Introduction
Kingdom of Heaven is a contemporary classic action film set in Spain and Morocco. Religion is among the dominant themes in the film. What distinguishes it from other Hollywood films is the fact that it gives a positive depiction of Islam and Muslims, when compared to Christians. The former includes people with strong faith as well as religious and moral values while the latter consists of hypocritical individuals who engage in heinous activities in the name of Christ and vindictive individuals who cannot be reasoned with. According to Liu (2017) th e film challenges negative Islamic stereotypes through characters such as Saladin and enables the audience to change their perception of Muslims. Kingdom of heaven advocates for humanism and egalitarianism to promote harmonious living in societies that have more than one dominant religion, and equality in terms of wealth and social status
Analysis
Religion is one of the chief themes in the film “Kingdom of Heaven.” The film gives an accurate and fair depiction of both Christianity and Islam. The characters are either stout Christians or religious fanatics. Balian, the new Baron of Ibelin vows to protect those who cannot defend themselves as is required of every Christian. He even defies the leper kings’ orders when he is summoned to Kerak to protect the innocent citizens of Ibelin from an attack by Saidin and his army ( Tayyara, 2014 ). The Christians also believe that there is life after death just as it is written in the gospel. Additionally, those who sin like Balian are given a chance to erase their sins and seek redemption, which concurs with the Bible teachings. They also believe that those who take their own lives such as Balian’s wife will be punished in hell for eternity since it is God who gives life and it is only him who is allowed to take it. All these beliefs concur with Christian teachings.
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However, the Christian religion is depicted more negatively than the Islam religion. For instance, Christians act in ways that are contrary to the teachings of the bible despite calling themselves servants of the lord. For example, Balian and Sybillah commit adultery since the young princess is betrothed to another man. Furthermore, during times of war, the droll priest, advices Balian to take a horse and flee alongside him, leaving the people to the mercy of the Muslims, which violates the oath they took to protect the defenseless from those who wish to harm them ( Widayah, Thoyibi, and Candraningrum, 2018) . Additionally, when the wall is breached by Saladin, the droll priest requests Balian and the survivors to convert into Islam and seek repentance for abandoning their lord later ( Liu, 2017 ). The priest even claims that it is God’s will, which is the most common excuse given by religious fanatics. Christians are less dedicated to their God as the Muslims are. The latter would instead be persecuted as a result of their Islamic beliefs than forsake their God.
The film portrays the Islamic religion in a rather positive light. For instance, they pray at pre-dawn and at noon, among other times, even during times of war. Nonetheless, how this prayer is depicted is not exactly accurate since Muslims pray in congregation as opposed to dropping anywhere when the time comes, as they do in the film. Allah is the core priority of the Muslim characters in the film. According to Tayyara (2014) Sybillah tells Balian that Arabs try to be one in heart and one morality when they pray, which is true about the Muslims. In a certain scenario, a Muslim trader claims that it is offensive to God when Muslims associate with Christians, which is actually a true fact about Muslims, who isolate themselves from Christians since they believe that all those who are non-Muslims eventually end up in hell. Since time immemorial, it has been considered ungodly for Muslims and Christians to associate or even marry. It is only when Christians convert into Islam that they are allowed to marry Muslims and freely associate with them. War is also a last resort among these people. In the film, Saladin only wages war against the army in Jerusalem when a significant number of his people and his sister as well are butchered under the command of Guy de Lusignan, the new king. Widayah, Thoyibi, and Candraningrum (2018) contend that t heir anger intensifies when the King massacres the mediator who conveys Saladin’s terms of peace. The movie indicates that Muslims only kill and fight when they are forced to retaliate against their enemies. However, this is not really accurate since they massacre innocent individuals even when no harm has been done to them in the contemporary society.
The portrayal of religion in the film coincides and challenges my views of both Christianity and Islam. Balian is used to reveal the positive aspects of Christianity. My Christian beliefs strongly concur with his, and those passed on to him by his father. Liam Neeson urged his son Balian to remain true to his word and always speak the truth even when he risks his own life to do ( Tayyara, 2014 ). I believe that most of the problems facing human beings have resulted from the lack of honesty. For instance, many people seek divorce as a result of their partners lies, which makes them feel betrayed. It is only by telling the truth that trust is earned and that people avoid feelings of betrayal, hatred, and vengeance. Likewise, I strongly feel that no person has the right to kill another, despite the perceived threat he/she thinks the other poses. Balian declines the king’s proposal to have Guy De Lusignan killed and claiming that if Jerusalem was not a kingdom of conscience, it was nothing. Christians should learn to live amongst people who hate and treat them with a lot of suspicion. They should pray or their enemy’s well-being, as opposed to taking matters into their own hands.
Death is a dominant theme in the film. Both the Christians and the Muslims believe that there is life after death. Contrary to the popular Christian belief, I think that God will judge and punish everyone based on their actions on earth. Those who do right by him will enter heaven and live gracefully in the afterlife. I disagree on the issue of repentance and whether or not it will determine who will go to heaven or hell. God must seek divine justice for all the suffering that one has caused even if he/she repents. I think that it would be unfair for serial killers and those who oppress others to enter the kingdom of heaven just because they have repented, while those who have committed petty sins such as lying are condemned to eternal suffering just because they did not get the opportunity to repent before death.
The film has challenged my beliefs about Islam. My perception of this religion is significantly shaped by societal stereotypes and stories of the attacks launched by Muslims against innocent civilians. I have always believed that people from this religion are ruthless, inhumane, and gain some type of satisfaction from killing others. Likewise, I have always viewed their customs as barbaric and evil. However, the film has confirmed that Islam is a complex religion which requires thorough scrutiny for one to understand ( Tayyara, 2014 ). Furthermore, its believers are not as inhumane and ruthless as I once believe. People only hold such ill perceptions because they never pay attention to their sides of the story and rely solely on other Christians portrayal of them. Muslims only engage in war when they are forced to retaliate against others. They find no peace or satisfaction in war, and it is just a necessary evil. However, the movie has confirmed some of my beliefs, such as the fact that Muslims dread any association with Christians since they are deemed unholy.
The film reveals one crucial message, which is that humanism is better than religion. As an ethical philosophy, it focusses on the pursuit of truth and elevated standards of morality. It ignores mystical reasonings such as divine revelation. Additionally, it is rather egalitarian and promotes equality among all despite the background they come from. Various symbols are used to show the transition from a Christian hood to a humanism. For instance, Sybillah shaves her hair and walks from Jerusalem to the new land instead of riding on a horse like as is expected of royalty ( Liu, 2017 ). Her actions portray her transition to an ordinary individual who is equal to others. Jerusalem is filled with hypocrites who do evil in Christ’s name. Balian does not attempt to persuade individuals such as the droll priest to be authentic or does not make significant reforms to his religion, but rejects Christianity instead.
The main purpose of the movie is not to evangelize, but to express religious thoughts. The film conveys that no religion is the same and none is perfect. It condemns Christians from condemning and judging other people’s faiths because they are not perfect, and neither is their religion. The hypocritical nature of Christians is reveled through characters such as Guy, Reynald, and the Droll priest who engage in various types of crime in the name of Christ. The film demonstrates that people condemn other types of faith because they lack an understanding of beliefs and practices that go against their own. It stresses the need for people to study believes and appreciate them, so that they can treat such individuals with the courtesy and sensitivity that is required ( Tayyara, 2014 ). Additionally, it advocates for humanism and overlooking religious believes so as to achieve equality. The film has the potential to change the perception of an open-audience towards both Christianity and Muslim. What makes it effective in its positive portrayal of Islam is that it is produced in a manner in Christians are the main villains while the Muslims are to some extent their victims. As a result, the audience is forced to sympathize with the Muslims and display a lot of sensitivity to them. “Kingdom of Heaven” effectively conveys the intended message.
Conclusion
The film is one of the primary ways through which individuals voice their opinions on various issues such as religion. Kingdom of Heaven centers on two dominant religions, Islam and Christianity. The title is symbolic of Jerusalem, the city which Christians and Muslims fight for. The story challenges prevalent prejudices against Muslims by portraying them positively and giving insight into the hypocritical characters that hide under the masks of Christianity. Irrefutably, there is a need for people to study other religions so that they can gain a profound understanding of various beliefs and practices to appreciate them, be more sensitive towards those who embrace these practices and co-exist peacefully with them. Concurrently, the war would cease to be.
References
Liu, Y. (2017). Kingdom of Heaven and its ideological message. CINEJ Cinema Journal , 6 (1), 84-93.
Tayyara, A. E. R. (2014). The Representations of Arab-Muslims through the Language Lens. Cultural Encounters, Conflicts, and Resolutions , 1 (2), 7.
Widayah, W., M Thoyibi, M. S., & Candraningrum, P. D. (2018). Disappointment to Ridley Scott’s The Kingdom of Heaven Film (2005): Reader Response Analysis (Doctoral dissertation, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta).
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