I haven’t read the books and haven’t seen the movies. I’ve read a synopsis of the first movie so I know what it is about.
Do you read these? Did you see the movies? Do you let your daughters read them? What are your thoughts?
Based on what I’ve read and observed, they seem too dark. And the obsession women have with the male character (Edward Cullen) seems to go way beyond enjoying a character in a story. I enjoy plenty of strong male leads in movies and books, but they are just fictional. They aren’t real. But what I’ve seen really seems to be unhealthy in the extreme – as in disconnecting from reality.
And I am the only one who is slightly bothered with the tagline of “And the lion fell in love with the lamb”?
I realize not all Twilight fans have completely lost touch with reality so feel free to try to convince me otherwise if you think they are great and have a redeeming value. 
So what are your observations?
Tim Challies has a pretty thorough review:
http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/book-review—twilight.php
In answer to your question: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but it truly amazes (and discourages) me that this is a debatable topic amongst Christians regarding what they allow/encourage their daughters to read/watch. No, we don’t need our 14 year old to fantasize about a hunky vampire from Hell sucking her blood. There just has to be something better out there to watch and read. Training up our children may not always be so black and white, but this one is easy.
Phillipians 4:8
Carole,
Thank you for the link to Challies. I think people will find it helpful.
A couple of thoughts about this post…
First, Twilight is everywhere and I like to provide a forum for my readers to discuss different cultural topics. I have many intelligent, insightful readers including a number who don’t have blogs of their own. I like to hear what they have to say and think they bring a lot to the content of this blog.
I rarely tell people what to think about topics, but prefer to open up a topic for discussion. I am very much black and white when it comes to many issues. But I know that not everyone has the same convictions I do and that if I simply preach black and white all the time on my blog that it really doesn’t help anyone in the end as much as being challenged to think through an issue.
And, thirdly, it has just been too quiet around here lately and I was hoping this might generate some discussion! LOL!
And thank you for the reference to Philippians 4:8. That verse is one that I constantly refer to when thinking about cultural issues. It is one of the verses in the Bible that makes me most unsettled because I fear that I do not live up to that standard, even as conservative as I am in matters such as this.
Yes, I read all of the books and saw the first movie. They are entertaining. Not great literature by any means, nor are they intended to be. But I certainly don’t see anything in them from an adult point of view that is offensive.
As far as teens, that is something that each parent needs to decide. For me it would depend on the age.
I agree with Ann………….I read them, they were good, they are chic lit, not hard to read, and rather silly, but that is what I like to read sometimes. I don’t get too caught up in the evil vampires thing, vampires, like faries and the white which from narnia and the ring wraths from LOTR are PRETEND…….I know that some are more sensitive to stuff like that but pretend scary stuff doesn’t really bother me. AFA as the movies go, I think that the first movie was lame, but I guess I am immature enough to still go “ohhh, hunky guys” and enjoy that in a silly sort of way. I will see the next movie, but I can’t bring myself to pay movie theater prices for it.
I haven’t read the books but I saw the first movie. Christopher’s friend loaned it to us for one evening.
I must admit, I loved the movie. I thought it was very well done and had an interesting storyline. However…
It left me with many concerns as I personally would have never let my young teen girls watch the movie or read the books. It is not only very sensual (the attraction of the two main characters being the center of the movie) but it could lead the young and innocent into the occult.
As a very young Christian (in my teens), I became interested in the occult due to TV shows like Dark Shadows which I watched each day. I had no idea such things were forbidden to Christians. Thankfully, I learned to repent and get away from everything “dark” before it had done any damage.
So, as an adult who thought the movie good… I think it is very dangerous for young women because it could draw some of them into the dangerous world of premarital sex and the occult.
For older girls and women, the movie has no “bad” scenes we so often get assaulted with these days and I don’t recall any bad language. The relationship between the father and daughter is good as we see the love and commitment grow between them. I would use discernment.
I enjoyed the movies… as an adult. The plot is interesting because the girl finds something redeemable in someone that everyone else considers a monster. He shows sacrificial love for her and resists his own desires for her sake. He wants better for her than what he is, basically. Its kind of asking the question, too, of whether Edward has a soul, despite what he was made to be. And he’s fighting what he was made to be by taking care of humans instead of eating them. However, its definitely sensual, and it could make the occult look attractive. I don’t think these books are for most teens, unless they’re very mature and discerning.
hmmm…I’m clueless. I have’t heard of the books or the movie. I did overhear a cashier and young tween at the grocery store discussing a recent movie and how the cashier saw a midnight showing of it. Both girls (the cashier and the tween) were giddy. This must have been what they were talking about.
As an adult, I think they’re ridiculous, but mostly harmless, fun. I wouldn’t let my daughter read them, though, until she was older: not because I was worried about the occult content (which is far more innoccuous here than most other mainstream books of the type) but because the modeling of romantic relationships is absolutely terrible. The “hero” is a controlling, manipulative stalker whose behavior is portrayed as “romantic”. The heroine has absolutely no sense of self outside of her relationship with the hero, isolates herself from friends and family because she doesn’t “need” them as long as she has Edward, yada yada yada… it seems romantic in fiction if you’re a fourteen year old girl, but in real life it’s a recipe for an abusive relationship.
I must admit that I enjoyed reading the books and watching the first two movies. If I had daughters tho, I wouldn’t want them to read the books unless I was sure of their convictions spiritually and that they had a healthy understanding of what boy-girl relationships should be. In other words, I certainly wouldn’t want them reading the books as impressionable teenagers — which majority of the readers and movie fans are. After the first book, I probably would have resisted the rest of the series if I had girls who would copy mom. But for me, it was just light reading, and quite entertaining.
I haven’t had much to do with either, mainly because I am not “with it” in many areas of my life. And I prefer to read things that are really old. I can’t afford to go to the movies, but who knows? I have a Netflix subscription, so maybe I’ll check it out just so I know what young women at church are talking about.
I live in an area that is heavily populated by Mormons, and the high school I went to was very Mormon-dominated. When I found out the author was Mormon, I was wondering what the implications of that were. I thought this was just silly fiction, but the recent Touchstone article on the series was fascinating!
The author basically explains how Mormon theology is manifest within the book through symbols as well as plot-lines. If you know Mormons, then you already know they have their own religious symbols, and that shared symbols between Mormonism and orthodox Christianity tend to have different meanings. Anyhow, it’s a long article, but very thorough, and interesting to read. The author seemed to view the books as the authors own internal struggle with her religion, sort of a working out of her faith within the pages of her book.
Brandy – Thank you for the link! That was FASCINATING! The connection to Mormon theology. Wow. I’ve studied Mormon teachings quite a bit so it was really interesting to see the connections. I had also recently been reading about the Mountain Meadows Massacre so that was fascinating as well. Very interesting!
Hi Sallie!
I’m glad you liked the article. I don’t know anyone who wants to actually talk–intelligently–about the books. Most women I know are either obssessed with them or, alternately, don’t care a bit about the subject at all. I, on the other hand, am not naturally interested in the books themselves, but their popularity intrigues me. Anyhow, it was nice to find someone to share that link with!
I have another link for you today, even though this post is off of the main page…meaning I’m not supposed to comment, right?
Doug Wilson has been reviewing the series–or maybe it’s just the first book-over at Credenda Agenda. So far, I haven’t thought his reviews were as intelligent or well-thought-out as the article I linked you to before. However, comma…Today was a little different. Today his review was written from the perspective of a pastor concerned for what young women in his flock will learn about abusive relationships. Intriguing, no?
I’ll be curious to hear what you think…
Sorry! How annoying am I today?
Okay, so after I wrote that comment, something else came across my Reader: Wired Magazine: Top 20 Unfortunate Lessons Girls Learn From Twilight.
I haven’t read the books or seen the movies. I wouldn’t be opposed to reading one to check it out except for the actual concept makes me sick to my stomach and takes away all desire to even crack the cover. Unlike an earlier commenter, from having had training on the occult and also being previously involved in ministry to people with heavy occult connections, I happen to believe vampires are real–though not in the traditional way Hollywood has portrayed them. Because of that, I find the concept extremely disturbing.
I have listened with interest to the comments of Twilight fans, though. A lecturer I had earlier this year said that they are definitely not quality literature but she was hooked, anyway. Other people just say it’s not about the vampires but about the beautiful love story…which makes me just wonder why it couldn’t have been written without the vampires!!!
Just like the Harry Potter craze, I find the absolute obsession intriguing…when something takes off in this manner, I can’t help but wonder if it’s being driven by something more…