نشریه مطالعات معنوی
پیاپی 11-12 (بهار و تابستان 1393)

Storytelling in film is inspired by the tales of religious leaders and scriptures. As scriptures have used artistic language to express their spiritual concepts and meaning to the audience, some theorists believe that today's religious upbringing and one's religious action, will shape in the shadow of media that dealt with them or involved in living with them. On the other hand, by a quick look at world cinema films - notably Hollywood - we find that the display of spirituality in cinema is an integral part of today's global popular cinema. As in sociology we can consider the popular culture as a basis for seeking behaviors and religious elements, cinema is also remarkable as part of popular culture in order to achieve to religious and transcendental components. With this attitude, studying the evaluation of spiritual concern in cinema especially from the perspective of directors and various schools could be a step towards achieving this trend in cinema and provide a base for religious sociological analysis.

Although it seems the modern era began with only one movement, it provided a situation for the emergence and growth of thousands of "Pseudo-spiritual movements". Pseudo-spiritual movements associated with the modern era pursue goals such as growth and spiritual prosperity, and because of this they have numerous beliefs and programs. Diversity of beliefs and behavior patterns among Pseudo-spiritual movements is so widespread to the extent that most of them have no relevance and similarity to each other.
Some researchers have introduced two principles as the basis of new era: first; a belief in a new era that comes with increased spiritual awareness and realization of world peace, and second; role of individuals and groups for coming a new era by expanding spiritual knowledge. According to the second principle, the widespread use of mass media and the capacity of art are inevitable. Our society is also affected by expansive use of media to promote new age spirituality, especially in movies and TV serials. This affection is visible from two angles: first, presentation of foreign movies and serials, and other locally produced films and TV serials which produced with a spiritual approach.

Besides the "age of communication" and "humanism", we can also call the "age of spirituality" or spiritual advertising age for the contemporary period of time. In this great battle in which, according to Peter Clarke's account, more than three hundred sects and groups try to promote their religious and spiritual beliefs and the teachings of their spiritual and intellectual principles, what is certain is that multiplicity of sects and diversity of religious faiths shows the human perpetual demand to religion and spirituality. Method of introducing a spiritual sect or religion which is called "preaching" is the most effective factor in the trend of individuals toward a religion or cult. This paper aims to emphasize the importance of art, both in the sense before modern era and in this modern sense, especially the art of literature (including fiction, plays, screenplays) and graphic arts (painting is the most important of them) and also performing arts (including: film, cinema and theater) in religious preaching. This matter shows the necessity of cooperation between artists and missionaries in developing and deepening religious fervors. The author tries also to show how does cooperation between "art" and "preach" led to the spread of new religious movements and also tries to show that the community has seen a lot of harm from the neglect of artists and preachers to this important issue.

One of the most prominent distortions in today's world is spirituality without God and replacement of magic rather than a genuine spirituality that seriously represented and promoted by cinema. Jewish mysticism or Kabbala is a non-genuine spirituality which has been considered to the cinematic communities in recent years. Kabbala is a kind of Sufism which based on magic and one can achieve to special powers through it. This kind of mysticism with an extreme respect to magic, is violated the Law (Sharia) and believes to a permanent conflict between good and evil in the world. This article by the view that Kabbala is a key component of new age spirituality, has tried to investigate about the movie "Sorcerer's Apprentice" to analyze indirect methods for the intangible infusion of Jewish concepts by the media. Some Jewish concepts in the film "Sorcerer's Apprentice" include: shamanism, tend to evil, aversion from Law (Sharia), humanism, materialism and myths in Kabbala.

Nowadays, animations play an important role in children’s upbringing. Every animation has its own different world view which is based on the philosophy and culture of the artists and their societies. “How to Train Your Dragon” is an animation which has emphasis on an especial way of educating children both in its title and its content. This movie criticize the old traditions on account of having obscure metaphysical roots which are not really more than a form of will to power. Instead it idolizes an education system based on the pleasure principle and the possibility of a structure that provides publicity and equality in it. Such a world view with deficiency in establishing a structure of knowledge, would evacuate life from meaning and destroy the passion for living. Naturally such an education, although having some pros on the details, would be a disaster to a metaphysical world view too.

Iranian society is in transition from the Course of civilization to the new world. The world in which the foundation of development and evolutions of civilization depends on "progress Idea" and the authority of a state as a legitimacy and efficiency of it is based on "development of science". In this paper we attempt to search about pathology and the position of revolutionary art from the perspective of Ayatollah Khamenei. Thus, there are seven key points in his statements about the pathology of revolutionary art: hardness and difficulty of the way for producing and understanding revolutionary art, lack of educated and serious revolutionary forces, lack of self-esteem and fearing from opponents of Islamic revolution, entering into political conflicts, glamorous world and its effects, imitation of opponents, lack of coordination between form and content.

Finding the Qibla is an important issue in the practices of mystics. Altar - facing towards the Kaaba - is a center that has a special meaning and intuitive values. Some artists who are familiar with mystics, arrays altar with mysterious flowers and plants, because the altar is like a gateway through which one enters through the Garden of Eden. These Codes are shadows of the eternal facts and that is why they are not entirely clear. Hence, the highest way of thinking has been used to the creation of these codes. Altar is the place of intuition and illumination for a mystic. In this study using the Libraries method we will try to answer the question: What is the relationship between mysticism and Islamic art? How does Meaning combine with the visual beauty of altar and reveals itself? It will be clear that the creation of a work of art, requires a transition from inexistence to existence - from appearance to the conscience - and this is clearly expressed in the creation of the altar, because all the colors have been put together to express a mystical meaning and to provide the context for witnessing the truth.