Garden Tomb is believed to be the location of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Throughout our stay in Israel, we were surrounded by the fervency of religion. Muslims streamed to the Temple Mount for Friday prayers. Jews crowded the Western Wall on the Sabbath. Christians gathered for Sunday worship in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

As I experienced what is arguably the world’s most religious city, I was reminded of the deception of religion.

An illustration from Leonardo da Vinci

To illustrate my point, I’d like you to consider what is now the world’s most expensive painting.

Leonardo da Vinci painted the Salvator Mundi (“Savior of the World”) for Louis XII of France. His depiction of Jesus was passed to King Charles I of England, then it was auctioned off. It was purchased by a British collector in 1900, but it was damaged and with unclear authorship. The collector’s descendants sold it at auction in 1958 for forty-five pounds (around sixty dollars).

Over the years, artists altered the image, turning it into a black-and-white drawing. Restoration of the painting began in 2005. After years of painstaking work, including infrared analysis, the painting was returned to…