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The twilight saga [The OTHER World Series...Mormon Vampires]
http://www.equip.org/articles/the-twilight-saga ^ | Stephen Ross

Posted on 10/28/2011 8:00:34 AM PDT by Colofornian

“Twilight is my religion; Stephenie Meyer is my God!” —Team Edward 22, a young fan

“Couldn’t stop crying for 2 days after I finished the last book, it was just so emotional.” —A seventeen-year-old reader

Seventeen-year-old Bella falls for Edward, who is beautiful, mysterious, powerful, and dangerous, but wise beyond his years and, ultimately, a consummate gentleman. The paragon of self-control, Edward will not allow them to have premarital sex, despite Bella’s pleadings and his own appetites, and though he sneaks into her bedroom at night, he simply seeks her presence, to ask her questions and listen to her talk, to watch her sleep, and to protect her. Indeed, Edward, her savior, rescues Bella from certain death, repeatedly, and though she thinks of herself as ordinary, extraordinary Edward finds her utterly fascinating. In fact, she is his first and only love, and he would rather die than live without her. Astonishingly, he can even give her immortal life with him. A girl could not ask for more — especially not a free-thinking, thoroughly contemporary young woman who is actually in love with two boys, each of whom is deathly devoted to her. Or could she?

A biblically faithful Christian could not have written the Twilight series of novels, yet Stephenie Meyer, a committed Mormon woman, did. A cultural Christian morality certainly informs Meyer’s storytelling—Mormonism is, after all, a heretical cult of Christianity. In addition to Edward’s many virtues, Bella consistently puts others before herself. A strong sense of community pervades the story, and the way Meyer handles teen sexuality reflects in significant ways our shared Christian heritage.

I believe that quite another force, however, moves Meyer’s imagination, something antithetical to the Bible but central to Mormonism, which teaches that, by grace and good works, a male believer can become as the Mormon God now is, sovereign over his own creation, populating his own world through eternal polygamy and celestial sex. Mormonism constitutes perhaps the ultimate male fantasy; and Meyer’s world in the Twilight novels constitutes the female fantasy counterpart to Mormonism.

The Twilight love saga, then, may be the ultimate female coming-of-age fantasy that our biblically illiterate culture can offer, and, as such, this captivating story evokes dangerously false expectations in young women that no man could ever satisfy. In fact, given that female sexuality is quite naturally relational, far more so than young male sexuality, the comparison that comes to mind is that Twilight is to female sexuality what pornography is to male sexuality. As young men all too naturally tend to objectify women, and pornography intensifies that tendency, so young women tend to idealize and idolize young men, and Twilight exacerbates that tendency. Under such influences, neither sex sees the opposite sex as they should.

Some readers argue, however, that because Edward and Bella refrain from premarital sex (and use little foul language) such modeling of abstinence makes the series not only acceptable but laudable for teens. Actually, Meyer wrote the books for herself and her adult sister, not teens, which helps to explain that although Edward and Bella do stop short of premarital intercourse, the love saga breathes sensuality over an undercurrent of erotica—what really prevents Edward and Bella from engaging in sexual intercourse is Edward’s fear of killing her in the heat of passion! It’s difficult to see how that persistent factor in the story would motivate young couples in the real world to abstain from premarital sex.[1] To be fair, Edward’s old fashioned morals bolster his resistance to Bella’s pleadings and his own desires, but we don’t hear of this conviction until late in the series. Reflect for a moment, furthermore, on the unsettling fact that teen Bella’s apparently virtuous suitor looks seventeen but possesses a century of experiences.

Edward is a vampire, of course, and Jacob, the other boy, a werewolf. We learn about incubi, succubae, shape shifters, and many other occult fantasy creatures and objects as well. Two basic concerns warrant the mention of these facts. First, because this saga breeds teen obsession, the attraction of the romance could spill over into tempting young people to investigate its occult elements (and Meyer’s Mormon affiliation could lend credibility to Mormonism as well).

Second, Christian literary critics point out that what legitimizes a fantasy story is that it reflects the moral law of the real world. Moreover, the horrible fallenness and glorious, but excruciatingly costly, redemption of the real world mandate that any story worth telling reflect in some way the fall and redemption of the real world. This, then, requires that things get messy—vampirism qualifies— before redemption occurs within the context of biblically defined and well-depicted goodness and evil, justice and love. As I have alluded, however, the Twilight Saga blurs these parameters.

Further manifestations of this blurring include Bella’s adoration of Edward, which she owes to God. Indeed, Bella affirms no religious belief and seems indifferent about God, confessing that she could not appreciate heaven without Edward. Also, consistent with Mormon teaching and contrary to the Bible, a sense of salvation by one’s own works pervades the storyline. For example, the praiseworthy head of Edward’s family of vampires, Carlisle Cullen, believes and instills within his clan that overcoming their lust for human blood may somehow merit or contribute to their salvation. In fact, Meyer’s brilliance appears especially in the seductive portrayal of her characters’ constant struggle to overcome their fallen nature and temptation through herculean self-exertion unaided by God’s grace—the universal urge to attempt to pull one’s self up by one’s own boot straps. God is irrelevant.

Very good storytelling influences us, for good or bad, and often beyond our awareness. Meyer’s powers, however, overwhelm teens, who should not be asked to navigate the intense emotional experiences the Twilight novels evoke, or negotiate the profound desires the novels enflame. —Stephen Ross

Stephen Ross is Research Assistant to the President of Christians Research Institute

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[1] Cf. Carissa Smith, “‘Twilight’: A Positive or Negative Influence for Teens?” Christ and Pop Culture, July 9, 2008, online at http://www.christandpopculture.com/featured/twilight-a-positive-or-negative-influence-for-teens/.


TOPICS: Apologetics; General Discusssion; Other non-Christian; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: inman; lds; meyer; mormon; twilight
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To: Ripliancum

LOL!!!


21 posted on 10/28/2011 9:58:06 AM PDT by diamond6 (Check out: http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/home.php and learn about the faith.)
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To: allmendream

Interesting thoughts... I agree, Bella’s actions were pretty pathetic, and a very poor example of how a lady should act. I bought the movie Twilight a couple years ago but after watching the second movie, threw it in the trash. She’s pathetic.


22 posted on 10/28/2011 9:59:21 AM PDT by diamond6 (Check out: http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/home.php and learn about the faith.)
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To: Saundra Duffy
I've read reviews of The Shack...

Can't find the one I accessed several years ago.

Here's another: THE SHACK: Exposing The Deception Exposing New Age pagan teachings in THE SHACK

23 posted on 10/28/2011 10:26:34 AM PDT by Colofornian (Mitt 'straight'-armed the Utah 'Scouts in the Olympics)
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To: allmendream; CharlesWayneCT; greyfoxx39
Bella is a spineless sop of a character - useless without her man - defenseless until HE gives her power.

Yup. Just like the Mormon temple overtones that a wife is 100% reliant upon her husband calling her forth into his bosom beyond the veil.

24 posted on 10/28/2011 10:38:32 AM PDT by Colofornian (Mitt 'straight'-armed the Utah 'Scouts in the Olympics)
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To: ReneeLynn

What I want to know is why 100 year old Edward is still trolling high schools for dates.


25 posted on 10/28/2011 10:45:55 AM PDT by discostu (How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today)
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To: Colofornian

Never got into the series..... I just don’t see the appeal of it.


26 posted on 10/28/2011 11:32:15 AM PDT by dragonblustar (Allah Ain't So Akbar!)
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To: ReneeLynn
There’s nothing more pathetic than older women who think the Bella-Edward story is romantic.

So true but there's nothing funnier than going on Facebook and seeing older women replace Bella's picture with Edward and replace it with their own and use it as their profile picture.

27 posted on 10/28/2011 11:36:54 AM PDT by dragonblustar (Allah Ain't So Akbar!)
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To: MHGinTN

Sounds like a personal problem!


28 posted on 10/28/2011 12:16:18 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going)
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To: discostu
What I want to know is why 100 year old Edward is still trolling high schools for dates.

Same reason Willie Sutton had!

29 posted on 10/28/2011 12:18:26 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going)
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To: discostu; ReneeLynn

***What I want to know is why 100 year old Edward is still trolling high schools for dates.***

Maybe he is following the advise of his mentor, Bryngum Young.;-D


30 posted on 10/28/2011 4:48:54 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (Click my name. See my home page, if you dare! NEW PHOTOS & PAINTINGS)
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To: allmendream

Yes. We had a discussion about this in the car today, figuring out who the best teen hero was. We decided it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer.


31 posted on 10/28/2011 11:35:01 PM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: CharlesWayneCT
"....love all sorts of science fiction, which rarely deals kindly with my belief system"

Try some of Stephen Lawhead's fiction and SciFi. He is a devout Christian and instills the Christian values and even the Gospel within most of his books, but does so in a very very subtle way. Freep Mail me if you want a list of the best of his books.

32 posted on 10/30/2011 6:48:35 AM PDT by Apple Pan Dowdy (... as American as Apple Pie mmm mmm mmm)
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To: Apple Pan Dowdy

Thanks. i’ll look it up. I also shouldn’t have forgotton C.S. Lewis, who in addition to the Chronicles of Narnia, did a sci-fi trilogy starting with “Out of the Silent Planet”, followed by “Perelandra” and “That Hideous Strength”.


33 posted on 10/30/2011 7:24:09 AM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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