Battle for the Kingdom of Heaven continues

The film The Kingdom of Heaven inspires thoughts on war and the role religion plays. With the recent attacks on Lebanon, the call for peace is more imperative than ever.

Lebanon is a land of paradise for so many, the land where Jesus turned water into wine. In a twist of irony Israel has turned the waters of Lebanon blood red. So the cycle of death continues.

Throughout history, men have sworn revenge for attacks which have ended in bloodshed. Since the beginning of time men have sworn allegiance to kings.

Among these men, Gods played a crucial part in these wars. Yet how does one God instruct its people to kill that of another God? It doesn't make sense to the believer today. It probably didn't make sense to the believer back then. But as always, an excuse for war was needed. As swift as the blade which cut through the hearts of men, such an excuse was born. Religion became the scapegoat.

In a slightly altered way, that excuse continues today. Maybe we can revel in the fact that people are a little wiser having learnt from the mistakes of the past. Maybe this is why we no longer follow presidents and leaders so blindly. Maybe this is why people protest on the streets.

But for every dissident, there's someone willing to accept war. This may be a result of widespread propaganda. What does this propaganda teach us? That the "enemy" is being told to kill us by their God? That the "enemy" hates our way of life and therefore straps bombs onto themselves? Or maybe we learn that our God is the right God and therefore our actions are justified? To ease the pain of war, we're told that they are the enemy because they are enemies of peace. Therefore war is no longer about conquering land. It's about defence.

It's hard to know what's worse - that leaders can still get away with the meaningless killing of innocents or the fact not much has changed since the medieval ages. The means may be different but the outcome is the same with death following every recount of battle and war.

The crusades were not so different from the wars we see on our television screens. Although the courage of the men who took up the sword is of another kind to those who press buttons triggering the annihilation of whole cities. It was not easy back then when the casualties were guaranteed to be much higher on both sides despite swift victories. So the excuse of God may be more believable, but no less excusable.

Today there are no truces or terms agreed upon until the grounds are well and truly stained red. Ceasefires are called upon but are met with accusations of "idealism" for only an idealist would believe that a ceasefire can resolve tensions created by armies of God. Sometimes it's easy to forget which era we're living in.

Once upon a time it only took two kings to prevent a war. War was never inevitable and never will be and the role of leaders gives testimony to this claim. Two kings had the power to say “yes” to peace. It only took one King to say yes to war and history would be written in the blood stains of the people. The authority of men in positions of power was never questioned, an authority often confused with that of God.

Hildegard of Bingen, a well respected Christian woman, was strongly opposed to the Crusades of her time. She was known for criticising the Pope for allowing priests and clergy to fight. She is said to have received visions from God. Yet her claim only went so far as to affect local religious issues. On the battleground, the men played out the final act both with their swords and with their decisions. To think that one man could have changed history makes you question the role of God. Even in the most famous of holy wars, it still came down to the acquisition of land and power.

How can religion play a role in war? Perhaps when religion is manipulated to suit greater purposes, it may play a role in the motivation for war. But it is hardly accountable for the devastation that follows war.

Picture this - one man stands up and decides he is inspired by God - but  not enough to drive him to the frontline with arms raised and not enough to warrant support from his leaders who have to think about the financial cost of war. There needs to be a carrot at the other end of the stick. Some may say this comes in the form of one or more of the following: wealth; money; oil; power; pride; revenge. In that order.

But when the dust of war settles, it's time to ask the question. Was it worth it? Who will pay the price in the end? The fact that revenge is the final motive of war suggests this is nothing more than a bloody cycle that cannot and will not end until humankind has destroyed itself.

With technology today, all that remains is a carefree, blasé attitude resulting in the merciless bombing of civilians who become nothing more than dot points on a map. Crosses marked "X". Targets.

The waters run red with shame as we are reminded of Jesus' plight in the Middle East. We remember how the Muslim leader Saladin welcomed the Christian and Jewish pilgrims to worship in the Holy City Jerusalem without fear of persecution. We remember Moses' symbolic journey out of Egypt and ultimately away from persecution.

Maybe there is a way out. But we'll never find it with war.

Tyre, a village close to the site where Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine, has been continuously bombed for the past week, serving as a bloody reminder of the cost of war and showing just how quickly we forget the religious messages inscribed in our history.

It is no secret that religious tensions in the Middle East run high and that invasions do nothing to quell these problems. These problems often manifest themselves in civil war, much like the one we are currently seeing in Iraq. Such problems continue to exist  amongst the mosaic of Lebanese sects (Christian,Sunni and Shiite Muslim, Druze) and Palestinian refugees.

Therein lies the weakness of this beautiful country, for where there is a potential divide there is a chance for outsiders to divide and conquer. Israel, having invaded Lebanon on two previous occasions, appears to be the perfect candidate.

Despite the tensions between the Lebanese sects, most of the wars and conflicts in Lebanon have been exacerbated or orchestrated by outside influences. These outside forces include the Palestinians and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), the intervention of Syria during the civil war and its subsequent occupation, and the invasions and occupations of Israel. Each of these outsiders have used local Lebanese sects as either allies or proxies.

Israel’s determination to eject the PLO from Lebanon made it paramount to somehow bring the Christians on its side, to have a pliable ally against their common enemy. If it’s not the PLO, it’s Hezbollah or Hamas. There’s always an excuse. Fleeing Palestinians escaped to Lebanon only to find an environment plagued by divisions. Thus war and devastation ensued while religion sat on the side lines, helpless to stop the violence.

It's a known fact that the Arab people believe in hospitality and will welcome you into their country without terms or conditions. This hospitality ends with war, when bombs can be seen in the distance. This hospitality is not open to those who stroll into Lebanon carrying guns. The picturesque views, the mountains and the sea, the cedar trees, the beige buildings embedded with bullet holes, the shops, the people, the lifestyle and the history seem like nothing more than nostalgia - fading away like a distant memory as Beirut becomes a ghost town and people flee their towns and villages.

We should have known that with the natural human desire for war, Lebanon's joy would be short-lived. We should have known that its smile would fade. We should have known but we held onto short-lived hope that maybe the worst was over. But the party ends and despair kicks in. It's hard to believe that religion or religious groups played any part in this madness - and as the bombs continue to fall, the less I believe religion could ever instigate such hell.

Yet I affirm with conviction that religion will play a role in Lebanon's peace if only the Lebanese people can put aside their differences. When the Muslims and Christians learn to work together as a unified body than it may become a more formidable force, one that no amount of weapons can destroy. This is where religion becomes the hero of peace rather than the scapegoat for war.

Maybe the Kingdom of Heaven is, after all, one big party. A party where people of different religions unite and rejoice together, just as Jesus did all those years ago in Cana when the people were running empty on wine. Maybe Lebanon is just running empty on peace and this is the miracle that can make it the life of the party once more.