scThe Spiritual Cinema Circle is sort of a book-of-the-month club, except for DVDs. Members pay $21/month (plus shipping) to received a DVD containing four films of a "spiritual" nature. The movies are a mix of features and shorts; of fiction and documentaries. The four on this month's disc include Rock with Wings, an award-winning documentary about a Native American basketball team, and In God We Trust, "A fast-paced, hilariously funny romp about Karma points and how to work the system in the afterlife." Circle press materials, however, take pains to make it clear that "spiritual" does not mean "religious." Rather than working to convey the teachings of a particular faith, the Circle is hoping to entertain and uplift their members:  "At the end of the day, we just want to make our audiences feel at least slightly better about being a human being."

To be honest, at heart I'm a cynical, horrible person. Uplift is for the naive! Hope is foolish. But this? Actually, it sounds pretty cool. Opposed to sex and violence, perhaps, but close-minded they don't seem to be. In fact, on the disc for next month is a "sweet, funny, and ultimately poignant little film" about a woman carrying a child for her gay brother and his partner. Damn. I say more power to you, Spiritual Cinema Circle.