So, what happened to Solomon? We may never know. So, why did God allow all that to happen? It has been suggested that sometimes a period of deconstruction is necessary, a diminishment of religion and its influence, so that a new generation can arise that looks at religion with fresh eyes.

The Church never really lost the Bible’s ambivalence about temples. It has always been more focused on people – what they need to get through the day, what they need to get through this life, what they need relief from.