I have been pondering some thoughts for several days now on the newest craze sweeping amongst our young people, that being the "Twilight" book series and subsequent movie. I have not seen the movie nor read any of the books, so I do not have a firsthand opinion of them. However, I am hearing about so many teens and young adults, particularly Christians, who are soaking up the books as fast as they can. And women in general, even wives and mothers, who are enthralled by this series. As I stated, I do not have personal experience with any of the material, however, am very concerned about the unquestioningly loyal following that has been established. Young women everywhere are saying "It's my favorite ever!"; "You have to read/see it!"; and on and on... I have read two specifically insightful reviews of the material, and would just like to pass it on here. I don't think many people read my blog, but for those that do, please take a moment to read the links below. I am in no way saying that no one can see the movie or read the books, and I am not attempting some legalistic persuasion to prevent people from doing something they are certainly free to do. However, I am saying, don't be thoughtless in your reading and viewing material. Put some research into it before you just open your mind and heart to such things. And mothers, please be alert about what your young daughters are immersing themselves in. I remember quite well, as a teenager, reading some "harmless" romance fiction books. I pray I would be more careful with such decisions knowing what I know now. These stories only conjure up unrealistic and even ungodly expectations about what we think we will find in a mate. Being swept away by romantic notions may feel good in the moment, but the end result is often a sinful meditation on things we think we are lacking, and at best is simply a waste of time that could be spent reading much more thoughtful and helpful material.
http://www.gospelandculture.org/2008/11/vampires-and-young-female-desire/
http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/book-review---twilight.php
UPDATE: I wanted to clarify something that several friends have asked me. If you check either of these links, please note that I am not the "Melissa" who has posted comments on these other sites. I guess there are other 30-something single Melissa's out there, but this one is not me as I have not commented about these articles except here on my own blog:)
4 comments:
I have to say that I am now addicted to the Twilight Series! I just started reading it this weekend and finished the first book in about 3 days. I don't feel that they are brainwashing in any way. I think that reading is a great way to relax for many people and of course reading theology books would be more beneficial, but everyone needs to be able to disconnect every once in a while. From what I have read in the first book I have not found anything that would be considered harmful to the reader. Yes, the book does make you think that the main character, Edward is an amazing man (well, vampire), but since he is a Vampire and not a human, you know that he is not real and that no man could ever be like him. So, reality keeps you from forming unreal expectations. I think we should of course be mindful of what we put into our hearts and minds, but at the same time we can't be so legalistic that we are unable to relate to the world and those we come in contact with every day. We are called to be different, but we are also called to live among the lost. So while we can live our lives in a way that is honoring to the Lord, we also cannot exclude ourselves from all worldly things....including reading these types of books. All that to say, if you want to read a book, read it, but take it with a grain of salt. If you use it as a form of relaxation and entertainment, it's harmless. If your heart isn't strong enough to know reality from fiction, then stay away.
Hey Sabrina,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. I just wanted to reiterate that it is not my intention to be legalistic at all, which was why I stated repeatedly in my post that I am not admonishing others to stay away from these books entirely. So I truly hope it has not come across this way. I am simply concerned particularly for the much younger women who are devouring any such material without a lot of due consideration. I would add however, though, in regards to the last comment about the heart not knowing the difference between fiction and reality, that we must also consider the Scriptures that remind us how deceitful our very own hearts really are. Thanks so much for sharing your perspective, since as I said I don't have any firsthand knowledge of the books myself. It is good when discussions can add to our understanding of living in this world. God bless!
Let's clarify an important item. The author of the blog post never said that the books or movie were "brainwashing". They merely stated their thoughts and provided a couple of links to read. Also, for anyone who is reading the series, or any "secular" books for that matter, maybe it would be helpful to just examine how quickly we are taking in such material - is it with the same "addicted" and impassioned fervency that we read our Bibles? I think this is really all that this blogger might be trying to provoke us to consider.
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