WHETHER they?re religious or not, viewers can?t go wrong with movies that depict man?s natural inclination to satisfy his spiritual needs. They?re a welcome relief from the usually violent films shown on the silver screen. Here are inspiring productions that convey an inspiring message:

?Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison.? US Marine Corporal Allison (Robert Mitchum) is stranded on an island in the Pacific during World War II. He finds that a novice nun (Deborah Kerr) lives in an abandoned settlement that doubles as a chapel. They?re forced to hide in a cave when Japanese troops arrive to set up a detachment. Allison tells the nun that her devotion to her vows is pointless, as they are stuck on an island ?like Adam and Eve.? But, as they wait to be rescued by Marine troops, he accepts her dedication to her vocation. She reassures him that they will always be ?close companions.?

?The Scarlet and the Black? is the true story of an Irish priest (Gregory Peck) who bravely aids Jews and prisoners of war during the Nazi occupation. Pope Pius XII (John Gielgud) is portrayed as being sympathetic to the enemies of the Nazis.

?The Mission.? Father Gabriel, an Irish Jesuit priest (Jeremy Irons), is sent to a South American jungle in the 1750s to build a mission and convert a community of Guarani Indians to Christianity. Meanwhile, mercenary Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro) makes a living out of kidnapping Indians whom he sells to nearby plantations. The latter eventually sees the error of his ways and becomes a Jesuit himself.

Close friend

?Becket? tells the story of Thomas Becket (Richard Burton), Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century, whose murder paves the way for his canonization. It chronicles Becket?s transformation from a pleasure-seeking courtier to a serious cleric. When he disagrees with the plans of his close friend, King Henry II of England (Peter O?Toole), the British monarch orders his execution.

?The Nun?s Story.? During World War II, Sister Luke (Audrey Hepburn), a Belgian nun, decides she cannot remain neutral in the midst of the horrors of Hitler?s Nazi regime. The film also dramatizes how she helps Dr. Fortunati (Peter Finch) treat lepers in the Belgian Congo.

?The Miracle.? Seventeen-year-old postulant nun, Teresa (Carroll Baker), is torn between secular and religious life. She falls in love with Capt. Michael Stuart (Roger Moore), a dashing English soldier, who is sent to Spain to foil the French invasion. Believing that Michael has been killed, she then joins a group of gypsies and becomes a famous singer and dancer. Meanwhile, the statue of the Madonna at Teresa?s convent ?descends? from her pedestal and takes Teresa?s place ? and no one notice?s the nun?s disappearance.

?Molokai.? Father Damien (David Wenham), a Belgian missionary, changes the lives of lepers in Molokai, Hawaii, where he signs up as a volunteer and fights for the lepers? human rights. He makes considerable strides in the treatment of the disease. He feels he won?t earn the patients? trust if he?s not willing to risk getting infected himself. He is later seen looking grossly disfigured from the disease, which hasn?t dissipated his sense of humor.

Repairs

?Lilies of the Field.? Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier), an African-American itinerant worker, encounters a group of German nuns on a farm in the Arizona desert as he fetches some water for his car radiator. He is then persuaded to repair their roof ? but ends up building the whole chapel!