I am starting this post of with a ******* Warning************ sign, if you are a reader of Twilight or a vampire series... you might not want to bother reading this as I have obviously a difference of opinion than yours.
YOU HAVE BEEN FOREWARNED... :)
Okay, I do not get this whole Twilight phenomena. I get teen girls loving the characters, I get the books might be well written, but I do NOT get all these Christians having anything to do with them. I never understood the Harry Potter series either! I just do not understand it. I cannot fully put into words my true feelings on this subject but it falls in the category of parents supplying alcohol for teenagers, parents allowing girls to wear bikinis and Dads taking boys to Hooters for lunch. So you might understand if you are opposed to such things how emphatically I feel about this. Now anyone who knows me KNOWS how I feel about Harry Potter and I assume they know how I feel about Twilight also but I think Twilight has gone farther towards the dark side.
I understand that there might be a discrepancy in how I feel about magic since I do allow the children to watch some Disney shows and we went to Disney World for goodness sake. I have clearly stated that I have always felt on the fence about them and have gone back and forth on actually allowing the children to watch them! I have been wishy washy. I try to assume that there is a line and I just try not to cross it but I NO longer feel that is it. I would like you to know that Dave and I have had many discussions on this subject.. we believe that most of it is the authors heart.
JK Rowlings claims to be a Christian, but stated clearly that she wanted no moral overtones in her book... explain to me WHY? I mean a book that got into public schools as THE MUST READ, the series that have graced nearly every child on Earths bedside table... why no moral undertones? Why not an allegory? Why not a put your faith and TRUTH and God in every page, in every crevice, in every word that pours into those children's ears? Why? That disturbs me. JR Tolkien wrote an allegory FOR A REASON. CS LEWIS wrote and allegory FOR A REASON! These books were meant to define the Christians walk in this world as much as Pilgrims Progress was. They did not hide their Christianity?..
Why did JK Rowlings?
This is what Twilight has brought us. Is this what you want for your daughters?
It just drives me batty! ( NO PUN INTENDED!!
I mean I work so hard to teach the girls purity, modesty, honesty, Godliness and this is what Kaitlin sees at the store the other day! All the while Lady Gaga is playing over the loud speaker!
Cant all the Christians mom stick together... I mean I don't want to live in the town where Footloose was filmed but really, really close! I can teach my children to love those who are wrong or sinning without excepting the sin itself. I can teach what true judgement is verses LOVING EVERYBODY without allowing their sin to be good or okay. I mean loving a gay person is not the same as saying God made them that way! Loving a teenager who is having sex outside the bounds of marriage or has had an abortion is not the same as telling her there isnt a consequence for those actions.
I digress.
I simply to not understand the phenomena. I am honestly, I am mean truly astounded at some of the women I have heard or been told by that they read this series. I get that I can be seen as a hypocrite because having nothing to do with evil is having nothing to do with evil so if The Little Mermaid is using magic.. what is the difference. Well for me and my household.... it has come down to this. The authors world view, the authors heart. I mean Hans Christian Anderson wrote the Little Mermaid and Disney took some license.... Hans Christian Anderson was supposedly a Protestant but had many questions about God that showed in and though out his many works. He used "the evil sea witch" to show evil in the world and how often we are tempted by such evil, as he was. He was not without flaws apparently even tried to get away from the church but was said to constantly be battling his religion and never quite getting away from it.
Anne Rice who wrote the Vampire Chronicles said after she came back to Christ after 38 years in the darkness that she could NO longer write the stories about vampires, witches and psychics.
She says to not expect any more of those books because "she cannot redeem those creatures, she can not bring them into the light, the land where the sun shines- literally. And where the light of Christ shines." She says she is no longer the person she was when she wrote them- an atheist.
Doesn't this say something important about books of that nature. When a an author of like 27 previous books with witches, psychics and vampires says she will no longer write those books because they CANNOT LIVE IN THE LIGHT with her... she means they are evil. right?
Okay, for now my rant is over... if you read it and didn't like what I had to say please keep in mind that I am allowed my own opinions, I do not mind dissenting opinions but I am perfectly entitled to my own. I do not judge you for reading the books, you make your own choice but I DO absolutely judge the content of the books and the authors viewpoint in which they wrote it. I do wonder if we just choose to do things because we like it or if we really, truly give thought and prayer to our decisions? I believe the world is so full of traps that are pleasant and give us great feelings but that we must constantly be vigilante against such traps. I have recently become aware of such a trap in my own life and I am working adamantly to change that part of me that I feel has been lax on awareness of what is right and wrong. I pray and I think and Dave and I talk and we are always trying to make the best decision, I am sure that we are not always consistent or right, but usually our heart is trying and when we see wrong we Do try to change it.
Thanks for listening!
9 comments:
I have read the first Twilight book and I think it is totally ridiculous! ha ha! My husband and I watch the movies for pure entertainment/humor! they are so bad it's hilarious.
My daughter will NOT be reading the Twilight series anytime soon. Ever if she asks my opinion of them.
My husband is a huge Harry Potter fan. We watch Disney movies. I LOVE Disney world! ha ha!
I am just not interested in the Harry Potter books or the movies. They bored me. I don't think I would have a problem with my kids reading them...it's all about how involved they get in it being "real" or something to dabble in. It isn't really based on a real witch type religion, just like the Disney movies, in my opinion. We draw the line where things could be real. Something they could really get in trouble with. Scooby Doo is outlawed around here bc I saw an episode where they were defending Wiccans. Same thing with things like vampires and that kind of stuff because there are actual cults out there that revolve around that kind of thing. I really don't see HP as harmful, because of the imaginative and whimsy of it... very similar to an Alice in Wonderland or Chronicles of Narnia type idea. Yeah, it gets scary, but so does Narnia. Yeah, it has spells, but so does Narnia. You can create an allegory out of just about any movie, so it does have themes of good vs evil and all that. I am not trying to say it's all good...no one can be the judge of that except each person for their own family. If you go all or nothing, and choose nothing, then that pretty much eliminates all fairy tales, folklore, etc. I like your point of using the author's outlook..that's a good idea. What they meant behind it. But if all imagination is taken out of childhood, then what a literal serious minded childhood one would have. One of my favorite movies as a child was The Wizard of Oz... lots of witches and magic in that. It's a fine line and I guess trusting your spirit is the only thing to do.
As far as Twilight...yeah... I think it's dumb and horrible to be marketed to young girls... it is way too sensual of writing for the age girls that are reading it, and gives them really weird ideas about the freedom that should be given a highschooler. Bella is also just a pathetic and annoying character. lol.
ALSO, I think it's important to not let our children get too obsessed with any one thing. I guess a child could mess with evil through many means... not necessarily those that are obvious.
My husband's pet peeve is people who totally ban things from their house without actually knowing the real reason why, just stating "it's evil" with no first hand knowledge as to why. lol. I understand wanting to flee the very appearance of evil too.
Gee... I guess what I am rambling around to say is...interesting post.. we don't have any real experience having to make a ban on anything yet except what I mentioned... and.. I will be interested to hear what other people say. Sorry so long and rambly! ha ha!
oh...and one more thing that I forgot to say:
The Twilight books are NOT well written!!!! ha ha ha! It's laughable how badly written they are!!!! Each one could be at least half the length it is if she wrote more interestingly! ha!
@ Carrie
I agree with the Scooby Doo thing.. we had banned them and my kids begged to see them for some reason- I guess it got real popular for a while. So I sat down to watch one with the kids thinking we can watch it and discuss why we have banned it. So the "gang" is outside a mansion and an old man is nailing up a sign that said something like Beware- Possessed by demons. I was like OKAY kids that is exactly WHY we dont watch scooby doo!
I have read just about everything I can get my hands on besides teh book itself and I find the argument that Harry Potter is not associated with "real" magic the blinders that people have allowed themselves to wear. Some of the actual spells he "creates" are taken out of the wiccan book of spells. I would assume that JK Rowlings had to researched a lot to be able to write what she did.
There was an email circulating a while ago written by an ex occult member who was writing to argue that what snopes had written on whether or not harry Potter was satanic was untrue. He wrote that most of the practices were only disquised by cute new names that Jk Rowlings made up and that they were taken straight from other books of spells. He said that many in the occult community did praise harry potter for being written becasue it placed seeds of doubt into children who are easily swayed. He said that the occult community hoped that the series woudl be poplular and that it woudld be an entrance into so many other "such" books and movies being made. He said that as an ex occult member that he would not allow his children within a hundredd yards or more of the book because he understood the "truth" behind it. JK Rowlings also came up with the character of Harry Potter in a "vision" FUNNY DONT YOU THINK???? I find that amazing!
I wonder if that is how Winnie the Pooh or Daffy Duck or Elmo came into being??? Probably not but I sure as heck am going to research it now becaseu I am HIGHLY curious!
I love discussing! I love being able to talk about this and I love when parents have discussed somethign and made a decision- so it is a decision, even that might not be mine but I can totally respect people who think about it way more than people who do things just because!
ooooh! I didn't know all that about Harry Potter. My husband is such a huge fan, I will have to steer him to this discussion and get his opinion....
I agree with you... I have not read the Twilight Series and do not plan to. I was about to say I will not read them, but if ever for the purposes of seeing how they are written I could... but not for my own pleasure. I used to read The Flowers In The Attic series and other dark novels. I don't now. It does not do my spirit well and I am a Christian now. I have to have my guard up against such things. It is when we let our guard down that evil is aloud to creep in. My husband is a public school teacher, so sometimes I think it is wise to do our "homework", so he knows what his students are into. Sometimes that "homework" is watching a "questionable" movie, such as, Twilight. We watched the first one a while back. I did not want to even bother watching the second one, but he brought it home recently. STUPID!!! Seriously, I just do not GET it and why it is such a craze. Tell me why anyone would find that pastey face Edward appealing... and giving up your soul for love is just nonsense... trading eternity with God and all the beauty He can offer for the pit of hell is just nonsense... nonsense... nonsense! And I think we all struggle with where to draw the lines on these and many other issues. We live in a world that is so crazy and even if you keep your kids locked away from the evil it does seem to find you everywhere you go (i.e. public places like seeing the T-shirt shopping). We just have to do the best we can. It is scarey to think that one day they will have to face all these things head on without us guiding them. But that is why we are guiding them! We are preparing our kids for a very evil world and I pray we do it well. I think God will convict you (and me) of the things he wants us to eliminate. I am so glad to hear we have this in common (your view on shows)..... I am glad to have met you!!!
So, Carrie in GA sent me over here. I'm not sure if she was trying to convict me, or just wanted my input into the conversation...
My first statement will be, the movies are horrible. The teen phenomenon, and the interpretation of the books that has come out of that is not 1) morally uplifting, 2) accurate to the book AT ALL.
I am slightly amused by that fact that none of you have read the Twilight series, yet feel comfortable making judgements about what it is actually about. But, somehow, I kind of think that is one of the things the book is about. People making judgements, based on only partial information.
I suppose pretty much any book can be given an allegory, if you want to find it. Sometimes it is up to you to seek it out. Twilight is about love hanging on, and making a commitment, no matter what. Putting the other person first, even when it hurts. Being willing to sacrifice.
In this time of love affairs that barely last a month, I think that is something worth teaching our kids.
Also, Twilight does touch on the soul thing. Edward is worried that he has lost his soul, since he is a Vampire. He is concerned by that thought, and dreads hell.
Bella is sure that "God" wouldn't be that cruel. Religion is not defined that deeply, but Bella insists that Edward, and then of course, she also once she becomes a vampire, still have a soul. They still have to choose what to do with it - how to live right. Obviously, not being a Christian book, there is not talk of giving that soul to Jesus, but living pure and right is pushed. Goodness, purity until marriage is a HUGE theme in the book. They do not sleep together until they are married,
As for the idea that Meyer got the idea in a "vision", how many authors do you know? Personally? Even just the "write in their spare time" type? LOTS of authors have "visions" of their book ideas. It is sort of a theme. If you held that against every author that said it, there would be a lot of books you couldn't read... sorry.
Now, I am not saying you have to read things you are uncomfortable with. There are tons of dark, nasty vampire books out there. They are popular right now, in part because of Twilight, and that is a sad side effect. In fact, the movies are a sad side effect.
However, I personally think the Twilight books were both well written, and not at all evil. That is just my opinion.
I find it amazing that even after warning people to not read my blog, after explaining that I FEEL it is my right to have and voice MY own opinion on my blog that people are still choosing to berate me for MY opinions. That is truly amazing to me!
@ Andys Beth
I do not have to read trash to know it is trash. I do not watch porn to find out if it is pornographic. I do not read a BOOK ON VAMPIRES to find out if I FIND THEM EVIL or not.
vampires= evil.
You cannot argue that fact.
You can argue that the book has virtue, you can argue that there is GOOD that can come out of the evil as evil is triumphed, but you cannot argue that evil is not evil.
But the only way evil would have been triumphed is for Bella to have walked away. Not so much of a love story is it???
Also on the topic of it is not a Christian book so why would JESUS be involved... THE FATHER IS A PASTOR. It was written by a mormon. It is not devoid of a Christian theme... I cannot seperate the fact that Bella choose an earthly love over GOD.
I also as a matter of conversation do not like the movie City of Angels. I cannot in true concience believe in the absolute GOODNESS of God and HIS TRUE holiness if I think I would give it for an earthly love?
also on the soul thing... I will not tell my daughters NOR do I understand why other parents would that what Bella choose is right... I dont care if they waited to have sex! A vampire cannot possible have a soul--- it is a demon. And the fact that it is being touted as such a love story that she would KNOW he had soul and that God wouldnt be so cruel as to no longer allow her to have a soul is a Huge misrepresentation of the Bible to all these young girls who are reading this and that is a true travesty because every false hood that is taught to young children is something that makes it harder for the Christians they do come in contact with to have a witness with.
I do not get it, but again.... That is my opinion and thanks for listening!
I am so very sorry that you felt I was berating your opinion. I did not mean it that way - I think that differences in opinion are a wonderful gift that God gave us. As well as the ability to love and appreciate each other despite those differences.
I need to walk away from this conversation, because I don't want it to be an argument.
I really enjoyed this post! You had the best way of weaving the info about the books/movies with the truth of the word of God- loved it!
I had been curious about Twilight, but now I won't even touch it. Thanks!
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