 |
Ridley Scott's "kingdom of Heaven" -- Religion V. True Spirituality
Author: Patrick Roberts  | Posted: 30-12-2007 | Comments: 0 | Views: 34 | Rating: (59)  (?) 
Kingdom of Heaven takes place in Jerusalem during the 12th century Crusades. Orlando Bloom leads as an honest blacksmith named Balian. His wife commits suicide because their child was lost during childbirth. Balian travels to Jerusalem to redeem his wife's as well as his own soul.
Ridley Scott does a fantastic job developing the characters of Kingdom of Heaven, especially Orlando Bloom's personality. Balian goes from average blacksmith to leader of the Christian army in the battle to defend Jerusalem.
Balian's father (Liam Neeson) admits that he has led an imperfect life, but he does manage to teach Balian a few basic truths before he dies: Protect the weak, tell the truth and follow your conscience. This movie is a demonstration of how following a few basic truths is the surest way to radically change the world.
Balian is surrounded by politics and manmade religion, but he seeks something more spiritually substantial. He wants to put his faith in something genuine. At one point he tells his friend, "I've lost my religion," to which his friend replies, "I don't put much stock in religion." His friend goes on to explain that the true state of a man's heart and mind is what really matters.
Balian's peers encourage him to kill his arch enemy, Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) while he has the chance. Doing this will not only elevate Balian to the position of king, it will prevent a war with the Muslims that would cost thousands of lives. However Balian decides to obey his conscience. He refuses to commit one little evil to prevent what seems to be a greater evil.
Balian's decision leads to the fall of Jerusalem and the annihilation of the Christian army. From God's point of view, this was the right decision. Balian embraces the secret brilliance of faith by trusting God over his ability to crunch numbers. In God's economy, it is better to "tell the truth, even if this leads to your death," as Balian's father said. If Balian had compromised his convictions he might have prevented the death of thousands of people, but he honored God more substantially by trusting his conscience. This demonstrates the general rule that God's priorities are more valuable than human life.
The Kingdom of Heaven demonstrates the futility of manmade religion. Throughout the film reasonable men are at odds with selfish, religious fanatics. Some of the Christian leaders mindlessly chant "God wills it" just before they do something they know in their conscience to be wrong. Therefore Balian's simplified understanding of what is truly valuable, or what is truly God's will, stands in contrast to the stunning stupidity of the religious men surrounding him. Balian recognizes the fact that brick and mortar are not as valuable as human life.
by Patrick Roberts. Find similar reviews at www.KoGmedia.com. Also checkout www.BooksByPatrick.com
Rate this Article:
Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/movies-articles/ridley-scotts-quotkingdom-of-heavenquot-religion-v-true-spirituality-293327.html
 About the Author:Patrick is an average Christ-seeker. His goal is to turn people to Jesus Christ. www.KoGmedia.com
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Related Articles
The Matrix -- Neo Represents an Average Christian
By: Patrick Roberts | 01/01/2008 | Movies
Many Christians jump at the chance to equate Neo (Keanu Reeves) with Christ because he died and rose again and then went on to spread the word about gaining freedom from the Matrix. This is appropriate because he is prophesied as "the One," or as a messiah figure. However, the course of Neo's life also resembles the life of an average Christian. It might be more useful to view his life in this way.
Waiting on God
By: Patrick Roberts | 29/10/2007 | Self Improvement
In the event that we begin to strive toward Christ as a whole, western church, then good for us… however, let’s keep remembering the unconditional nature of our calling. Part of this calling is to wait for God however long He decides.
Obey God Today
By: Patrick Roberts | 29/10/2007 | Religion
We can’t help surrendering ourselves to one master or another. We are built for worshipping either God or something else, as our unconscious habits demonstrate every day. And, from my experience living in the U.S., I gather that the most prevalent false god to whom unredeemed people pay homage is the ego, or the self (including any subtle derivations of self).
Spiritual Truth in the Movie 300
By: Patrick Roberts | 14/12/2007 | Movies
The Movie "300" has both good and bad points, mostly bad from a spiritual perspective.
What is Success? What is Expertise?
By: Patrick Roberts | 04/11/2007 | Religion
Success apart from the Spirit of Christ must be impossible for me, or else I am not a Christ-follower.
Creed's Song "higher" and God's Kingdom
By: Patrick Roberts | 04/12/2007 | Music
Creed's song, Higher, reads like a prayer from someone who longs for God's kingdom. These lyrics are from the heart of someone who has tasted God's goodness and yet must continue to live in this fallen world.
Unexpected Joy is Pure Joy
By: Patrick Roberts | 07/11/2007 | Wellness
Expected joys can be just as real as unexpected ones but, even still, they are only expected to a limited extent. If we remember a taste too well, then that is a sure sign that we are about to get tired of it. But we adore certain flavors for their consistently hidden zest, which never fails to sneak up on our unsuspecting palates. Our most treasured joys surprise us again and again for their exceedingly pure quality.
The Movie I,robot, Starring Will Smith - the Downfall of Postmodernism
By: Patrick Roberts | 02/01/2008 | Movies
During one of the discussions Will Smith (Detective Spooner) has with Dr. Landing's posthumous recordings, the doctor explains that the end of these laws, even though they are perfect, is Revolution. Why? Why can't we guarantee our safety? Will we ever phase out the risks of daily life?
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Q&A Powered by: 
Latest Movies Articles
When Sallu Took Off His Shirt to Say Hello!
By: Vikram Singh Chadha | 16/10/2008
Director Summit Dutt may be the man behind the videos of some of the biggest Indian artistes like Asha Bhosle, Harry Anand, Daler Mehndi, Gurdas Maan, Jasbir Jassi among others, but his work impressed Salman Khan so much during the making of the Hello Party Mix music video that the actor actually took off his shirt to give the audiences a view of his abs!
Why Samir Soni Preferred Calling Priyanka, Miss Chopra!
By: Vikram Singh Chadha | 16/10/2008
Samir Soni always called Priyanka Chopra as Miss Chopra on the sets of Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion. He also treated her like a young girl and remained distant while shooting.
Review of Some of the Best Films From India, at the London Film Festival
By: Dr Elizabeth Menon | 15/10/2008
Best films from India were screened at the London Film Festival that promotes world films, which may not be available for screening in the cinemas across the nation. 'The Last Lear' tells the story of an old Shakespearean stage actor coming out of retirement to act in 'The Mask', a film in another film.Adoor Gopalakrishnan's latest film 'Four Women', focus on four women in four different stories with no continuuity except for the theme.
Why Jet Airways? Why not Kingfisher: the Biggest Lay-off in India
By: Arunraj V.S. | 15/10/2008
It is the biggest lay off India has ever witnessed. 1900 employees of Jet Airways being terminated out of the blue, has come as a rude shock. It is not easy to get a job in the aviation sector which is already seeing a crunch situation. The Naresh Goel-Vijay Mallya alliance has cost the employees of Jet Airways dearly
A Biography of Colin Farrell
By: Russell Shortt | 15/10/2008
A Biography of Colin Farrell
London Cinemas - Capturing Classics to Recent Flicks
By: Rajesh | 15/10/2008
London tends to recreate people with classic to latest film. Watching film in London cinemas offer you a far better experience than any other cinemas in the world.
The Magic of a Bollywood Movies
By: Shruti Singh | 15/10/2008
A movie is an important part of any person's life. Thus for an Indian, what better way to spend an evening than to watch a latest movie of Shah Rukh Khan or Hritik Roshan? Thus a Bollywood Hindi Movie is a phenomenon continuing to grow and people continue to buy movies.
Body of Lies is Captivating and Intense
By: Clarke Baldwin | 14/10/2008
As my expectations were very high, I was not disappointed. The screenplay hooks you in from the beginning. The action is fierce and fast paced as you travel along on a ground operation by the C.I.A.
More from Patrick Roberts
The Movie "next" (starring Nicholas Cage) -- Time Travel and Choice
By: Patrick Roberts | 04/01/2008 | Movies
But God would never allow anyone to have the give of seeing into the future. This would violate the sacred gift He gave all people, called “Choice.” For the same reason God would never allow time travel.
The Movie I, Robot, Starring Will Smith – What is your Purpose?
By: Patrick Roberts | 02/01/2008 | Movies
The fact that human beings care about purpose proves that we were created for a purpose. If God did not create us for a purpose, then the concept of purpose would never cross our minds.
The Movie I,robot, Starring Will Smith - the Downfall of Postmodernism
By: Patrick Roberts | 02/01/2008 | Movies
During one of the discussions Will Smith (Detective Spooner) has with Dr. Landing's posthumous recordings, the doctor explains that the end of these laws, even though they are perfect, is Revolution. Why? Why can't we guarantee our safety? Will we ever phase out the risks of daily life?
The Matrix -- Neo Represents an Average Christian
By: Patrick Roberts | 01/01/2008 | Movies
Many Christians jump at the chance to equate Neo (Keanu Reeves) with Christ because he died and rose again and then went on to spread the word about gaining freedom from the Matrix. This is appropriate because he is prophesied as "the One," or as a messiah figure. However, the course of Neo's life also resembles the life of an average Christian. It might be more useful to view his life in this way.
Mel Gibson's Movie "apocalypto" - Ugly as Sin
By: Patrick Roberts | 31/12/2007 | Movies
Mel Gibson is a crazy man. That's what I love about him. He's consumed by a vision of either God or religion or a mixture of both.
Toyota’s Prius -- is the Hybrid Technology Worth the Extra Cost?
By: Patrick Roberts | 31/12/2007 | Cars
The people have cried out for relief from rising gas prices. They have sought after something that doesn't destroy the environment. Toyota has answered the people with their gas/electric hybrid, the Prius.
Movie, "the Reaping" Starring Hillary Swank -- False Religion
By: Patrick Roberts | 28/12/2007 | Movies
The Reaping a few bits of sincere truth, such as the fact that there's a fine line between crazy cults and mainstream religion.
Spirituality in the Movies Stardust, the Mummy and Other Fantasy Tales
By: Patrick Roberts | 26/12/2007 | Movies
Magical power gives fantasy tales plot. It's what makes sense out of incredible, fictional situations. We might describe daily life similarly.
|
|
Art and Entertainment 
