There is a sensation going on right now with the young ladies around me. They are waiting in excited anticipation for the new Twilight film "New Moon" To come out in theaters today. Most of these young ladies are professing Christians.
I can remember last year when the first film in the series Twilight came out. The local schools around us were showing the films, vampire balls were planned. Some of the parents were very concerned about the message in this vampire love story, other parents joined along side their children with enthusiasm for the books and films.
With the permission of my father I have read all four books in the series and watched the first film. I read these books to review them, to be able to talk intelligently with the young ladies in my church about my concerns with them spending their time being discipled by the problematic doctrine of these books and the films. Just a little disclaimer, I do not recommend these books for reading to anyone.
There were several redeeming qualities and sound messages throughout the first novel, we find Edward Bella's Vampire boyfriend giving up want he really wants, which is to kill Bella and suck her blood, to save Bella's life. We see a functioning family in the Cullen's lead by the Patriarch Carlisle, in contrast to Bella's dysfunctional family. I won't spend a lot of time talking about the first book, you can read more about it in my review on the Movie and I recommend reading that first by way of introduction to this review. The first book is a hook to attach the reader to the characters, especially that of Edward, naturally creating the desire to read the remaining three books, I know it did with me, the first book was compelling and unique. The unselfish hero we find in Edward is rarely found in even Christian fiction, and is even harder to find in real life. Edward's sacrifice for Bella is the sort of heart that all woman desire in a man.
Unfortunately the positive elements that are within the first book are non existent in the following three books, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. All the character growth that Edward made (Bella makes no character growth throughout the entire series) seems to have disappeared and the underlining theme in New Moon seems to be living according to selfishness.
Broken families are portrayed as normal; Bella comes from a broken home, her parents divorced when Bella was an infant. Her mother left Charlie (Bella's father) because she was afraid to settle down, to be trapped in a small town. The relationship between Bella and her father is typical of the modern relationship between parents and teenagers. Bella is disrespectful, dishonoring and disobedient. There are several instances throughout the books where she deliberately disobeyed her father, at times to his face, and other times through deception. Bella's father is pictured as controlling, indifferent, and stupid. He is concerned that Bella is not acting like a normal healthy teenager. However his definition of normal seems to be the immature character that modern day teenagers are known for in our culture. Why would a parent not want to push their child beyond that into maturity? In one scene in the book Bella threatens her father, giving him ultimatums; the roles are reversed as she is acting like the typical screaming ineffective modern parent. While Charlie ends up slamming the door leaving the room, acting like a teenager. "I can't help myself when he gets all bossy like that my natural teenage instincts over power me." Bella says in one scene of conflict between her and her father in the books.
Bella is portrayed as the wise child. The child that raised her mother, she was the adult in the home. Yet her constant blatant disregard for her father's instructions shows a lack of maturity and down right evil in the eyes of God. From the very first pages of the first book we discover that Bella has little to no respect for either of her parents, and this attitude toward her parents remains throughout all four of the books, little to know growth is seen in this area, and her disrespectful behavior is never addressed or condemned. In one scene in the book she makes a comment about never putting much effort into Charlie's dinner. This is one small example of an area where she has an opportunity to honor and bless her father, but instead she reacts with dishonor. Edward's family on the other hand I found myself admiring. Carlisle is very clearly the head of the household, the family functions. The "children" obey Carlisle, they respected him, they speak highly of him, and find ways to honor him. They are a family that holds together and pulls closer in times of crisis.
A message that is hinted at a couple times in the book is that the end justifies the means. One example of this is when Alice commits grand theft auto because she and Bella need a car when they arrive in Europe to save Edward's life, yet the lesser of two evils is still evil.
The loss of human life is regarded flippantly, and unless it is a person with which there is an emotional attachment, then that person's life is regarded as not worth the risk of saving.
These books are based on twenty first century teenage relationship, so it plays out like one. Because of Edward's overwhelming desire to drain Bella's blood, physical contact is limited between Bella and Edward in the beginning. However once they begin to get slightly physical, there is a lot of touching and some passionate kissing, Meyers spares us no detail as she describe these scenes, it often to the point of overwriting. I was wary as to what to expect when the couple became sexually intimate. To Meyers' credit she was very tasteful in describing these scenes. There are no details, and to her credit Edward and Bella are virgins on their wedding night. The books however most definitely do not give and abstinence till marriage message. One of the biggest reason's Edward and Bella wait is because Edward is afraid he will lose control and hurt Bella, because his physical strength is so much greater than hers, he wants to wait till Bella is changed into a vampire. In the third book Bella manipulates Edward into agree to have sex with her before she is changed into a vampire. In this chapter in the book we find out that Edward is still a virgin, at almost a hundred years old he was human in a time when young men and woman were still honorable and waited until they were married to be intimate. He admits that he has broken every other one of the Ten Commandments. Edward is convinced that he is going to hell and he is convinced that Bella is going to heaven and he does not want to mess that up for her. Bella grudgingly agrees to wait till after they are married, but is still insistent that they have sex before she is transformed into vampire. It is made clear that she has no qualms about having sex with Edward before they are married; she is only waiting because Edward because Edward refuses otherwise.
In the second book a Romeo and Juliet story seems to take place, and the theme of the New Moon seems to be selfishness. Bella is devastated when Edward leaves her; she spends her days in self destructive behavior, wallowing in self pity. Through a series of events Edward ends up believing that Bella has killed herself. He then sets out on journey of self destruction, as he travels to the Voltaire to ask them to end his vampire existence. (Commit suicide vampire style)
I have heard comments on the terrible writing abilities of Meyers. No she is not the best novelist, her grammar is poor, (but then who am I to judge that :grin:) My point is this review is not to pick on Meyers writing ability, but to point out the dangerous messages that these books are sending young ladies. Whether Meyers novelist ability is poor or superior her books have created a world wide stir and have world wide influence.
I have heard the comments about the "occult message" within these books, I assume because vampires are involved. While the vampire angle to the story creates interesting plot points, these books are more of a walk through the emotional world of a modern day teenager rather than a tutorial in the occult. I think however that the messages that these books carry for young ladies is just as dangerous if not more so than any imagined occult. Another concern that I have heard with these books is the obsessive behavior and relationships. This is absolutely a valid and correct concern. When Edward leaves Bella in the second book she complete shuts down, she cannot function, she is as a living dead person. She then tries to create adrenaline rushes to hear Edward's voice inside her head. When Edward believes that she is dead he tries to kill himself. Edward and Bella's world seems to be all inclusive only to themselves, and while Edward seems concerned with Bella and how to make her happy and what is best for her. Bella seems only to care for how Edward makes her feel; her relationship with Edward is based on what she can get out of it and the emotional needs that Edward fulfills in her. I read the books online so I was able to read the comments left by previous readers.
One reader says this.
"This chapter was beautiful; this is every girls dream, even if they deny it. We all want a romantic man who puts his love before himself, we all want a relationship based on emotions and passions, I again say this chapter is beautiful."
The chapter the reader is referring to was the most conflicting chapter in the entire series. This is the chapter that Bella tries to manipulate Edward into sleeping with her. This message is one of the two most dangerous messages and is the main theme that this entire series is created around, relationships are based on emotion. Emotions are fleeting, they are fickle, and they are wrong more often then they are right. Proverbs tells us that our hearts are wicked and deceitful above all else. So why would we trust our emotions and follow after them. Passions pass away, it does not last. Any relationship based upon emotion and passion will not last. Instead the Biblical relationship is based upon commitment, and covenant. These things are solid and firm when our emotions decide to take a different course. Ask any woman, or girl including myself. Our emotions are crazy, one minute we love someone the next we hate them for some stupid reason. No one should ever enter into a marriage because we are emotionally attached to the person; marriage should never happen for emotional satisfaction. If we cannot be satisfied in Christ than nothing and no man will ever satisfy us. Yet these books tell us that a relationship with between a man and woman can be all satisfying, can fulfill all of our needs, and if we cannot have this than life is not worth living. This is the great deception.
These books give the message that what we feel is always right, that we can trust our emotions as infallible, and if we follow after our emotions we can commit any heinous sin because emotional satisfaction is the lord and ruler of our lives. Bella and Edward obsession with each other is so complete that they cannot function without each other, they are lost without each other and they cannot live without each other. In the life of the regenerate there is nothing in our lives, not even our family or our spouses that we should not be able to function without, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Edward and Bella have set each other up in their own hearts as idols and gods.
One of the great allures to Bella in become a vampire is the fact that she would be immortal and incredibly beautiful. She is obsessed with being perfect physically and forever young in the perfect bodily form. Young ladies myself included live in a world that is obsessed about physical perfection, and is constantly pushing this message on us, making us feel ugly and worthless, to fat, to thin, our hair is to strait, to curly, we are to short, to tall. Expensive products that promise to be the cure are constantly pushed on us. But so far no one has tried to sell me vampire venom though (grin:).
In the fourth and final book Bella is transformed into a vampire, however coming to this point was one of the main conflicts throughout the entire series. Apparently Edward's problem with Bella becoming a vampire is his belief that when transformed vampires lose their soul and are eternally damned. Edward cares too much for Bella to wish this life on her; he doesn't want her to lose her soul. The theology I think is assumed throughout the books that good people go to heaven, which we know is not the case. Only those redeemed and regenerated by the Lord Jesus Christ go to heaven, we know that it is not by works but by faith. This aside Bella could care less about her soul; she sees it as a moot point, that to be with Edward forever is worth the loss of her soul. No affection for any young man is worth my soul, nothing, absolutely nothing in this life is worth losing my soul over, especially an emotional attachment for a young man.
When I read a fiction book there is always a certain character that I subconsciously pick out and become in my mind, I am sure that not everyone reads this way, but I am also sure that there are many that do. Who is the character that as a young lady I find fascinating, it is Edward. (I completely understand where every young lady is coming from in their fascination with these novels, Edward is a man's man. He is a leader; he is willing to giving up his life and desires for Bella, he is constantly worried about what she needs and fulfilling those needs. His is strong and perfectly handsome with superhero strength and abilities. What's not to love right? I must point out he is by no means perfect, often given to anger, his unwillingness to fight for Bella against Jake's advances irritate me to no end.) Naturally I become Bella in my mind because subconsciously that is my way to interact with Edward, to have Edward, to obsess over Edward. One reader of the Twilight series made this comment.
"The other characters I have to admit are fantastic, but Bella is the epitome of the most pathetic female I have ever met in my life."
I agree with this reader, this is what I become when I read these books and my mind takes on Bella as my character, I become pathetic, obsessed, sinful, my mind goes places that I are wicked, thoughts cross my mind that should be taken captive immediately. Fiction allows me to escape and to become part of that world of fiction.
There is a very dangerous anti-marriage message in these books.
"Boyfriend… it wasn't the right word, not at all, I needed something more expressive of eternal." -Bella
At the end of the second book Edward asks Bella to marry him, Bella reacts by freaking out, Bella makes the above comment at the beginning of the first third novel just after she rejected Edward's marriage proposal. Bella wants something more expressive of eternal, husband sounds like the word she was looking for to me but marriage is something that Bella doesn't want to touch with a ten foot pole. Bella is absolutely appalled at the idea of marriage, a belief that her mother nurtured in her from a young age. Bella makes it clear that her culture and world feel the same way about marriage as she does, and she is convinced that her family and friends would be appalled at finding out she was to become a vampire rather than a wife. Bella desperately wants to be part of the Cullen family, but not as Edward's wife. She wants to spend forever with Edward, but not as his wife. One could argue what is the difference, the difference is that one is according to God's law, and the other is man's pursuit at being is own god and law and rejecting God's law. Bella finally very grudgingly agrees to marry Edward, and uses his desire to marry her as a tool to manipulate him into giving her sex before she is transformed into a vampire.
The problem with the twilight series is not the fact that there are vampires or massive amounts of occult, but the many other themes and beliefs that are pushed and emphasized and approved and passed over as natural and the way things ought to be.
While there are some good themes and messages in the Twilight series, there are a million more horrifying and wicked messages and themes. To some up, disobedience and disrespect to parents is expected and natural, relationships should be based on emotion, and emotion is the king and ruler of our lives, marriage is wrong, the modern teen dating relationship is right, manipulations and selfishness is required to make any relationship work, obsession is natural and healthy, only to name a few.
The good does not outweigh the bad and the good themes and messages in these book a are not something that a young lady could not learn somewhere else without having to fish through mud and mire to find them. These books are not worth the read and I would advice all young ladies and parents to keep these books away, far away. I personally had a hard time putting the books down, and keeping myself from getting sucked into the story rather than only reviewing it. When we let ourselves be blindly entertained and shut our minds down we are the perfect disciple to subtly subconsciously suck in the dangerous messages in these books and allow them to influence our worldview. I am certainly not the epitome of the mature Christian young woman, but I am more mature than the average teenager and young woman who are reading these books. I base my convictions on the word of God and I want to able to give a Biblical foundation for everything that I believe, while I cannot do this with everything I am in the process of examine what I believe and judging it against scripture, what I see in these books goes against God's law word. The average teenager believes what they believe because they were told to believe it, they do not have a scriptural foundation, it is not ingrained on their hearts they cannot back their convictions on scripture so why not allow their minds to suck in the messages in these books. They don't know it goes against the word of God because they don't know what the word of God says. To be entertained is not worth the damage to our souls and minds, lets not make the same mistake as Bella, leave Twilight on the bookshelf to stay, or better yet, remove it from your bookshelf altogether. It is that time of year when we will be lighting our fireplaces and wood stoves, I hear paper makes good kindling.
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