faith

“Kingdom of Heaven” (2005): Understanding the many layers within it. Part 3 – The warrior monk.

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Hospitaler the warrior monk appears throughout the movie “Kingdom of Heaven.” Sometimes when and how he appears causes you to wonder and think. That is as it should be. Each person must make up their own mind about this character.
What is important is that this soldier of God seems to have the most wisdom of God’s teachings. He is an adviser to first the lead characters father and then to the lead character.
He provides keys of wisdom. Like stating that all God desires is your mind and your heart. As well as God seeks that you be good and perform good deeds.

Base Storyline: 5 swords out of 5 swords

Acting: 5 swords out of 5 swords

Special Effects 5 swords out of 5 swords

Overall: 5 swords out of 5 swords

“Kingdom of Heaven” (2005): Understanding the many layers within it. Part 2 – Balian de Ibelin

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Balian a man in torment and a man tormented when he is first introduced. His wife had just committed suicide after losing their child during birth.
He is a common blacksmith and yet not. He is also an artificer, an engineer and a warrior. He has been educated and so exposed more to the Bible than most. He can read and write so he is not common, for if he were he would be illiterate and ignorant as those in power wish their commoners to be.
This is the first message that is taught by this man. Do not allow yourself to be ignorant, but you say: “I have been taught and so I am not ignorant.” I would challenge this. How did this man become so talented? Through a desire to learn and better himself. This is what God wants all humans to do. Yet most do not. They allow themselves to accept what little the schools offer and seek out no more than that, yet the schools offer less and less as designed by those in power. Designed to create the ignorant and truly uneducated. They are taught selfishness, but not self-worth. All humanity if they truly wish to seek out God will seek Him. They will seek through knowledge and the desire to gain this knowledge. For through knowledge you can truly study the Bible and so then can truly understand what is within the Bible. To allow others to dictate to you what is in the Bible is to invite ignorance of a different type. The type that we find illustrated within this movie.
We find he was born out of wedlock. A bastard. His father, the younger son of the noble that rules the lands conceived him then was sent off to the Crusades to redeem himself for this sin. His father did learn the Bible and so returned as a baron to his place of birth to claim what is his. Not his land, his son.
This causes Balian to journey to the Holy Lands. Here he arrives a nobleman, more than he was a few short months before. He is forced into a fight, prevails, and so gains an escort to Jerusalem. Here he shows true Christian faith. First for not killing the second man and then for releasing this same man. The statement is made: “Your quality will be known among your enemies before ever you meet them.”
These are the qualities that all people who call themselves Christian should have. The qualities that are taught to us within the Lord’s Prayer. ”Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Balian forgave and even prayed for the man that attacked him and he was forced to kill defending himself.
The next key element within this movie that defines not only this man, Balian, but also Christianity itself. It happens when he meets with the King of Jerusalem. In their conversation, they start to discuss chess. Within this discussion is where the nugget of truth is found. The King states that when we stand before God we cannot say “’But I was told by other to do thus’ or that virtue was not convenient at the time” for our own souls are in our own keeping he also said. This is possibly one of the most profound statements I have heard in this modern era.
It is people’s responsibility for their own actions. It is something many do not accept as being true. It is another facet in the word “ignorance.” As the saying goes, “ignorance is bliss,” for within ignorance you can lead a live of peace and enjoyment because all you care for is yourself. As I have said before Selfishness is to me the ultimate sin, so ignorance is sin.
Throughout this film, you see a man, a human. Balian commits sin, yet who hasn’t? Do we hold this sin against him? No, so why should we hold others accountable for their. What people need to understand is that sin in the end will only affect the person committing these sins. When someone comes to God, they come to understand this in some way. They become remorseful and repentant when they sin. They try not to sin and then they try to do good as well to help overcome the sins they have committed.
In the final encounter between Balian and Imad. Imad turns to him and says (paraphrased) If God did not know him, then how did he do what he had done?
God knows all that we do. He only places burdens upon us that He knows we can handle. It may not seem so at the time, but we must work through it and seek out life. In movies and books, we are witness to this through struggles of violence and battle. Battles like that for the city of Jerusalem in this movie.
Study the man Balian in this film and learn. Do not just look upon it as escapism, which to a degree it is, but learn, from it and the man.

“Kingdom of Heaven” (2005): Understanding the many layers within it. Part 1 –The priests.

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Within the movie “Kingdom of Heaven” there are multiple types of characters represented throughout the movie.
One of the first we are introduced to is a priest. There are three prominent characters that are priests in the movie. All represent the religion of Catholicism at that time period. It was a business. Gathering money, building churches, and acting like they are better than the common people.
The first priest is conniving, manipulative, and a thief. He is a perfect example of the corruption that was running rampant within the priests of the Catholic Church during the period the story is based within. It is not representative of true Christianity though, but in a way that is what they would like you to think.
There are many movies and shows around that people can and do watch, but there are few designed to actually make you think and when they do people usually do not think. “Kingdom of Heaven” is not a movie for shallow people. You have to look. You have to think, then you have to do it all over again. Simply, this is a movie you do not watch once, and it is also best to watch the director’s cut as well.
Religion is shown for what it is. A business, and within the business are those that wish to manipulate it to their benefit. The lead character’s brother is one of these. As you watch it you will see that there are two religions represented. One Christian and one Muslim and a prime example of its presence is when those that follow the religion and not the faith make the statement “’Fill in the blank’ wills it.”
What is something that needs to be understood is that the Bible was not the most published book of all times in 1184. In fact the first printed Bible did not happen until 1450. The Bible was kept away from the commoners and many nobles as well. Humans learned the truth of the Bible through a few priest that truly understood the teachings of Christ and so tried to pass this true knowledge on. In this movie that was done by a warrior monk.
For the most part though religion was made by and for humans. It is still that way today. It is done when humans manipulate the words within the Bible for their own benefit. It is done when humans say you can pray for wealth and it shall be given unto you if you give them money first. This is a lie. For those that follow the Christian faith are promised their reward after their time in this temporary life we live at this time.
Then we have the Bishop of Jerusalem. Who at one point says to become a Muslim and then to repent later. It is here that the lead character states “You have taught me much about religion.” This was an important message within the movie that clearly states do not follow religion, instead follow faith.
Then we have the statement: “The pope has said: It is not a sin to kill an infidel, but the path to heaven” This is the most poignant example of a human changing the words of God for their own glorification. It was this type of mentality that caused the Crusades. It is something that was not needed to be done. It was done to make the Catholic Church, the central government of the time, rich and thus those in charge of it rich.
As you watch movies like this, it is time to think. It is time to understand. If you do not desire knowledge then you are destine to be the pawns of other humans. You are destine to allow wars, the destruction of nations and people. You are destine to look like those citizens that lived in Germany during World War II, which resulted in nearly 13 million innocent deaths.

Review: Angel and the Badman (1947) – a portrait in salvation and faith

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This John Wayne movie which he produced is something not seen in today’s cinema. It shows true Christianity and its influence on those that do not practice it. It is also the story of how a man finds the Lord.
The faith is shown through that of a family of Quakers and their community, which was built for the common use of all within it. A prime example within the movie is when John’s character Quirt Evans goes to a rancher that took over another Quaker’s homestead that had the community dam placed upon it. The rancher soon comes to see the way of kindness and sharing and becomes friendly to his neighbors that he had treated wrongly before.
We see Quirt change from a hardened man bent on revenge to a man that follows the way of God with the help of the woman he falls in love with.
We also see how those that knew him before have a hard time seeing that the man had changed.
I highly recommend this movie for those that wish to learn more on how those that call themselves Christian should really act.

Base storyline: 5 swords out of 5 swords
Acting: 4 swords out of 5 swords
Special Effects: 4 swords out of 5 swords
Overall: 4.33 swords out of 5 swords

Acceptance

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When it comes to true Christianity, the person that accepts it changes. They no longer think as they use to think. They no longer act as they use to act. Sure, a lot of how they use to be is still there. Their basic personality had not changed in most cases, but how they respond is different. What use to make them angry does not. What use to give them pleasure does not. Even though some aspect of the person you once knew is still seen on the outside by those about them, by those that knew you before you completed your change will make assumptions. Some in time will see the change and come to accept this change in you. But there will be those that do not. They will label you a hypocrite and a liar. They will feel betrayed and abandoned.
Sure, you want to make them understand, especially if they are someone you love, but you must come to realize that this many never happen.
There will be also those that try to tell you that you can still live the life you use to live. They will say sure you can still live exactly like you did before and you are still a Christian and going to heaven. This is not true. You will be tempted, but if the Bible states it is a sin. IT IS A SIN. If you are still early into your Christian faith it is at this time you should seek out and find a good Christian home.
In my own personal growth into Christianity, I sought this out in several large Churches. To my dismay, this actually turned out to be a slide in the wrong direction. It took me decades to find a church home I felt right in and it was a small church. These from further research I feel is the way to go. Do not seek out a church that has hundreds or even thousands that attend it. Seek out a church that at its max one hundred or less. These small churches will actually greet you and accept you as someone seeking to learn your faith and allow you to grow. Will answer your questions and help you address your problems of faith when they arise. This is better than a church of hundreds where you become lost within the faces and no one will be able to help you out, as you may need.
As you grow in your faith, you will change. Sure you will still feel like the person you were before you asked Jesus into your heart, but things that once didn’t bother you will. Especially as you read the Bible and come to understand the message within it, and whom the ultimate author of the Bible is, for even though it was written by man, they received their inspiration from the Holy Ghost. Who directed them to write down the words of God and no other faith can trace it origins back to the beginning of record history itself except the Judeo-Christian faith.

The dream that changed my life

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I was eighteen or nineteen at the time I had the dream that would change my life. It started me back down the right path in me even though I would not fully regain that path for another seven or eight years.
For the first time, since I was nine I had picked up the Bible and started to read it once again. When I finally fell asleep that night I encountered events I did not expect. I appeared before the throne of God that was so bright all I can say is that God sat upon it, but I could not get any details due to the extreme light. What words were said here are beyond me now to remember, but I do know that an angel appeared in front of God and was looking at myself and all the others that were with me. He was large and glowed but nowhere near the intensity coming from the throne, also no wings.
What I can say is that those with me and myself were given a task and in a blink I was gone from the presence of the Almighty and was floating in space above a planet. Darkness was all about save for the light coming from a sun. I leaned forward and began to fly down to the planet then over its barren surface as those that were just with me a few moments before God were doing the same.
With just a thought and an action from my hands the surface of the world changed into that of a living and habitable world.
Then I heard words, but these words I do remember unlike the ones from before the throne of God.
“Serve Me and this you can do as My servant.”
After I returned to God and accepted His Son Jesus as my Savior, I had other dreams as well, but none placed me before the throne of God ever again.

Growing faith

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A recurring theme throughout my life has been the desire to respect others. Sure, some parts of my personality can be a thorn to some, but who amongst us can say that is not true for any person. In my early teens, I allowed my peers to turn my heart to hardness. This lasted until I was in my mid-twenties. One thing that I know marked these years was the mere fact that I had become selfish and self-serving.
When I became born again at twenty-six the man, what I should have been came back into existence. A man that God knew and recognized. (See my post “Overwhelming sin” to understand what I meant by this statement). The man returned to what the boy I had been before I allowed my peers to turn me into what I had become in the dark years.
I learned to give into my desires and wants in those years. I allowed myself to listen to only myself. Not caring if I hurt people. Many of these people were girls and women, especially when I turned eighteen.
Regret is one thing that has crossed my mind more than once over the last quarter of a century plus. Sometimes this regret causes me to do things that help others. Then there are times this regret has made me avoid situations out of fear they may be a repeat of something from my past that I do not wish to go through again. I feel these regrets are due to me trying to think of others before myself.
Too many times in the Bible we are told be humble, placing others before ourselves. The emphasis is too poignant that true faith requires humility, thus selflessness. When you are selfish, you are not acting for God. When thinking of your own desires no matter how little or big you have placed yourself before others.
I really think it is in all of us to be humble. I know I was humble when I was a child and had forgotten it due to pain and humiliation. How I returned to it is where free-will comes into play. I felt wrong from my behavior. I felt more guilt as I became more selfish. I do not know if others experience this and hide it, but it allowed me to face myself and realize this is not what God wanted for me or us for that matter. So I chose through the act of free-will to return to what I was taught in my youth.
I know I am not perfect. No human can ever be perfect. I know I have overcome sins that would have turned me into someone other then what I am. I know not only that it was God, but an inner strength that has allowed me to grow into the man I am today. Where did I get this inner strength? From my trials I have face throughout my life. Without these trials, I feel I would in no way be the man I am today.
All I do know is that the man that types these words today is in fact someone who deserves to be call a man, since there is a difference between being male and being a man. It is by God and for God that I am here, and I praise Him for that.

Your mission if you should choose to accept it………… this message will never destruct especially not in 5 seconds

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One thing that gets to me is this mentality within religions is that if you are not of this certain religion or come dressed into their place of worship a certain way you are something to be looked down upon. Jesus faced this same problem when he walked upon this earth in ancient Israel. It is something that I see everywhere and in every religion.

It is also wrong.

Jesus challenged the Pharisees over this behavior. Their reaction was to have Him hung upon a cross. They did not know that was his plan all along. Nor did they know He would rise from the dead three days later.

One of the main things Jesus taught and showed was that those of the faith should not sit in their little groups and hide from the world. They should not be looking down upon the world, thinking themselves better than others. That is not how it is meant to go.

Yes, there is a time when you need to stay within the church. This time is when you first come into your faith. Most have no idea what the Bible says. Therefore, they need to read it and be taught by those that have more knowledge then they do at that moment of the teaching of God and His Son.

We are not meant to stay there forever though. We are meant to become strong in the Word and our faith and then we are meant to go into the world and show the love of Jesus to others.

Too many times, I see titles to other blogs that are exclusionary. There are Bible verse; they say things like how to separate yourself from the world and other things that turn those not fully aware of God away. They see these posts and run away from God instead of toward Him.

Jesus walked amongst the sinners. He dined with them. Talked to them and taught them of the love of His Father. He was ridiculed for doing so. His reply was that they needed Him more than those that had already found God did.

If your feet are shod in the Word and you show your faith through kindness and caring. If you desire to walk among those of the world; then do it. We are the body of Jesus here on earth. If we do not share our faith by example; then many of these will have never seen what true believe and faith in something that is intangible to them, in most cases.

There is evidence that many have never even read the Bible. Especially in today’s world with the removal of God from the schools and from other places that were once available for all to see.

Don’t be a member of the religious clicks, be the Christian you were meant to be the day you knelt down and asked God into your heart and mind.