Kingdom of Heaven Analysis Essay Example

village, having lost his wife to suicide, whom he cherished deeply.

Starting with this event, the religion is depicted as evil as per the theological perspective of that era where suicide was considered an unforgivable sin leading to hell. Reflecting religion in general, the village priest denies the burial and additionally chops off the head post-mortem as a form of punishment. This presents a genuine predicament that the film could have resolved effectively.

Despite the mistaken belief of Roman theology at the time, any sin committed by a true Christian, including suicide influenced by the lies of the Devil, is still redeemable through Christ and will lead to heaven.

Balian rejects religion as his solution to various problems, while Luther was faced with a similar dilemma in the movie when a young boy's suicide led people to believe he would go to hell. However, Luther's approach to this problem was considered better than Balian's.

Instead of completely rejecting religion, Luther opposes the theology of suicide on Christian principles and believes that the boy was deceived by the Devil. He also emphasizes that God will pardon him. Luther advocates for a Christian burial for the boy, providing last rites for him. Even though both movies address the same issue of erroneous theological views on suicide as an unforgivable sin, they present dissimilar remedies. Kingdom of Heaven sees it as a progression towards disavowing religion.

In Luther's teachings, there is a process of cleansing the religious practices. However, the priest is confronted with some issues. He engages in theft by stealing a gold cross from a deceased body and he also displays acts of cruelty.

Mocking the grieving Balian, the priest epitomizes

the wickedness inherent in most religious figures depicted in the movie. The priest jeers that Balian's wife is in hell and wonders what she's doing without a head. In a burst of anger, Balian kills the priest and then goes to Jerusalem seeking forgiveness.

A shift toward humanism occurs for Balian during various occurrences in Jerusalem. These include observing Muslims at prayer - their actions bear resemblance to Christian prayer, suggesting a moral equality - and encountering the humanistic approaches of both the Christian King of Jerusalem and the Muslim Saladin, which foster religious harmony. Balian also gains insights from wise figures like his father and the King of Jerusalem, as well as witnessing the fervor and greed of extreme religious groups, and challenging religious authorities, including the Bishop of Jerusalem.