For decades, centuries even, when people thought of spirituality, they thought only of religion. I aim to stretch the tent of spirituality in this e-book to include secular experience. My particular approach to secular spirituality is through the medium of film. Characters in the 43 films I discuss come to spirituality without religion. In some of these films, religion nibbles at the edges of events, as when, in the Brazilian film Central Station, Dora, the cynical letter writer leaves hard-bitten Rio with a boy she hopes to return to his father and finds herself surrounded by evangelicals, shrines, and churches. She does not have any kind of religious conversion, but there is no denying that the piety of the countryside softened her and escorted her into spirituality. Now and then I quote assorted Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and Jews, but usually only when their remarks throw light on secular matters. I have avoided relying on muddled mystics who write about the Great Turning Cosmic Oneness of Everything. I dont know what they are talking about.

For decades, centuries even, when people thought of spirituality, they thought only of religion. I aim to stretch the tent of spirituality in this e-book to include secular experience. My particular approach to secular spirituality is through the medium of film. Characters in the 43 films I discuss come to spirituality without religion. In some of these films, religion nibbles at the edges of events, as when, in the Brazilian film Central Station, Dora, the cynical letter writer, leaves hard-bitten Rio with a boy she hopes to return to his father and finds herself surrounded by evangelicals, shrines, and churches. She does not have any kind of religious conversion, but there is no denying that the piety of the countryside softened her and escorted her into spirituality. Now and then I quote assorted Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and Jews, but usually only when their remarks throw light on secular matters. I have avoided relying on muddled mystics who write about the Great Turning Cosmic Oneness of Everything. I dont know what they are talking about.

Spiritual themes are common in movies: The unconventional savior. The hero’s journey. The redemption tale. The balance of creation. Journalist John A. Zukowski reflects on twelve major spiritual themes in the world of cinema, discussing films from Dead Man Walking to Bruce Almighty, from Groundhog Day to Chariots of Fire, and many more. See them all—read them all—before you die!

Spiritual themes are common in movies: The unconventional savior. The hero’s journey. The redemption tale. The balance of creation. Journalist John A. Zukowski reflects on twelve major spiritual themes in the world of cinema, discussing films from Dead Man Walking to Bruce Almighty, from Groundhog Day to Chariots of Fire, and many more. See them all—read them all—before you die!

Ninety two percent of teens say watching films is their number one pastime. So what better way for a parent to connect and have meaningful discussion with their teens than "Movie Nights?" Discussions include practical ideas, story points and follow-up activities so parents can talk with their teens about movies and spiritual truth.

Would you like to discover a new world of movies that expands your mind, warms your heart, and stirs you soul? If so, this book is sure to become a valuable resource for you.

Films are modern spiritual phenomena. They function as such in at least three profound ways: world projection, thought experiments, and catharsis (i.e., as dreams, doubt, and dread). Understanding film in this way allows for a theological account of the experience that speaks to the religious possibilities of film that far extend the portrayal of religious themes or content. Dreams, Doubt, and Dread: The Spiritual in Film aims to address films as spiritual experiences. This collection of short essays and dialogues examines films phenomenologically--through the experience of the viewer as an agent having been acted upon in the functioning of the film itself. Authors were invited to take one of the main themes and creatively consider how film, in their experiences, has provided opportunities for new modes of thinking. Contributors will then engaged one another in a dialogue about the similarities and differences in their descriptions of film as spiritual phenomena. The intended aim of this text is to shift contemporary theological film engagement away from a simple mode of analysis in which theological concepts are simply read into the film itself and begin to let films speak for themselves as profoundly spiritual experiences.