A Kingdom of Conscience
I had the privilage of watching Kingdom of Heaven for the second time last night. It's an amazing movie, repleat with epic battles and grand stroytelling reminiscent of Gladiator. Perhaps the most unique aspect of the movie is that it is, for the most part, a movie about Christianity and finding God. And yet, in an irony not lost on anyone who was really paying attention to the subtle undertones of the movie, none of the major characters are truly Christian, nor do any of them find God. What are we to make of this?
As you, being a Christian, watch this movie, as one scene after another of dialog about God and virtue and goodness float through your ears, it rings at once very true and very strange. Set in Christian occupied Jerusalem, there is an uneasy truce between the King of Jerusalem and Saladin, leader of the Muslums. But the villians in this movie are not the muslims who sit at Jerusalem's door, but the brainwashed Christians within her walls. They are blind followers of a misguided church that advocates hate and violence. In contrast, all of the movie's heroes claim to be Christian only as a formality, and every one of their many musings on God and religion are laced with 21st century psuedo-philosophy (making the whole movie one big anachronism). As one main character says, "I don't put much stock in religion...holiness is in right actions."
So what do we get out of this movie? That the crusades were unjust, and that committing violence and murder in the name of God is evil. Ok, I don't think anyone would actually disagree with that. And is it wrong to say that holiness is in right actions? Of course not (of course holiness comes from the grace of God and Christ's redemptive work, but right actions are certainly the fruit we bear as a result of that. Still, Aristotle did point out that simply doing a good act doesn't make you a good person, but I digress). The problem is that this movie suggests that all organized religion leads to biggotry and hatred (and in some cases violence). I hear it all the time from people who just seem to know somehow that there is a god, but they don't believe any one religion has it right. This kind of thinking is far more dangerous than that of the outright athiest. Everyone knows there's a higher power out there, but many are turned off by the stigma of organized religion. What you are left with is a large group of liberals who must reconcile their belief in a god with their contrived notions of tolerance and open-mindedness. And it doesn't help that in the eyes of the media (especially Hollywood) Christians and Catholics are synonymous. It's pretty sad when the only choice I can make on MySpace regarding my religious afilliation is "Christian - Other", especially when I know that half of the people who put that are more "other" than "Christian." So what do we do? How do we take back our culture and our world? Hollywood demonizes us and science writes us off as unfounded superstition. Personally, I'm not planning on going to Hollywood anymore, so I'll be starting in the arena of science. The war to find the Kingdom of Conscience will be hard fought, but it's about time we started fighting it.
As you, being a Christian, watch this movie, as one scene after another of dialog about God and virtue and goodness float through your ears, it rings at once very true and very strange. Set in Christian occupied Jerusalem, there is an uneasy truce between the King of Jerusalem and Saladin, leader of the Muslums. But the villians in this movie are not the muslims who sit at Jerusalem's door, but the brainwashed Christians within her walls. They are blind followers of a misguided church that advocates hate and violence. In contrast, all of the movie's heroes claim to be Christian only as a formality, and every one of their many musings on God and religion are laced with 21st century psuedo-philosophy (making the whole movie one big anachronism). As one main character says, "I don't put much stock in religion...holiness is in right actions."
So what do we get out of this movie? That the crusades were unjust, and that committing violence and murder in the name of God is evil. Ok, I don't think anyone would actually disagree with that. And is it wrong to say that holiness is in right actions? Of course not (of course holiness comes from the grace of God and Christ's redemptive work, but right actions are certainly the fruit we bear as a result of that. Still, Aristotle did point out that simply doing a good act doesn't make you a good person, but I digress). The problem is that this movie suggests that all organized religion leads to biggotry and hatred (and in some cases violence). I hear it all the time from people who just seem to know somehow that there is a god, but they don't believe any one religion has it right. This kind of thinking is far more dangerous than that of the outright athiest. Everyone knows there's a higher power out there, but many are turned off by the stigma of organized religion. What you are left with is a large group of liberals who must reconcile their belief in a god with their contrived notions of tolerance and open-mindedness. And it doesn't help that in the eyes of the media (especially Hollywood) Christians and Catholics are synonymous. It's pretty sad when the only choice I can make on MySpace regarding my religious afilliation is "Christian - Other", especially when I know that half of the people who put that are more "other" than "Christian." So what do we do? How do we take back our culture and our world? Hollywood demonizes us and science writes us off as unfounded superstition. Personally, I'm not planning on going to Hollywood anymore, so I'll be starting in the arena of science. The war to find the Kingdom of Conscience will be hard fought, but it's about time we started fighting it.
posted by David at
9:23 PM
4 Comments:
I think one of the best aspects of the movie is that they sort of showed that a lot of the people down there were more interested in conquest and expansionism than religion. Saladin and co. were more pissed off at the Crusaders because of the whole invasion thing, plus, rallying everyone to some great ideological victory would really solidify their reigns. Many minor lords went to the Holy Land because it promised them fiefdoms that their lesser blood would never entitle them to in their homelands.
Bottom line, the Crusades happened for lots of different reasons, and they succeeded and then failed for many other reasons too. THis wasn't a bunch of crazed Christers (to plagiarize Lileks) on one side and some gung-ho holy muslims on the other. These were, above all, people.
I think if any moral can be taken from it, it is that actions like the Crusades are propogated at the highest levels (ie. the lords and priests driving it) for many different reasons. Zeal and fanaticism are just ways to whip up, mold, and dumb down your own side enough that you can get them to do whatever you want and then have total control over them.
Ideologizing a conflict is a great way to fill your meat shield quota, but it doesn't make for remarkably enlightened followers.
By
Donald, at October 31, 2005 4:50 PM
Interesting arguments. I only saw about half of the movie, but many of the people in my group with me were commenting on the sort of "editorial" aspects that you all mention.
For me it ended up being just another movie that I didn't care about. I guess I one of those elusive people that Hollywood just can't seem to get to "hang out" with them at the Theatres anymore. I wonder why?
Dustin
By
D.R. Steeve, at October 31, 2005 8:54 PM
Dude, did you not see Orlando Bloom almost get his arm chopped off and then totally disembowel some heathens? That movie kicked sooo much @ss
By
Donald, at October 31, 2005 9:05 PM
Donald you're right. It was basically an "anti-war" war movie. But you know Orlando Bloom's character was totally out of place for the time. And the only point I was trying to make is that the movie was propogating the 21st century mentality that all religions are basically the same and they're all stupid for hating each other and claiming to be the only true religion, and so on and so forth. And again, as far as pop culture is concerned, all christians are basically just Catholic, and the Catholic church doesn't really give us a good name.
Still, it may have gotten lost in all my criticism, but I did say that I loved the movie. It wasn't quite on par with Gladiator, but it was darn close.
Dustin, you're just one of those boring nerds that only gets excited by talk radio, so we forgive you. Love ya man. ;)
By
David, at October 31, 2005 9:31 PM
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