Even if you aren’t a female between the ages of 11 and 18, chances are you’ve heard of Twilight, the first volume of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling vampire romance/adventure series. You may have seen the striking book cover, with two pale hands clasping an apple (“Whack!” goes the symbolism.). You may have seen the trailer for the movie, directed by Catherine Hardwicke (The Nativity Story) and slated for release in December. You may have heard a group of girls squealing and sighing over the name “Edward Cullen.”

However, I’m guessing, based on a brief Google search, that you may not have seen much Christian commentary on the series. I’ll attempt to provide some here, focusing on the novel’s potential effects on teens, since they’re its target audience. Let me state right off, though, that I’m not a parent, nor am I a teen anymore, so take my perspective for what it’s worth. Also, if you’re someone who’s concerned about Twilight because it deals with vampires, and vampires are supernatural, then my approach probably isn’t going to satisfy you. I’m starting from the assumption that fantasy has much to show us about ultimate truth. I’m more interested exploring how the version of love presented in Twilight is and isn’t consistent with the Christian ideal of love.

So here’s the spoiler-free plot summary for those of you who are behind: 17-year-old Bella Swan moves to the tiny town of Forks, Washington, to live with her father when her mother gets remarried. There she meets the Cullens, a family of “vegetarian” vampires (they only drink the blood of animals they hunt in the woods). Romance with Edward Cullen, the eternally 17-year-old son of the family, ensues, as does some suspense and adventure.

From what I can tell, many parents are happy about Twilight because, unlike many teen novels these days, its protagonists do not have sex. Granted, this is partly for practical reasons, since Meyer’s vampires possess super-strength and, Edward explains, if he ever lost control, he might accidentally crush Bella. Not your average reason for teen abstinence. Bella isn’t particularly religious, and we don’t learn more about Edward’s beliefs until New Moon, so it wouldn’t make sense within the story for them to have a more principled reason. Stephenie Meyer is Mormon, and she’s stated in interviews that this is part of the reason that she will never include a sex scene in her books. So it’s a fairly clean read, but teens can’t really apply the characters’ motivations to their own decisions about sexual activity.

What I see as actually more important and relevant to moral issues is the Cullens’ abstention from drinking human blood. The Cullens have definite beliefs about right and wrong, and they strive hard, against their instincts, to pursue right. When Bella asks Edward how he can work so hard to resist regular vampiric tendencies, Edward replies, “But you see, just because we’ve been . . . dealt a certain hand . . . it doesn’t mean that we can’t choose to rise above — to conquer the boundaries of a destiny that none of us wanted. To try to retain whatever essential humanity we can.” Quite admirable.

Carlisle Cullen, the family’s “father” (none of the Cullens are related by blood — they’re bound together by their “vegetarian” lifestyle choice), is so driven by compassion and the desire to save human life that he has become a doctor, in spite of the constant temptation in which that places him (exposure to human blood, etc.). Edward is drawn to Bella both in the normal, human, hormonal way, as well as thirsting for her blood, which requires him to practice a lot of self-control, especially when they’re in close physical proximity. Young readers may get a little obsessive and squealy about Edward, but there are worse things than having a crush on a character whose prominent virtue is self-control. Granted, they’re probably more excited about his perfect face and well-muscled chest and lovely topaz eyes (the descriptions of Edward’s physical perfection do get a little girly), but maybe they’ll learn to admire his non-physical characteristics as well.

I should mention, though, that the self-control issue also makes Bella’s and Edward’s physical contact highly erotic — not in a graphic way, more in a psychological way. That’s not a bad thing for an old married reader like me, but I do wonder about the effect this would have on younger readers.

However, if I were a parent, I think my biggest concern with Twilight might be its over-emphasis on romantic love. Bella and Edward say things to each other like “You are my life now” and talk about being together forever. For Bella at least, their relationship trumps everything else in her life, even life itself. She desperately wants Edward to turn her into a vampire, too, so that they can truly be together. Fortunately, Edward refuses, once again turning to deeply ingrained principles of right and wrong. It would be wrong to deprive her of normal human life, he feels, and so he refuses for her own good, because he loves her. Maybe because Edward was born in 1901, he has a much more developed set of values, including love that puts the good of the other person over self-fulfillment.

If Bella doesn’t become a vampire, she will age and eventually die, as Edward remains an immortal teenager. We get the feeling that something will happen by the end of the series, so that they can stay together “forever” without Edward violating his principles. It’s intriguing to speculate about how this impasse will be resolved, and its resolution (presumably in the final book, Breaking Dawn, to be released on August 2) will probably determine my final opinion about the series. In the meantime, though, I’m struck by the emphasis on achieving eternal romantic love, and wondering how much it has to do with Meyer’s Mormonism. In Mormon belief, as opposed to Christianity, marriage and family bonds are eternal, lasting into the afterlife. It’s an appealing idea, and that very appeal is part of why I believe that the Mormon idea of heaven is false and the Christian heaven is true. If I were making up a religion, I would sure want it to allow me to be with my husband forever. But, for Christians, part of the purpose of marriage is to represent Christ, his love and self-sacrifice, to each other. It’s a way of knowing Christ. When, in heaven, we actually see Christ face to face, we won’t need our human approximations of his love. We’ll have the real thing, rather than the analogy. It’s not romantic, and from our limited human perspectives, it may seem unappealing, but, again, that’s part of what convinces me that it’s true.

If I had a teen daughter, though, I wouldn’t forbid her from reading Twilight simply because its idea of love isn’t completely consistent with Christian love; on those grounds, I would have to forbid a whole lot of literature from throughout history. Instead, I think Twilight presents a perfect opportunity to discuss Christian love and how it compares to the love between Bella and Edward. Your teen may not want to hear that romantic love isn’t the be-all and end-all of her life, but she’s probably much more likely to listen to you (moms and dads) if you have read the book too and can appreciate what it does well.

All in all, Twilight is a well-written, suspenseful story. You want to stay up late reading just to find out what happens next — and in this respect, it’s certainly similar to the Harry Potter books. Bella’s first-person narration is very convincing, and the dialogue is often witty. My husband and I are enjoying reading the Twilight series aloud to each other, and I suspect I’m not the only non-teen looking forward to the rest of the series.


102 Comments

  1. Kinda squinchy that this old man is gunning for a 17-year-old… I mean, I get it hormonally. Guy thinks she’s cute or hot or whatever, but still.

    I hope when I’m 104 that when I decide to rob the cradle for a little romance that I’ll choose someone I can at least have a vaguely informed conversation with while I make boo-boo kitty eyes at her. I don’t know, maybe someone around thirty. That way I get the good looks and someone with at least the potential of not boring me. Though I suppose Cullen gets to experience a 21st century public school and all its drama vicariously through Bella.

    If you want to see how truly sad this kinda thing is, check out the first volume of O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim and take a look at Scott’s relationship with Knives (23 vs 17). Everyone thinks Scott’s a loser for it. And he is.

    The Danes last blog post..20080612

  2. Edward actually gets to experience the joys of public school for himself. No Vampire Left Behind!

  3. Wow, props to him. I always thought that the only way high school could have been fun is if I was able to come back and do it as an adult. Then none of the drama matters and you have a better sense of what’s worth paying attention to and what’s worth ignoring entirely.

    He’s still a skeevy old fuddy though.

    The Danes last blog post..20080612

  4. I told my 13-yr old daughter I would read it first. Her almost 15-yr old cousin is OBSESSED (understatement) with this series and it’s all she talks about, literally. When I started reading I was a bit surprised at how fast and interesting the story was, that is until…the whole chapter devoted to Bella seeing him in the light out in the woods.
    Speaking as a mother of a beautiful, yet VERY innocent 13-yr old, I personally felt that this chapter was too erotic for my daughter. She can barely look at the boy she likes right now, let alone say more that 5 words to him…very innocent, and I think that’s how it should be. Our girls are growing up way too fast in this fast-paced-everything world. I want my kids to be just that, kids. There is a time and place for feelings like in that certain chapter, but I strongly feel it’s not at the age of 13. For me, it was a great story, but I am older and I can handle the feelings stirred up when reading it. When my daughter is a little older, sure, but in this stage of her life-no. It’s a hard decision for me, but I know that once you read or hear something, it never leaves you…this is just how I feel for my daughters…it’s just my opinion and my conviction for my kids at this time in their lives.

  5. Susanne, I can definitely understand that perspective. FYI, the erotic level stays about the same in New Moon, but gets a little more intense in Eclipse. Still no sex scenes, as Meyer has promised not to write those, but definitely some will-they-or-won’t-they tension as Bella and Edward discuss sex (ultimate decision: not until after marriage). I do think that, overall, Meyer’s books prove that writing (and hopefully moviemaking) can still celebrate physical love without being graphic–and that could be a positive outcome in general. But that still doesn’t mean they’re appropriate for all ages.

  6. I appreciate your analysis…

    I’m curious about the 4th book. What is your perspective on that one? (I’ve read the first two)

  7. Becky, I actually just finished Breaking Dawn last night, so I should have a review up here in a couple of days.

  8. I’m 17 but read the entire trilogy when i was still 16. i couldn’t stop reading and finish the 2nd and 3rd book in 2 days(you know how thick they are, and i’m not kidding) i think it was amazing how everything was said and gives you an idea on how love should be, innocent but exotic…i’ll recommend it to every person i know, so mothers and fathers who think their daugthers are too young, sorry to tell you this but kids in our generation knows already much more about boys than what is said in the series. let you childern read it, they’ll love it and find out whats importent in life and love.
    ps – couldn’t stop crying for 2 days after i finish the last book, it was just so emotional….

  9. for me though….twilight still makes sense and the readers, especially teens, should be able to figure out the fictionality it has… parents shouldnt be too over reacting that they tend to let their teen hide in their world….they should also let them expand their imagination..

  10. hi! i’m a high school student doing a project on the effects of vampire fiction on people my age, looking into things such as, why does vampire fiction take such a hold on us, why are we so attracted to it, things like that. also as a high school student, i have read and loved all the twilight books, as well as many other vampire fiction series. as people who are responding to this blog, why do you think people are so into twilight and why do you feel that some others are against it? you can contact me through clee@bayschoolsf.org

  11. I’m just thirteen years old, and I completley loved the series. I liked it because it actually is what probably goes on in a teen’s life during that period. So yes, I am young, but my level of maturity changes things; I don’t tale things in the wrong way at all. Anyway, I never, EVER liked to read, and when I saw Twilight’s cover, it looked interesting(I know they say ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ but with me its a totally different story). I swear for gods sake, I read the first book in two hours. It intrigued me, so I kept going with the series. The second book, New Moon, I read in half a day. I’m not kidding. really. The third book, eclipse,I read in just two days. I totaly became OBSSESSED with the series I got on evryones nerves. so i settled down a bit, and waited for the fourth book, Breaking Dawn. Okay, I know this sounds idiotic, but I locked myself in my room so no one would disturb me, and sat down to read the whole book. I started reading it at about 6:00 p.m. and I finished it at 1:00 in the morning. So now I read at a college level, take A.P.(advanced placement) classes, pass all my classes, and became more knowledgable because of that series. So hear this:

    LET TEENS READ THE FREAKING SERIES
    INCLUDING 13 YR OLDS

    OH YEAH, YOU MIGHT SAY, ‘BUT IT CAN VARY, AND WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD ANYWAY?’ AND I’LL SAY

    JUST LET THEM READ ‘EM. ITS NOT GONNA CAUSE THEM ANY HARM BESIDES EXPAND THEIR IMAGINATON. i’VE HAD MY WORD.

    THANK YOU.

  12. Yep, Never Ceese is a vampire/werewolf novel written by a Christian just as Twilight was written by a Mormon. Never Ceese was written to appeal to the general market though and not a specific group of Christians. It has faith elements but also horror elements.

    Oh do read it! It was short-listed for a Bram Stoker Award and the sequel Forever Richard looks to be equally as exciting. I know I’m excited because it sells right along with the Twilight series.

    Thank-you Solshine for mentioning Never Ceese.

    My daughter is 15 and has read all the twilight books. Nope. They didn’t change her at all. :) Although it’s Harry Potter she contiually re-reads.

  13. yup, well what i really want to know is what you think of some people banning these books. a few other students at school are doing a project to see which book in our library would get banned for one of the three Ss (Sex, Swearing, and Satan) and a few other things and alot of books fit this. i am not a very religous person, though i was raised Jewish, so i don;t understand why some would ban these books (unless they were causing kids to do stupid or dangerous things and there was evedence that the books were the cause)

  14. i am almost 15 and i have read all the books and recently saw the movie.I thought it was great as well as the books. i dont see any problems with the series. i do think it sends children good messages, such as love is everlasting,there is someone for everyone,and that if it is ment to be it can wait til marrage.I am not a religious person,but i dont see how that affects my views on it. i do think that it is good for girls to know that even if edward cullen isnt real there are men out there like that that ARE real. in my opinion books are portals to places we cant go in reality.parents stop telling your kids they cant read these books,they arnt what you think they are.give them a chance

    if you have questions please dont hesitate to e-mail me at panic_me93@yahoo.com

  15. My friend pointed me to this article and I have to say, it’s a good explication of what Christians should think about concerning these books. I’m not one for banning books, but more for parent/child responsibility in terms of reading the book before your child does if you’re concerned and discussing it with them.

    I do think, however, that there is a lot of better literature out there that one could read besides the Twilight series. I have read all of them, including the horrid anticlimax that was Breaking Dawn, and have to say this, as one who loves children’s lit: hand your child something else, something more well written. I object to the books on the basis of the poor writing. It involves for the moment, but once the book’s done, the reader realizes how incredibly paper thin the plot is, how overbearing the themes are and how ridiculous the dialogue is. Seeing the movie only highlights this aspect.

    Hand your kid Harry Potter, the Hobbit, the Giver, or Narnia before handing them Twilight. It will encourage them to read better literature and get them involved in actually complex thought and dialogue; whereas all Twilight will encourage them to do is scream over Edward.

  16. though i do feel you have a good point there most the people who read twilight are older teens, meaning they could careless about how well writen it is. as a person who enjoys writing for fun i also noticed the poor writing but was more conserned with the plot of the story. it is far fetched and unrealitic but again we are talking about vampire fiction here, it really doesn’t have to be real life

  17. As a middle school Literature teacher and the mother of nine grown children, I’d like to make a couple comments. If the trouble with the Twilight Series was only with older teens, I wouldn’t have much concern. As teens get older, their “filters” get better. However, young teens are sucked into the Twilight phenomenon and that’s scary. What is Christian about young men watching you everywhere and even in your bedroom? Is that a message you want for your 14 year old? It takes several books before the couple have sex. It eventually secumbs to the forbidden love. Is that a message you want for your 14 year old. Parents, wake up!

  18. i get your point, it can be a negative influence on young kids who can not tell the difference between reailty and life but i know is makes a small point but you would note that bella and edward wait until AFTER they are married to have sex

  19. I am also a thirteen year old girl who has devoured the Twilight saga with relish.

    I know that some of you parents are a bit reluctant to let your children read this book, being that it is a tale woven with love that may not be exactly realistic. But I would think you would encourage your children to read it! [Teenagers, anyway.]

    After all, Bella and Edward hold out on having sex for ages. This encourages teenagers like me to also practice abstinence. There is evidence that popular things in mainstream culture today do affect teens very heavily.
    Look at the Jonas Brothers. They all had promise rings, and now every teenage girl who is obsessed with them also got one. This has to count for something. [Though I’m not one of the obsessed-about-Jonas-Brothers girls.]

    Also, as the article said above, Twilight puts emphasis on trying to do the right thing. This is a great example for us teenagers to see. Our favorite literary character, Edward Cullen, trying desperately to do good, when what he is tempts him to do wrong? You honestly think that can’t have a good impression on us?

    Now look at the most obvious fact: We’re READING. This is not such a big deal for me, considering I’ve always been a bookie, but I have friends who never used to read a day in their life who spend HOURS reading Twilight. Looking at the levels of illiteracy around the world, I’d say that’s a good thing.

    Lastly, we teenage girls can relate to Bella Swan. After all, she faces the same things we do in everyday life [mostly]: peer pressure, teenage love, friends, high school, etc. The only thing different is that we don’t live in fear of being killed by vampires all the time. But whatever.

    I’m actually writing a cause and effect essay on Twilight [how it influences teenage girls’ lives.] Thanks for putting this review up, it really helped me. Hope my point of view helped you, too =)

  20. Oh, where do I begin?

    As a 15-year-old, reading those books was a… strange experience for me.

    I didn’t think they were too bad or morally lacking until I heard my old high-school chaplain (a thirty-something woman, I think. Never dared to ask :) ) praise them. And then something inside me clicked, because it struck me as wrong that a Godly woman would find this series good.

    The series is
    So from this new perspective, one thing I have to say- I don’t recommend these books to anyone who isn’t married or can’t stop themselves from imagining themselves in the position of the main character. Some of those scenes are so ‘psychologically erotic’… (not my own wording, but it describes it perfectly). Physically, too.

    As the eldest of three sisters, and as such with a very protective streak, I can’t say I recommend them to anyone my age or under. Actually, I definitely wouldn’t recommend them to any girl under seventeen, I think. In cases like this, I think it’s probably wise to at least be on the same mental level with the main character.

    Another problem with Twilight that I had is that it drives girls to think of love before they are emotionally and mentally ready for the idea. It pretty much skews their ideas of love up. I know it’s done that to me. Because what this series has done is stick Edward Cullen in one category (i.e. ‘pure perfection’) and ‘everyone else’ lumped together in another as a portrayal of pure ‘ocker’ness. I am now not sure to what percentage *gentlemanliness* exists in a normal, TANNED boy. So its not really fair to guys, or girls, because of skewed expectations.

    Me, after reading that series, I was thinking, ‘will I ever meet someone even a little bit like that?’ (and no, I wasn’t thinking ‘as perfect as that’, because, let’s face it, he PERVES on this girl. Shouldn’t his conscience have told him he was wrong? In it’s defence, ) and thinking, ‘oh, it’s

    I didn’t notice the poor writing, but I do think that some of the dialogue is very difficult not to smirk at if you aren’t already immersed in the story. (Also, some of the ideas conveyed in the Twilight series (and Midnight Sun, which explains Edward’s side of the story, avaliable at http://www.stepheniemeyer.com) are not good ones (i.e. Bella wants to have sex before marriage, and she’ll give up her soul for a love interest, when the Bible even states that the soul is the most important thing.) but is written very romantically and carefully, and you can condone Edward’s actions until you step outside the story, and take a look at it. And if what you think inside and outside the story are different, well, then… stay away.)And, come on, there MUST be another word for ‘golden’! That drove me fairly close to insane.

    Otherwise, I enjoyed the Twilight series, but I don’t feel that I should have, so I’m going to pray about that one. Excuse my diatribe. I know, probably no-one’s going to read it, anyway :).

  21. Argh. that was a little weirdly ‘mixed’. Sorry. All I had was cut and paste. It should make sense though.

    And I only came back to add a PS onto it, so, here goes:

    PS. I know this was long, and I’m sorry, but I do need to point out one thing that’s often said and drives me nuts, not because of a fanatical devotion to Edward Cullen, but because I myself like to write, and when something like this is not thought through before being argued, it’s so annoying. (This is also kinda @ The Dane)

    This thing is: That Edward is creepy because he is a 107-year-old man who falls for a girl about 90 years younger than him, and that their love will also not last because they are so young. But in the twilight universe (and take note, I’m not stating this is true in the real world), vampires just don’t change, and when they do, it’s xxxxxtremely rare, and something that can’t be reversed. So his mental state is, and always will be, that of a 17-yaer-old. Perhaps a wiser 17-year-old than most, but still a 17-year-old. And who is a 17-year-old guy attracted to? A 17-year-old girl, of course.
    And the love thing. It is stated that Edward’s *feelings for Bella* ( I see that phrase a lot) will never change. So that’s his side assured. Now, according to Stephenie Meyer, the vampires bring in characteristics from their old lives into their new existences (such as loving Edward), and again, they don’t change. So neither of them will fall out of love.

    which has nothing to do with most of the topic.

  22. My 12 year old daughter is completely taken with the Twilight series. This okay for me most of the time. It does seem however that at times it is next to impossible to reach her. She reads and re-reads the books. She listens to the CD. She listen tot he audio book as well. She seems to lose herself in the fantasy of the story and have a challenge coming into her ‘real’ life where there are no vampires and eternal love. I would love to hear from other teenagers on what is actually going on for her and how I can reach her and assist her to live her life as well as staying connected to the fantasy of this love story.

  23. Phl 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.

  24. The one thing that concerns me, both in the article and in the ensuing comments, is the lack of concern over some of the finer points of the book…and actually some of the themes as well. stephAnie was the only commenter, as far as I could see, who pointed out that Bella is willing to give up her soul for a love interest. And to everyone who pointed out “They waited till marriage” should also remember that Edward refuses to have sex with Bella until they are married, which eventually makes her agree. So…if someone wants to have sex, they should just get married and do it, right? No. This is a very bad idea to put forth about entering marriage.

    My other beef is a scene where Jacob forces a kiss on Bella and she punches him after it. That doesn’t concern me as much as the explanation given to her father…in which Jacob freely admits he kissed Bella and she didn’t like it, so she punched him. Charlie’s response? “Good for you.” To Jacob. Not to Bella, who defended herself against an unwanted sexual action (and it should be noted that she hit Jacob hard enough that she was sure she’d broken her hand). How is that a positive example of a father in any way?

    And I have to disagree with the author of the article. The Twilight books are not well-written. There are many, many rookie mistakes that should have been caught, if not by Meyers herself, than by her editor in regards to style, character developement and various other areas. (Here’s a hint; when the author can’t tell you what the theme of her book is, even though she apparently has a B.A. in Literature you probably shouldn’t be reading her book because that means its only a first draft at best. Any writer will tell you that stories and books have themes – even if the themes develope on their own. And guess what? One of the first things a college student – Lit. major or not – has to learn is how to identify themes.)

    I could go on for a long while about why I feel the books are harmful and why their popularity makes me worry for the next generation of girls, but I don’t think I have enough room. Twilight is cheesecake – light, overly romanticized and not much to really stimulate the imagination or one’s intelligence. However, the more I read the books and study them, the more I find that the cheesecake is poisoned.

  25. Milly, you may notice that this post is just about the first book in the series. I get to the soul issue in my post on New Moon, because that’s when it really becomes a major theme in the series.

    As far as your concerns about the series, I certainly share them. However, I find that a more productive approach to most elements of pop culture is to find what value is there, rather than just condemning the flaws. Particularly given the rabid response of teen girls (many of whom seem to have commented above, probably without actually reading the post) to the series, I think they’re much more likely to listen to adults’ concerns about the book if we also acknowledge whatever positive things we can find in it.

    Is Twilight well-written at the sentence level? Absolutely not. But does it do well at evoking a mood and a world? I think so. This is not to say that I ever plan to read it again.

  26. OK. I’m a 17 year old girl and I have read the series about 5 times. Some of my friends are completely obsessed with the series and all they talk about is “Twilight” this or “Twilight” that. I don’t think that “Twilight” is a bad influence. It stresses the point of how you should not have sex. And Edward will not have sex with Bella until they are married (as it should be.) Parents say teens should not read “Twilight” because it has vampires and werewolves in it. Yet in this series The main vampires only drink animal blood and Carlisle is actually a doctor helping save lives. The werewolves in the story don’t kill people or turn people into werewolves. They are actually just shape shifters. They are only there to help protect their families and friends from and stray vampires. They are only protecting their village. So, how is that so bad. The usual bad guys in regular books are the good guys in this series.

  27. Do you guys know the author of these books said that the book came to her in visions and dreams? It’s a channeled book. Not to mention that vampires are rooted in occult lore and this book like the Harry Potter series is trying to seduce children into the occult.

    Christians, wake up! Read Deuteronomy 18. Read what the Word of God says about drinking blood (yes, it’s in the Bible-Leviticus 3:17, Gen 9:4). These things are abominations to our God.

    And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Ephesians 5:11

    What are the good fruits of this series?? It’s all morally relative, occult nonsense wrapped up in teen romance.

    If you don’t take the Bible seriously and literally, I can understand but I would urge PARENTS (since parents should be discipling their kids and not vice versa) to look to the Bible on these topics. Children across America are being conditioned to welcome moral ambiguity, the New Age movement and the occult. And if you’re unsure, pray! Seek God’s wisdom, don’t rely on your own. God bless.

  28. Ryan, you made all that up. Or someone you trust did. Or someone you trust believed someone who did. In any case, your premise is a fiction. I’m guessing on top of your odd suppositions that you’ve read neither Twilight,/i> not Harry Potter?

    First off: A channeled book?
    There is a big difference between channeling as a medium for some power beyond yourself and getting a book idea from a dream. Meyer describes the Dream Connection as so:

    I woke up (on that June 2nd) from a very vivid dream. In my dream, two people were having an intense conversation in a meadow in the woods. One of these people was just your average girl. The other person was fantastically beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire. They were discussing the difficulties inherent in the facts that A) they were falling in love with each other while B) the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her blood, and was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing her immediately.

    From there, she wrote the book. The contents of her dream were expressed in a few pages of her first book, a book she had already been at work on.

    Plus, we’d probably expect that if the book were channeled, it would be better written than it was. I mean what kind of piss-poor fallen angel writes as poorly as Stephenie Meyer?

    Next off: Vampires rooted in the occult?
    Skipping over the groundless assertion that vampire mythology is rooted in the occult, it might be helpful to note that this isn’t all that important. More worthwhile to note is that Twilight is rooted in fiction. That is to say: it is pretend. People intrinsically know the difference between fantasy and reality. That’s why real-life dramas will always wield a more dangerous power over readers than cheap fantasy fiction. Because nobody confuses the fantastic elements of stories like Twilight with any kind of reality. The girls who thrill over the story of Edward and Bella aren’t wooed by corny mythology; they’re attracted to the stuff that mirrors the real-world (i.e., the relationship stuff).

    Plus, if you wanted get right down to it. At root, people are as bad as vampires. They are rooted in evil, their very natures are corrupt. Using your direction of thought, we must also presume that you oppose any stories that feature people. Since people are pagan from the start.

    Last off: Harry Potter’s evil influence
    Wait. People still think that about Harry Potter? That stuff has been so often and so thoroughly debunked that I thought all the Harry Potter is prepping children for the occult lies had all been put to bed long ago. If you’re still imagining that Rowling’s book leads kids into a life of pagan ritual, you’re not going to get much traction here. Rowling herself is a confessing Christian and the books are so far from occult-gateways, that Rich Clark, one of CAPC’s founders treats them even as Christian fiction.

    The Danes last blog post..20090417.teaParty

  29. here is a much better review of the movie than the one posted above.
    michigal.blogspot.com/2009/03/twilight-is-it-okay-for-christians.html
    there is so much subtle influence around us, the ones who wont go see a knarly vampire movie will maybe go see this one. since it is so “clean”. thats the thing, the enemy will take something that seems so harmless, and pull in our youth, and us, slowly but surely. to deeper and deeper things. thats all

  30. yes we are all fallen, we are all drawn towards sin. and we can be obsessed with anything. be it fiction, reality, or fantasy. if you dont think pornography is addictive i would say you are very wrong. and since people have sex, then really there is nothing wrong with pornography right? i just cant see how you can reason that everything is okay. is it glorifying to God? i see movies about people, and the best most edifiying ones are the ones that lead people to redemption and giving their lives to Christ, not some dreamy vampire.
    respectfully. thanks

  31. Have ye not read? “Prove all things; Hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil” (I Thessalonians 5:21-22)

    3 thoughts to consider “At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established” (II Corinthians 13:1):

    #1 Consider this:
    God commands us not to eat blood (of any type). To eat human blood is (understandably) even more abhorrent than eating animal blood. But the book gives the idea, that if the character does the lesser wicked thing, he is “good.” THIS is false teaching. God has always told people not to eat blood of man or beast: Genesis 1:29; 9:4; Leviticus 17:10; Acts 15:20, etc.
    It is false teaching to say that something evil is good because it is not as bad as something else. Take an example: Homosexuality is a perversion of God’s design for the sexual relationship. It is an abomination (Leviticus 18:22). Fornication (including Pre-marital sex) is also a wicked sin. It is not as perverted as sodomy, but that doesn’t make it “good” or permissible. To say “At least it isn’t sodomy,” and allow it is WRONG. But this is the attitude of many people, including many Christians. We have become situational in our ethics. We have left the solid Rock of Truth for shifting sands of worldly philosophy. But wrong is wrong. If one person steals a million dollars, and another steals 50 dollars, which one of them is good? They’re both thieves. Neither is good. I will admit to stating what should be manifest to a seven year old: “Sin is sin.”

    #2 One thing that caught my thought:
    “The skin of the vampires sparkle like jewels” in direct sunlight in “Twilight.” Is this trying to make evil beings like this more attractive? Where could they have gotten this idea. Hmm…
    Ever read how God describes Lucifer (Satan) before he fell in Ezekiel 28:13? “…every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold…”
    Interesting? Is it on purpose? I do not say that it is, but I wonder. Obsession with devils is not a godly pastime. Satan can still appear as “an angel of light” (II Corinthians 11:14).

    #3
    Finally, I would ask, What are your days but as an handbreadth? That is not much time. Another word for that is a “span.” Ever hear of a lifespan? We don’t have that long to be here! If you know Jesus as your Saviour, “What on earth are you doing for Heaven’s sake?” Are you studying and meditating on Scripture as God has commanded and promised to bless? (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1) Are you actively witnessing, handing out tracts, sharing the gospel as our Saviour commissioned us to do? (Mark 16:15) What are you doing with the days you have left?
    Should we not heed Paul’s exhortation to be “redeeming the time, because the days are evil?” Does it not say, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”? “…And he that winneth souls is wise”? I sure don’t want to have to stand before my Lord, and tell Him that I wasted the breathe and time He gave me to spend hours and hours reading questionable literature, and neglected the real reason I was left on earth: To glorify my Creator and Saviour, by letting my light so shine, preaching the word, loving and spending time in the Bible, winning souls, being ready to give an answer about what I believe, standing against evil, encouraging my brethren in the Lord, and seeing God do MARVELOUS things!

    May we wake up, sin not, and get to work, for some have not the knowledge of God, and it is to our shame. (Read I Corinthians 15:34)

    Why don’t we delight in the Book of books?
    It is the key to all wisdom, its precepts are true.
    Why should we not build a love for it in children?
    My parents started reading the Scriptures to me from
    the time I was still in the womb. All through my
    childhood and teen years, it was my joy and stay. Now
    it is a treasure and map for my life, and a sword with
    which I can do battle, and contend for souls! God
    promises to bless those who meditate on it day and
    night. Why do we neglect such a gift? In just the
    past 4 years I have read the Bible through 8 times,
    not counting my normal quiet time. Each time, I learn
    something new. Look up Psalm 119:97-104 to see great
    things that come from spending time with God in His word.
    *Wiser than your enemies
    *Understand more than your teachers
    *Understand more than the ancients
    *Refrain your feet from the evil way
    *Not departing from God’s way

    I memorized Psalm 119 back in 2007. It has been such
    an overwhelming blessing to me. One of my favorite
    Psalms. (I only have 150 favorite psalms! :) As a
    young man now in his late twenties, I give God the
    glory for saving and keeping a wretch like me, and I
    earnestly plead with you, Brethren, by the mercies of
    God, that you use your time for the Kingdom of God.

    I have seen people obsessed about Twilight, and fanatic
    about Sports, and driven by ambition to succeed in business,
    etc. This is usually seen as a fine, O.K. thing to get into.

    As David asked, “IS THERE NOT A CAUSE?” I wish to be
    a man of valor for Christ, driven by Gods will, directed
    by God’s word, digging into God’s work! That is a cause
    that I will cast myself into with all my heart! For the
    rewards are eternal. Read Psalm 119:139 to find my heart’s
    throb. So many people have forgotten the words of God.
    They need to hear. Who will tell if you don’t?

    Just a note. May the Lord work in the hearts of all who read
    this my elongated 2 cents worth (I hope it makes sense!).

    “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
    that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of
    whom I am chief” (I Timothy 1:15).

    Kevan Myers
    Psalm 119:104

    There is still time to win a battle before the sun goes down.

  32. @Kevan – Let’s take a quick look at your three points. Well, after we briefly treat your two opening prooftexts (and thanks for suggesting that none of us had actually read or considered the passages you quote—that was pretty classy of you).

    Re 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22. This could bear on the above article if reading the book, Twilight, could be considered an embracing of the appearance of evil. Even if one were to grant your premise from point #1 (which I don’t, see below), that a vampire who eats animal blood rather than human blood is still evil, you have nowhere evidenced that reading a book that contains an evil character is akin to taking on the appearance of evil. Reading a book in which sin occurs is not the same thing as approving sin. Otherwise, we would be approving sin every time we read Scripture.

    Re 2 Corinthians 13:1. It’s not really all that clear what you intend this passage to mean in the scope of your complaint.

    #1 – Alright, beside the fact that Twilight occurs in a fantasy world in which there are non-human entities known as vampires and werewolves (which alone should satisfy us that we are not talking about creatures who were never meant to fall under the stipulations of the Mosaic covenant), the scriptural command to abstain from blood is pretty clearly meant to govern the Israelites from the giving of the Law to sometime between the Exile and the Resurrection (as it falls with the scope of the Mosaic covenant). The reference in Acts seems to be wholly a courtesy to the Jews, a method of not antagonizing potential converts by flaunting their cultural presuppositions.

    With this in mind the rest of your point #1 falls apart because it doesn’t bear any relevant force on the issue at hand.

    #2 – Even if one was to grant you the angel of light connection between Edward Cullen and his skin that’s hard and sparkly (which is dubious and unneedful), the difference between Edward and Lucifer becomes pretty plain when one considers that Edward hides his sparkly nature and masquerades as a sullen boy so that people won’t like him whereas the devil masquerades as one who is all light and goodness and wants to be seen, loved, and worshiped. The contrast is strong enough that it becomes impossible to see Edward as any sort of Satan-figure.

    #3 – Why does one have to neglect one’s earthly purpose in order to read Twilight. I read the book in about a day and a half. Not a huge investment of my time. If one follows your prescription, it would seem that we should cut out all leisure time in order to focus on heavenly tasks. I suppose that would make sense but for the fact that Scripture itself promotes leisure time and the enjoyment of activities not directly apropos to the salvation of the world. Scripturally, it seems, God’s people can both serve God with their whole hearts and minds and enjoy the produce of the world around them in a godly way.

    Seth T. Hahnes last blog post..20090417.teaParty

  33. You have Robert Pattinson in an interview with Rolling Stones saying that girls as young as 8 are sexually driven toward him and asking him to bite them. Not just one, everywhere he goes and many are saying much worse things in fan chat rooms and websites, etc…

    You hand a sexually charged, romance novel into the hands of young girls who are around young boys with already enough in our society that tells them not to resist engaging in sexual behavior way before they should even know what it is. What do you expect will be the outcome?

    There is study after study that show that girls and boys are having sex younger and younger along with drinking and smoking and drugs. The national average was 12 years old for girls in 2007 to have sex with someone at least 3 years older than them.

    On top of all that people in our society still wonder why we have Sex Offenders in all forms, and yet girls are seeing and reading and then want to experience out of curiousity sexual things without knowing the ramifications and lacking the maturity to handle it, not to mention it being morally wrong to have sex before your married and that you should have sex with one person your entire life, your spouse.

    Our society can’t have it both ways. You can’t tatto Sex Offender on everyone who so much as touches a girl under age, but then allow your little girls to ask guys to bite them and read sexual novels and walk around in barely nothing and act as though everything should be ok with that.

    As a Christian it’s a huge red flag just that vampires have always been linked to evil. most vampire movies, if not all, are R rated. Yet here we are conditioning our children and teens that it’s all romantic and a great love story, when really it’s leading them to think it’s ok when they get older to get a little closer to the evil, and they let their guard down.

    I’ve read some girls on these comments that claim to be 13, 15, 17 and of course they have a limited perspective due to age alone not to mention experience. Where are the adults who know all to well where sin leads and how the smallest things that seem so innocent can lead you down a road you may never come back from?

    Bottom line is…Is it Worth it? What if this book that seems to you so innocent causes your daughter to stumble in sexual way or even in her perspective of the perfect guy. Or causes your daughter to not only stumble but cause a guy to stumble because she becomes more agressive and leads a guy on.

    I wish I had some mighty words of wisdom, but it just feels like something is wrong and this seems to be a fact, that this book and movie are pulling young girls in the wrong direction and in many cases teaching them and tidilating them in ways they shouldn’t be for years to come.

    One more thing, a commenter commented that a vampire who has lived 107 years or whatever and is stuck physically at the age of 17 is really just still a 17 year old that is more mature. This is the huge deception of our society. An age means nothing and experience everything. If you’ve lived 107 years, it doesn’t matter what your body looks like, you are 107, you have lived through each of those days and experiences that life brings, so in essence it is a 107 year old guy attracted to a 17 year old girl. Which brings the point that most people don’t want to say or believe, especially girls don’t get it. Guys like young girls, if 107 year old man could get with a 17 year old, he would. Culture, laws, society influences, fears of rejection are the only thing that keep most guys from crossing this line, along with morals and maturity and refrained self-control. Guys and girls are attracted differently. Guy are all nearly all by sight and girls need to either cover up or expect guys to look and be tempted and in many cases stumble, regardless if it’s a grown man in his 50’s or a 20 year old or a teen boy. We are sexually motivated by the sight of girls body, the more you show, the more you are walking temptation for guys of any and all ages.

    We’ve lost our way… we’ve come into our minds and found ways around issues that make them seem ok and right. Then we get up and arms when someone crosses the line. I don’t know a father a live that would let his 13 year old or 16 year old or whatever walk around in front of her boyfriend or any man in her underwear (braw and panties), especially not out in the neighborhood or in stores, and yet I’ve seen time and again girls walking around in much less and sitting in positions that they seem totally unaware to the parents shame of their actions, and yet they are just tempting the young boys their age and even older men in a lot of cases. It’s sad that in our minds we would be totally against and even furious if our daughters walked around in their underwear outside, but we give it a name and call it a swim suit and poof, just like magic, it’s suddenly socially acceptable, nothing in the world wrong with it, even perfectly fine. And then we send them off for everyone to look and even to the pools where boys and men can freely touch them playfully without any alarm going off.

    The devil is a roaring lion and he is subtle and secret and he will have you bolted down before you even know what happen. Kids are clueless, they need the adults to fight for them, to protect them, to watch and guard for them until they are old enough to understand.

  34. Dear JaSon: Less rambling, more point.

    It seems like (and I say seems like only because it’s pretty hard to follow your line of thought as it meanders through the seemingly random forest of thoughts you’ve laid out) your point is that that Twilight is bad because a) vampires have always been associated with evil and b) girls are sexual beings and story that recognizes that will push girls into the world of fornication and sexual experimentation. Is that a fair characterization?

    If so, my answers are: to a) Not always; and to b) that’s ridiculous.

    Clarifying my response to b), I will readily agree that girls, like boys, are sexual beings. Even before they hit puberty. They are sexual being because humans are sexual beings. Does that mean that after reading a book about a guy and a girl who abstain from sex despite being madly in love with each other, these kids will then be prompted to go test out their natural equipment? I really don’t see the connection. I think you have to build a lot more into the equations to get there. Simply producing anecdotal evidence that eight-year-old girls want to be bitten by their celebrity crush of the week doesn’t really demonstrate anything testable.

    p.s. “The national average was 12 years old for girls in 2007 to have sex with someone at least 3 years older than them.” I absolutely do not believe this is the case. Evidence please.

    The Danes last blog post..20090417.teaParty

  35. In reference to Seth’s comments, my statements stand on the word of God. I do not have a lot of time to devote to this, but will reply somewhat, urging others to just consider what God says.

    When I said, “Have ye not read?” I was not being rude, but was merely quoting the words of my Lord Jesus Christ, which He used when people asked Him questions. Many of these people were men who knew the Scriptures. Here are 7 times recorded in the Bible where Jesus said this (The words HAVE YE NOT READ are in capitals for emphasis).

    1. “But he said unto them, HAVE YE NOT READ what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him” (Matthew 12:3).

    2. “And Jesus answering them said, HAVE YE NOT READ so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him” (Luke 6:3).

    3. “Or HAVE YE NOT READ in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?” (Matthew 12:5)

    4. “And he answered and said unto them, HAVE YE NOT READ, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female” (Matthew 19:4).

    5. “But as touching the resurrection of the dead, HAVE YE NOT READ that which was spoken unto you by God, saying” (Matthew 22:31).

    6. “And HAVE YE NOT READ this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner” (Mark 12:10).

    7. “And as touching the dead, that they rise: HAVE YE NOT READ in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I [am] the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?” (Mark 12:26).

    He was bring to their mind what GOD had said to make clear a truth. If following His example makes me “classy,” then I take that as a compliment. Thank you.

    I shared three witnesses why I was cautioned about Twilight. The verse, I Corinthians 13:1 tells how two or three witnesses can establish a truth. That is why I didn’t state more than 3 reasons.
    I thought it would be clear why I put that there.

    I was not aware that I was complaining. I was also not attacking any one. I simply encouraged that we consider the Scriptures as a valuable treasure where we should invest our time, so that we may be ready to preach the gospel, resist the devil’s temptation and discouragement, and edify the brethren. And I have peace that I answered according to the Scriptures. Therefore I am not offended by remarks (Psalm 119:165). Rather I give this answer and continue to serve Jesus.

    There’s a big difference between Twilight’s and the Holy Bible’s worldview, authorship, and dealing with sin. That was not a wise choice of comparison.

    You completely ignored the fact that eating blood has always been a forbidden practice for all people, for all time. That went for Adam and Eve before the Fall, and extended to those after. Noah was the father of all people living today. When he came out of the Ark, God told him and his descendants not to eat blood (Genesis 9:4). Noah was not a Hebrew. So this was God’s standard for mankind. Blood is a precious thing. The life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). Jesus shed His precious blood for me (Ephesians 1:7). I am grateful for His cleansing blood. Now some people do eat blood today (such as Satanists, the lost who know not God’s word, and even Christians maybe, but that doesn’t mean that it is approved by God (Ephesians 5:10).

    As to the rest of your note, I will just stand on the Bible. Anyone else who reads my note is encouraged to “search the scriptures” to see if these things are so. God’s word will shew itself to be true.
    I must be about my Father’s business. He will plead my cause.

    Keep your heart in the word of God.
    Keep your feet on the course.
    Keep your eyes on Jesus.

    Kevan Myers
    Psalm 119:139

    There is still time to win a battle before the sun goes down.

  36. Quick List of Cons!

    1. Pycological Abuse (yes Edward is pycologicaly abusing Bella. Is that okay for any one if she’s fine with it?)
    2. There is a sex scene in Breaking Dawn (pillow bitting in fact!)
    3. sexist (all of the female protagonists (Bella, Alice, Rosalie, ect. ect.) plays a weak damsil in destress and weak willed.)
    4. It just doesn’t have a plot.
    5. There not even in love its lust.

    http://twilightsucks.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=twilight&action=display&thread=638

  37. @M – How is any of that relevant? Nobody’s claimed the books were Tolstoy (who also uses characters with flaws). Let’s look at your cons.

    1) Yeah, Edward is a passive aggressive weirdo. But then you’d kind of expect that in a century-old guy trapped in a 17-year-old’s body. And of course Bella is selfish and manipulative. So neither are particularly winning specimens of the human condition.

    But so what? Since when do we require (or even want) our literary figures to be paragons of virtue and self control?

    2) I haven’t read it, but from what the internet tells me, it’s less a sex scene and more just a fade to black.

    3) I wouldn’t say Twilight‘s sexist so much as it portrays all of its characters as morons. Male or female, Meyer portrays them as equal parts ignorance and incompetence. Fortunately, I don’t need my fictional characters to be paragons of sanity and resourcefulness. I’m curious why you would.

    4) Are you kidding?? The only thing Twilight has going for it is plot. Good writing? No. Indelible characters? No. Depth of purpose? No. Plot? Absolutely.

    But let’s say that it didn’t? Is plot such a great thing?

    5) Oh, I don’t know. It seems to be a little of both. Like most relationships, theirs seems to start with sexual attraction and grow into something more staid. Why do you have a problem with that? After all, it’s biblical!

    The Danes last blog post..20090417.teaParty

  38. Thanks to Kevan for his thoughtful and scripture-based comments regarding concerns about the Twilight series. I have never commented on one of these before, but had to this time. It seems that some on this blog are more concerned about proving their exceptional powers of discourse, rather than getting to the core issue–which is one of holiness. Quite simply, there are many biblical principles that should raise reg flags when considering the appropriateness of these books for anyone, but especially for young teens. I have seen the effects of these books on 5th-8th graders, and it is indeed concerning. Their minds are pulled to areas that are far beyond their years and ability to handle them (yes, kids know a lot these days, but not as much as they think they do). Thanks also to StephAnie, who gives me hope that there are discerning young Christian women who will become Godly mothers in the future! And that’s my two cents worth–for what it’s worth.

  39. @Kevan – Paul evidently doesn’t have any particular problem with eating meat prepared in the way of pagans (i.e., not kosher and drained of blood) save to prevent those weak in faith from falling back into their old practices of idol worship. Even if we were to ignore both 1) the fact that the books as written are fantasy and aren’t intended to bear religious correlation to reality, and 2) these vampires are not human and so don’t fall under that terms of these dietary laws anymore than bears or monkeys do—even if we were to ignore that (which I don’t think we reasonably can), you still have to deal with the fact that Paul doesn’t seem overly concerned with the presence of blood in his meat.

    @LA Teacher – Can you explain how holiness is at stake?

    p.s. Don’t be too enamoured with Kevan’s response. He quoted a lot of Scripture, sure—which could have been good and helpful—but most of it didn’t have anything to do with anything and wasn’t germane to the question.

    The Danes last blog post..20090417.teaParty

  40. heyya guys, and mums out there… I am 14 now… and when i started reading these aewsome books I too was just at the ripe ol’ age of 13… i have never been into ooks that much until my counsin gave me twilight to read and try… i read it all in about 4 hours then cause i LOVED it sooooooooooooooooo much, my cousin gave me the next 3 books… So anyway…. I read new moon, eclipse and breaking dawn in about 24 hours… no i didnt sleep.. woops :-/… lol ha ha ha… funny.. anyway what i want to say is my mum had seen me read and read and read these books for hours on end and so i told her to read them… she did and the next week when she said she fiished she told me that they were the BEST books she has ever read… she explained that that way stephanie explains the way bella felt in the second book, when edward left her- that is what it feels like to brake up with someone you really love… She also explained that when boys are involved in ur life it starts to get complicated… i ahve learnt alot from these books- I know I know right- these are just books, well these books have changed the way i look at life and many other girls my age so let your kids read them they are sooooooo good

  41. @Dane – It’s all about holiness. “…let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” 2 Cor. 7:1. (You could also reread “disco’s” entry regarding Phil. 4:8.)

    I realize this is not the popular stance in Christian pop culture today. Right now, we’re being told that “anything goes” in our lifestyle choices as long as we are a believer. I don’t buy it. I have to agree with Stephanie that, although I read the books, I am pretty sure they were not the best use of my time. Nor can I say that the books reached the standard of “whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think on these things.”

  42. @LA Teacher – Oh, I see. But you’re presuming that Twilight “contaminates body and spirit,” which just has not at all been proven. Look, I don’t think much of the book. Outside of an engaging plot, there’s really nothing to it. The writing is poorly wrought and the characters cliched. That said, the worst we can say (without stronger evidence than that which has been here laid out) is that the book is inconsequential and therefore a waste of time. A point that you go on to make above.

    However, just because there are things more valuable than a given activity doesn’t mean that doing the activity is necessarily bad. Or wrong. If I spend twenty minutes eating lunch instead of fifteen or ten, that’s five or ten minutes I could be using to minister to people online. If I spend a half hour ministering to people online, that’s a half hour I could have spent ministering to people face-to-face. Every time I pick up a novel, I could be using that time to read Scripture. And every time I cross town to go to the church that matches me doctrinally, I could be going to the church next door with faulty doctrine and trying to reform it within.

    The thing is, we could evaluate these things to death and never be comfortable that we were doing Right. Better that we should do the things we do and do them for the glory of God. Why not read Twilight to the glory of God? I did.

    As for Disco’s entry, he did nothing but quote Philippians 4:8. He didn’t interact with the text or explain how he believed it to be an appropriate commentary. I’ll repeat Alan’s response to him: read CAPC’s article on the passage at http://www.christandpopculture.com/film/philippians-48/

    If you agree with the article, fantastic. If not, then why not interact with the discussion and try to correct its errors.

    The Danes last blog post..20090417.teaParty

  43. I will say this. First of all, the article and basic synopisis of insight assumes the great majority of interests is waged on the teenage front. Not true. I am, or was, a happily married man of some 20 years…great family…happy…My wife, who is 48 years old…yes, I said… 48 years old…got into this Twi-krap and began reading and ingesting the books like a meth addict. I mean, all night…all night…and then off to work. I watched her go through this day after day after day for the last 5 months. Yes, I said 5 months. We have had practically zero…Z E R O… meaningful conversations and less of anything else worth mentioning since Twilight literally became her complete and total obsession. She literally changed before my eyes. Had no motivation for ANYTHING but the book, the movie, and web sites/twitter where she stalks, seeks, schmoozes, and comments about how “hot” Edward is. Did I say she is 48? We have a son older then Edward. Can anyone understand how goofy…at a loss…troubled this makes me feel? I have tried to talk to her about it…..no tangible acceptance of any responsiblity whatsoever. It’s just me “being silly.” I do understand the emotional/psychological connection to the series.. I do. But, I cannot for the life of me understand how anything is good enough…strong enough….entertaining enough… to take what I thought was a happily married mother and transform her into a wanna-be twilight groupie who desperately wants to be and act 25 all over again. I don’t get it. It is hurtful, and it is damaging.
    This is all she does. 24/7. She has gone on vacation this week… yes, she….without us or me. I get an obligatory call now and again, but her twitter group gets pics, updates, as she hounds for the latest in any breaking news/developments or pics involving this kid.
    It does trouble me. It bothers me. It hurts me. It is way past the point of obsession. She has watched this movie 300 times if she has once. She knows the script line by line. She is even down to chasing around artists who may have made some contribution to anything involving the soundtrack (aka Sam Bradley). The more I talk to her, the more she tells me I just overreact. All I know is I have NO idea who this person is anymore.. NONE. She has been G O N E for months.
    I cannot talk to her, and she has time for nothing but Twilight and Twilight related items and people. It’s like a twisted cult. I’ve never ever seen anything like it. And, now I read a review about the teens and whether moms should let them read the books? Please. Can anyone out there feel me? Does anyone have any advice??

  44. And do let me add… I have thrown a couple of angry tantrums over this (see above) to no avail. I have thrown the gauntlet and pitched a fit when it was clear nothing else was getting through.Did it work?
    Nope. I am really to the point of wondering just what will happen and where the dam is going to break,…cause you can’t be this obsessed all the time forever. I figure she’ll either hook up with a twilight idiot on a more personal level (and its headed strongly that direction) and I’ll wind up booting her and walking around the rest of my life in disbelief as to what happened. I just don’t understand. But, I won’t put up with it for a lot longer. It’s just sad and demoralizing.

  45. Paul,

    I am terribly sorry to hear about what’s going on with you and your family. I will pray earnestly today for you. I am not sure that this forum is the best place to discuss what’s going on, but please feel free to e-mail me if you’d like to talk to someone. My name is Dave and you can reach me at pastor_dave619@yahoo.com

  46. Praying for you and your family, Paul.

    Kevan Myers
    Psalm 119:147

    There is still time to win a battle before the sun goes down.

  47. I’m thirteen & i’ve finished de hole series.I’ve had no after effects of readin’ de book.So i guess its de same with all de other ppl of my age.Nothin’s gonna happen.All de mom’s out there who’r stoppin their kids, Oh c’mon dont u know v kids will once grow up &then all dis has 2 b dealt by u.So jus let us read it.I’ve gota ques ’bout twilight.Is de movie any good?I mean 4 kids ’bout my age.Anyone who watched it?????

    Luv all de twilight characters.

  48. Warning: There are a few spoilers contained in my comment.

    I’m a 17 year old female who has read all four Twilight books and I would never recommend them to other people. I loved the Twilight books in the beginning. I stayed in my room all day and did nothing but read those books. Then I went back and actually looked at what I’d read. I feel sick that I actually enjoyed those books so much.
    To me there is a clear undertone that suggests a potentially dangerous/abusive relationship is alright so long as one “love him or her enough”.

    I cringe whenever I think about the second book because of how it clearly highlights Bella’s obsessive, clingy nature. The girl jumps off a cliff so she can hear Edward’s voice in her head. She needs to be in a hospital, not running around with werewolves.

    I found that the books lacked good morals. Everything’s about obsession and unhealthy love.
    I do agree, however, that Edward’s show of self-control is admirable. But there also seems to be this slight undertone that makes light of the fact that Bella is practically throwing herself on Edward.
    Being a girl myself, it’s almost embarrassing to read this story about a weak girl who throws herself at a handsome boy who could very well kill her at any moment. He is her world and without him the sun doesn’t shine.
    Why would any self-respecting girl read this story? If the writing were on par with artists like Ernest Hemingway then I might understand, but Meyer’s books lack substance and plot. It’s about a bunch of vampires and werewolves getting chased by other vampires and the chasing only happens in the last few chapters of each book. The rest of it is Bella and Edward talking about how much they can’t live without each other. There’s no plot.

    One thing I did approve of in Breaking Dawn was the fact that Bella kept the baby. But even then there’s a sick kind of fanatic love that makes Bella look like an idiot for keeping the child.

    Overall, I think that if a parent wants to let their child read these books it should be to show them the damaging nature of obsession and unhealthy love. Twilight can be used as a learning tool, but I think parents should be careful about what they put in front of their child. There is literature out there that increases knowledge and extends vocabulary and actually has a message and moral worth reading. The Twilight series is not one of those books.

  49. hear! you pagans.

    since when is evil good and good evil?!

    since when is darkness light and light darkness and sweet bitter and bitter sweet?!

    Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

    Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

    Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

    Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

    isaiah 5

  50. Way to add nothing to the conversation Mitch! If I were a high school cheerleader, I’d write a special cheer just for you. But since I’m not, how ’bout a haiku in it’s place? Just imagine I’m waving pom-poms while reading this and it should all work out in the end.

    Blockquote>
    The old car sputters,
    Its tank drained even of fumes.
    Mitch’s rhetoric.

  51. You people are all taking this too seriously. Honestly, do you hear (read) yourselves? “The Dane,” you have some sanity. I applaud you for it.
    I must say, for the sake of fairness, that I am a twelve-year-old, but I have, quite honestly, much more of a brain in my head than most other seventh-graders. Over the past 4-5 years, I have built up a vocabulary (hoorah!) and a small group of good friends. I am not especially religious, and I don’t spend all my time attempting to foist my opinions and prejudices (yes, we all have them) on other people.
    I haven’t read any of the Twilight books, seen any of the movies, or blogged/chatted about it. I barely even thought about the series until about a week ago, when a couple of my classmates were talking about it at lunch. I decided to see what the hype was about. I read excerpts, reviews (mainly negative and profane, which caused me to rant eloquently to my BFF via e-mail), I even picked up the book and read a couple pages at Barnes & Noble the other day. I didn’t buy it, though.
    The same BFF I ranted to has a copy of the first book. I intend to borrow it, read it, and review it fairly, intelligently, eloquently, and without swearing or being “sick-minded,” as my classmates would say. I expect the book to be trite, insipid, unrealistically romantic, cliche, occasionally rather disturbing, laughable, and a perfect target for my overflowing fountain of snarkiness. And I expect to like it, laugh at it, and then laugh about it.
    The way I see it,
    Twilight is a ridiculously easy read and probably not the best candidate for any kind of award. It relies not on plot but on the feelngs and (to a lesser extent) morals of the characters, and manages to be utterly idiotic while simultaneously telling a romance story with elements of horror.
    As for all that religious stuff, I’ve already said I’m not very religious. My dad is an agnostic (not an atheist) and has a problem with the idea of me being “indoctrinated” into a religion. LA Teacher, I apologize for my bluntness, but quite honestly, I have to tell you to GET A LIFE. Paul, I’m sorry about your wife, but I really have no insight into that kind of thing. All I can do is say “Good luck” and express sentiments of incredulity. Whoever it was who said this had a good point about the vampires not being human and therefore not governed by the don’t-eat-blood thing. From what I have seen, Edward is a good model for self-control and a bad model for everything else, although he obviously cares about Bella. (I cite how, in New Moon, he left altogether so as not to endanger her.) Bella is a good model for non-abortionism, loyalty, wit, consideration, and not much else. She is insipid and mockable, with possible evidence for a split personality. Then again, this could simply be complexity of character–however unlikely it is in this farce of a series.
    However, I expect to find the books an enjoyable experience altogether without being able to take them seriously. (If you’ve ever seen the beginning of Potter Puppet Pals episode “Snape’s Diary,” you’ll know what I mean. It cracks me up! “Is it a young-adult vampire romance novel?” But that’s only part of the reason.)
    I suppose my point in this rambling, disjointed post is that you are taking this too seriously.
    Twilight is farce, light reading, useful for getting idiots started on literacy. Don’t act like it’s the cornerstone of evolution–oh, I apologize, you people all probably think evolution is a lie. I should have known better than to read a Christian review. I am a Baptized Christian, but I treat everything (except the existence of God) with skepticism. I apologize if anyone was offended, since it was probably a cross between my own abrasive snarkiness and their religious tendencies, so I am, most likely, mostly to blame. Au revoir!

  52. Oops, sorry. I should have skipped lines in the last post. And I still haven’t figured out how to use this italicizing mechanism. If it’s illegible, I’ll post it again.

  53. Another thing. How can you “eat” blood? It’s a liquid. I realize I’m splitting hairs here, but it’s something to think about.

  54. @Someone With an etc… Just to clarify, did you have a problem with the “Christian review” or the comments?

  55. Someone,
    If you believe that Evolutionism is backed up by science, then what your father has feared (you being “indoctrinated” into a religion) has happened. Evolution is NOT science, but is merely a worldview, based on faith.
    Evolution is not the topic of this blog, but as you mentioned it, I would highly recommend that you don’t just take someone’s word for something. Check it out thoroughly.

    Here are some links you may consider, showing many scientists who do not believe that evolution is to be taken as fact:

    http://www.dissentfromdarwin.org/

    http://www.answersingenesis.org/Home/Area/bios/default.asp

    And what does “Baptized Christian” mean if you only believe in God, but not in what He tells us in His word? James 2 says,”Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: The devils also believe and tremble.” But their mere belief in God doesn’t save them.
    Baptism is an outward showing of what Christ had already done in your heart. It is you identifying with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. You see, you and I have broken God’s laws, having lied, disobeyed, etc. We deserve to punished for our sins. The wages of sin is death and the judgment of Hell (that is not swearing, that is its name). That is what God tells us. But God loves you so much that God the Son, Jesus Christ came to take your punishment. He poured out His life blood on the Cross to pay for your sins, and then rose again the 3rd day. That is what the baptism symbolizes.
    If you haven’t believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son, to save you from the punishment of your sin, then your baptism is of none effect. It is an empty show because you haven’t repented and trusted in what Jesus did for you. It is like buying a Boy Scout uniform with badges and all and wearing it, but never entering the Scouts or earning those badges. It doesn’t make you a Boy Scout. When the Ethiopian eunuch heard the gospel and asked “…what doth hinder me from being baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:36-37). Because of his acceptance of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he was able to be baptized, Identifying with the Savior.
    All this to say, I am concerned for your soul, that perhaps you think you are a Christian, and yet are not. It is believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (John 6:47) and not baptism that saves. Consider what the Bible says,
    “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
    For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
    He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).

    I am grateful to be able to share the gospel, for I know it is true. I am a sinner saved by the grace of God through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7,2:8-9), and want everyone else to know how they can be saved too. Just in case you are thinking that I am just being religious, I tell you of a truth that I do not hold to a religion, but instead have a RELATIONSHIP, knowing the Creator God of the Bible as my personal Savior and Friend, trusting in what His holy word says, and pray that you too will come to know Him.

    You know, if you say you say you believe in God, but you are skeptical of what He says, how can you really believe Him if you don’t take Him at His word?

    Kevan
    Psalm 119:160

  56. I myself am a huge fan of Twilight…the books and the movies. But unfortunately some of us are taking it too far. I read an article about teens who went as far as treating Twilight like their sacred book, much like the Bible. I am also a Christian and I know God ain’t too happy hearing his children replacing his good book with a romantic novel saga about vampires. So, yea Twilight has different effects on others, sometimes good, and sometimes creepy.
    If you want to read the article here’s a link:
    http://www.radicalparenting.com/2009/05/14/the-new-bible-twilight-mini-article/
    Any other views?

  57. I’m a middle school teacher. I have not read the books, but I did see the first film. These books and films are highly erotically charged, setting up the “forbidden fruit” syndrome, which is much more powerful as an obsession than the actual act of sex. I’m not speaking of this from a Christian standpoint, but as a teacher of adolescents and a mother. All I can say is parents must be asleep!

  58. I just recently turned 18 and I read the first book just before it broke out as a phenomenon. I will admit that, at first, I was enthralled. Then, after reading the first three books (Breaking Dawn wasn’t out at this point) I reflected on what I had read. I realized that the entire series was vapid. Now I know that I will make a lot of enemies with such a stance but I implore you to hear me out.

    First there is Jacob Black. I understand his pain over not being with the one he loves but does he have to be such a baby about it? Jacob act as if he’s the only one ever in the entire existence of man to ever feel the sting of unrequited love. He claims that in his pack, who are so close that they share a communal mind, that he is alone. This extreme self pity and doubt is very unhealthy for anyone’s self image. In Breaking Dawn (which I read after my initial revelation) Jacob still doesn’t recover until he imprints on Edward and Bella’s baby. Jacob never learns to stand on his own two feet he is permanently attached to another being for self fulfillment. The worst part is, that this comes off as totally acceptable. No one in the books seems to find any problem with the fact that Jacob has no faith in himself as a lone entity.

    Next there is Edward. While he may be trapped in the body of a 17 year old he is, without a doubt, 107. Bella, on the other hand, is in a 17 year-old’s body and is in fact17. Thus Edward is a pedophile. His mind is that of a 107 year old man. As John Green (author of ‘Paper Towns’) put it, “The reason it’s wrong or old people to have sexual relationships with children is not because we old people LOOK old. It’s because we ARE old.” (1) And I really don’t see a counter argument for this. It isn’t as if he has continued to live the sheltered life of a 17 year old, he had been allowed to explore different interests. His maturity level is far beyond that of Bella’s. This in it self makes me question Edward’s love and motives. Edward is also a stalker. Before he and Bella become an “item” he would sneak into her room as she slept and would watch her. When Bella learns this fact she is instantly okay with it. I am deeply worried that many girls are accepting stalking behavior as “okay.” I also ask, what do we really know about Edward? The most common words used to describe him are glorious, heavenly and seraphic. Describing someone as only being perfect makes a character hallow. We know almost nothing about Edward’s personality. What makes him laugh? What does he like to do when he’s not stalking Bella? All these questions and more are left largely unanswered.

    Next is Bella. Clumsy Bella. As Michele Catalano puts it, “We learn right away that Bella’s main trait is clumsiness, which is used more as a plot device rather than a personality quirk.” (2) What is Bella’s personality? What is it about her that has the majority of teenage boys in Forks, Washington begging her to go to prom with them? When she comes to Forks she instantly recoils from any attempts from people to be her friends. Instead she is attracted to the one guy who initially hates her. This thinking is a little backwards for me. It is my general opinion that girls deserve a lot in a guy. Most of Bella often sees herself in a bad light. Steven Isaac’s review of the series points out that Bella has an “unblinking conviction that as a human she’s nothing more than an awkward ugly duckling.” (3) Beyond that, Bella is a bad moral example. While it’s true that she and Edward never have sex before marriage in the series, Bella often asks for it and Bella carelessly allows behaviors that many parents would not be okay with. “You really want your teenage daughter to live inside the story of a girl who lies to her parents, invites a boy to sleep in her bed and trusts him not to take advantage of her?” asks Orson Scott Card (3). Lev Grossman (TIME) also discusses the topic of the sexuality of ‘Twilight.’ In one of his articles,
    “But it is the rare vampire novel that isn’t about sex on some level, and the Twilight books are no exception. What makes Meyer’s books so distinctive is that they’re about the erotics of abstinence. Their tension comes from prolonged, superhuman acts of self-restraint. There’s a scene midway through Twilight in which, for the first time, Edward leans in close and sniffs the aroma of Bella’s exposed neck. “Just because I’m resisting the wine doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the bouquet,” he says. “You have a very floral smell, like lavender … or freesia.” He barely touches her, but there’s more sex in that one paragraph than in all the snogging in Harry Potter.” (4)
    Also the reason behind their abstinence is not one that can be applied to the real world. The reason Edward and Bella don’t have sex is because Edward is afraid he would lose control and kill Bella, not because of any moral background.

    And finally, I have a deep problem with Edward and Bella’s “love.” The problem I have with it is that there is no substance behind their so called love. John Green, a fan of the books, even agrees that “Edward and Bella’s relationship too often confuses obsession with love.” (1) My biggest question is why they love each other. No reason is ever given beyond claims that they were destined for each other. As for me I don’t want a love that was just “meant to be” I want a love with substance and feeling, where I share common interest with the person. If love is just obsession you, just like Bella, will lose friends, family, and all contact with the outside world. Spending every living moment with one person it’s healthy. People need other people, not one other person. A community is needed, not a couple.

    In the end I do commend ‘Twilight’ for getting teens to read, but I also question if the reading is still the same when the quality isn’t there. I hope that I was able to help anyone who reads this quite large opinion of mine to see the fallacies behind ‘Twilight’ and the flaws of the three main characters.

    (I would also like to add that Alice, Jasper, and Emmet are my favorite characters, their only downfall is not seeing through the main characters and their short comings.)

    1.
    2.
    3.
    4.

  59. I loved Twilight, it was such a good movie. Twilight was rated PG-13 that means many kids under the age of 13 might get scared or whatever. Thoough if you don’t want your kid to watch Twilight then don’t let them. It’s not the raters responsibility to have a whole bunch of pre cautions and everything. Though even if I was saying to put all those per cautions on there (which I’m not) I wouldn’t say to rate Twilight “R”. If kids or even adults can’t handle Twilight (Which they should be able to considering I’ve seen Twilight before I’ve went to sleep) then don’t let them watch it!! They put rated PG-13 because kids 13, and older, and some younger most likely know facts from fiction. Also, a very good and shorter example would be to say, if there’s a comedy show on a channel that’s usually a kids station though the comedy program is on at 3 in the morning. They put it at that time for a reason. If your kid is up at three in the morning watching T.V.,and you’re not watching them……. Well first of all your kid probably shouldn’t be up at 3 in the morning and/or you should be watching them. What you let your kids do or watch is your responsibility. And I’ll say it again(and again, and ,again,and again) I ♥ Twilight, I love it. It’s very entertaining for me, and I’m grateful for that. Just like comedy channels you might like them,but you don’t want your kids to watch them. Now how can Twilight be a negative in fluence for teens first of all? They should know right from wrong if you raised them well. Second of all, what can they possibly do and make teens to set a bad influence? I know right from wrong, and I’ve seen Twilight more than once. Also there are so many other movies so much worse than Twilight and are PG-13. Why would you pick on this movie. All they have is “sensuality” ,and fantasy violence,which is not real at all. It’s not even actual violence like actually punching someone without supernatural powers that will take a punch in the jaw by a 300 pound weightlifter as a little more than a soft pat-on-the-back. Not even that. And it’s only sensuality teens would probably see this once a week. And on the box it stated PG-13 SOME VIOLENCE AND A SCENE OF SENSUALITY. All it was was a kissing scene and a dramatic fantasy violence scene.So if you really wanna blame someone blame yaself.

  60. I believe that Twilight is just a sexual Teen Romance Novel disguised as Vampire fiction and not good fiction at that. Futhermore, I believe that the series is a negative influence on youths as it aspires young women to be like Bella who is nothing but a helpless teen-ager awaiting saving from a Vampire Prince Charming. But asides all that, the books and the movies are just simply silly portrayls of Vampires and teenagers.
    The Vampire Lizzy Christ

  61. I am not in favor of these books for the sensual and erotic nature, nor for the obsession with blood. It is curious to me that it is praised for abstinence, when the only one here attempting it is the male in the story. It is also very frightnening to me that his stalking her is okay with her.

    Lastly, there is such a thing as the occult, and this is just a tiny taste of how fascinating it can be. Just like pornography, a little is fine, but then won’t do anymore, a person has to find something more erotic – more exciting…. It is the same with this series.

    It will be the predecessor to many other books vulnerable young girls will pick up. It is a sensual thrill – the forbidden always has been – thus – the apple on the cover. Something Eve was willing to give her life away for, and Bella gives her soul away for her forbidden fruit.

    The obsession with blood is another issue. Modern day vampires that need bits of blood to stay energized are very clinical about it and use donors for the most part – but there is a serious problem in america with this behavior. If this series leads even one unsuspecting girl into this type of sub-culture, it has done too much harm.

  62. If you want to read a real romance novel, try reading a classic like ‘Wuthering Heights’ or ‘Pride and Prejudice.’
    That’s all I’m saying.

  63. What I’m going to say has probably been said time and time again, but I just feel that the concept of Twilight is stupid. Meyer is implicitly teaching girls to become dependent on their boyfriend/partner, such as Bella does. She leaves Bella as a personality-lacking character, so that the people who do read it can imagine themselves as Bella, and are taught more easily the way that Bella lives and becomes so obsessed with Edward.
    I’ve read it written that what they have is “obsession” and not “love”, which I agree with. Nowhere in the text does it say why they love each other, other than that they are “destined to be together” and that Edward is perfect, hence why Bella is with him. But, tell me, why is Edward perfect? The words used to describe him are generally always about his looks, and hardly ever about his personality. We know almost nothing about Edward, except that he is stunningly gorgeous and he has “magnificent” self-control.
    If I was a mum, I would refuse for my children to be exposed to such filth. It’s poorly written and teaches young girls wrong morals and lessons for life. It goes about love in the wrong way, and in my opinion, is a terrible book series.

    (I noticed that I didn’t mention anything about the actual article, but nor did many who just criticised or complimented the book/series in their posts.)

  64. I’m doing a research paper on the effect Twilight has on American youth. When I put this site on my bib card I thought you would be more insightful. I thought you would be one of the ones that realized Twilight encourages abusive relationships, shallow love, and sets feminism back a decade. I strongly advise you to take a closer look at this “innocent relationship”. The pretty adjectives do do a good job at hiding it though don’t they?

  65. You are right, the idea that the Church, and Christianity, both rather cold, and unforgiving institutions are the epitome of “real” love is VERY unappealing. Frighteningly depressing, even. Not to mention that it seems obvious that Christ married Mary Magdalene and had a romantic relationship with her. Why exactly do Christians hate one of the most wonderful gifts that God has bestowed upon us? Isn’t it more likely that two halves complete each other, then that a huge infinite thing, and a small finite thing complete each other? I think so. thus it is only reasonable to assume that male and female are two parts of a whole. not the divine and the human.

  66. OMG!! First when i heard about Twilight i though it was some stupid romance novel. Then ny friend forced me to read it!! i got soo obsessed and after i got over the first chapter i continued to read and finished the book like in 2 days. the book id have some inappropriate parts but overall it was awesome and i could so relate to the novel. My whole class hated Twilight but i loved it and it was soo magical. i know Stephenie Meyer ahs based the story on a dream she had!! It was awesome, and IM HER BIGGEST FAN!!! I EVEN READ the short and second life of bree tanner!!
    AWESOME!! this may seem funny but i hate the movies but love the books?!?

  67. It is not good seeing vampair movies because itis totally aginest the word of God.

  68. The Dane. I wish I was here two years ago when these comments were fresh. You are awesome. Not because you thoroughly tear down the incessant ramblings of extremists, but because you stand up for truth when it has become marred by extremism. So thank you, like-minded Christians and I thank you personally.

  69. Hi, My Name is Noelle and I am 22 Years Old and I am a Bapist Christain. I have been a Christain since I was 13 Years Old and I have gone to Church and Grew Up in Church My Whole Life. I LOVE My Church Family and Friends. I read what U wrote about Twilight, it was Okay NOT great or alright but just Okay. U wrote some WRONG thing but that’s okay cause no body is Perfect. First Thing the Reason Why Edward and Bella never had Sex was not because Edward would Hurt or Kill Bella, if they had Sex because if U read or watched Breaking Dawn U will find out Bella and Edward do have Sex. The Reason Edward didn’t have Sex with Bella is because He wanted them to be Married First. So they got Married then had Sex. So teens can use that in real Life. Teens should wait until they are Married to have Sex and then only then they can have Sex with Each other and ONLY each other. I am a Christain and that’s what I believe in. I Believe in waiting to have Sex for Marriage. That’s why I am a Virgin. I am a Virgin and I will stay a Virgin until the Day I get Married. Next thing The Mormon belief that Marriage and Family is Eternal and is in the Afterlife is NOT WRONG. I DON’T agree with a lot of The Mormon’s Beliefs but I DO Agree with there belief on Marriage and Family being Eternal. If U are a TRUE Christain and U are a Christain that Reads the Whole Bible then U would have Read what heaven is really LIKE and U would have read about Adam and Eve. When we Christains Die and Go to Heaven we do not loose are Family and are Friends. When we go to Heaven we still have are Family and Friends. God is a Fair and Loving God. If God gave us Family and Friends he would not take them away from us. Satan would do something like that but not God. Remember the story about Adam and Eve. God made Adam First. Adam had a whole lot of Animals and God even let Adam name ALL the Animals but Adam was still lonely. So God made Eve a Girl for Adam. God Made and Gave us People and us Christains, Family and Friends because as People get Sad and Lonely even with God but God is okay with that so that’s why he made us to have Family and Friends. Your WRONG about Marriage. A Christain Marriage do not represent Christ and his Love and Death for US. Where in the Bible does it say that God made Adam and Eve to be together to show Jesus, Love and Death. God Made Adam and Eve to be together so they were not Lonely. A Christain Marriage and a Non-Christain Marriage is there because of Lonelyness and you can help each other out and lean on each other and that’s what Marriade is all About. When Christain get Married we can show God and Jesus’s Love through are Lifes, Marriage, Family, Friends, Styles, and Jobs. Please Email if U want to. My Email is Allynoelle16@yahoo.com .

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