News Science

News Science

Analyzing Anti-Religious Symbols in Popular Netflix Shows

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Amir Ali Ghorbani Tusanlo 1
Gholamreza Azari 2
1 1. Master of Social Communication Sciences, Department of Humanities, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran Email: amiraligh54@yahoo.com
2 2. Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Communication and Media, Faculty of Social Sciences, Communication and Media, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch (Corresponding Author), Tehran, Iran. Email: azarigh2012@gmail.com
10.22034/lrsi.2025.514082.1348
Abstract
Objective: Netflix, as a prominent content provider in the entertainment industry, has evolved into a powerful transnational entity that positions cinema as one of the most significant and influential artistic domains. This study seeks to investigate two primary questions: (1) What overt anti-religious themes has Netflix raised and represented in its productions? and (2) What anti-religious symbols has Netflix portrayed within its cinematic works?
Methods: Adopting a semiotic approach, this research examines the codes and signs embedded in two selected series: *Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Midnight Mass. The analytical framework is grounded in Fiske’s semiotic model, which comprises three major code categories - reality or social codes, representation or technical codes, and ideology or ideological codes. These categories are systematically applied across three analytical levels: the real level, the representational level, and the ideological level.
Results: Leveraging its substantial media influence, Netflix has incorporated a range of anti-religious themes and symbolic representations in its cinematic productions. The findings indicate recurring motifs such as Satanism, witchcraft, evil, anti-Islamism, and the propagation of radical feminism and homosexuality, all of which are critically examined in this study.
Conclusions: The deviant Kabbalistic sect, alongside Satanism, employs distinct mechanisms of influence to advance its ideological objectives. Cinema, particularly through global platforms such as Netflix, serves as one of the most effective instruments for disseminating these symbols and content. The study underscores the strategic role of audiovisual media in shaping ideological narratives and highlights the necessity of critical media literacy in addressing such representations.
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Keywords
Netflix
Cinema
Anti-Religion
Satanism
Witchcraft
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