I know many of you won’t agree with me on this, but the Twilight series is pure evil. It has captured the hearts and minds of Christians all around the world and has twisted them around to make them want to read the books instead of the Bible. I think there is something wrong when the slowest reader I know can read a Twilight book in less than a day when it takes them a life time to read the Bible. A friend of mine stayed up ALL night one Saturday night reading one of Stephanie Myers’ books. She didn’t come to church the next day because she was too tired to get up after staying up all night. That is WRONG my friends. Totally and completely WRONG.
Just a few minutes ago, I did some research. I typed in “the Twilight series from a Christian perspective” into the Google search engine. EVERY ONE OF THE THINGS I READ WERE FOR THE TWILIGHT SERIES!!!!!! There is something TERRIBLY and HORRIBLY wrong here. In God’s house, the only thing most of my friends can talk about is the Twilight series!!!! If you are going to read them, the least you can do is not obsess over them to the point that all you can do is talk about it everywhere you go!! This Sunday, my youth leader is going to talk about the Culture and some of it’s evils. He’s also going to talk about bringing glory to God in everything we do. Here’s a little bit of his outline he sent us on facebook.
Colossians 3:5-17, I Thess. 5:22, Philippians 4:8, Psalm 115:1Here are some questions to ask about the things you do:
Will it build me up spiritually? I Cor. 10:23
Will it bring bondage? I Cor. 6:12
Will it defile God’s temple? I Cor. 6:19-20
Will it cause anyone to stumble? I Cor. 8:8-9
Will it further the cause of evangelism? I Cor. 10:32-33
Will it violate my conscience? (Rom. 14:23)
Will it bring glory to God? (I Cor. 10:31)
Glorify God in . . .
What you read:
Harry Potter – I have real problems with this – good mixed with evil, has Wicca influences & is endorsed by Wicca but not Christian bookstores, uses sorcery to serve self & to play around, Bible says to avoid witchcraft/sorcery & doesn’t line up with what the Bible says about good/evil, author is an unbeliever, has led some to become curious about conjuring spells, ouija boards, etc…
Twilight series – I also have problems with this – good mixed with evil, endorsed by Wicca religion, MTV but not Christian bookstores, vampires are associated with evil, no Biblical basis, thoughts of lust & erotic content, author is Mormon & believes in eternal romantic love – her playlist includes Linkin Park (her favorite band), Korn, & other ungodly bands – Here are some thoughts from others:
February 21, 2008 12:38 PM KEA said…
I’m a youth leader and decided to read Twilight after a girl from the group became somewhat obsessed with it. I’ve only read the first book- but here is my take, for what its worth.
I agree Katelynn, the book does not explicitly speak out against God or the Bible. However, it does not present a Godly message either. As a youth leader and parent of a 10 year daughter, the obsession that Bella has towards Edward is concerning. She gives up all regard for herself or her family to be with someone that she knows is dangerous. I can see high-school aged girls reading this book, longing for a relationship with someone like Edward that would not be healthy to their Christian lives.
I can see a paraellel between Edward and Satan. Satan was called the “Morning Star”, the most beautiful of angels. The lies he offers up can appear to be beautiful outwardly, all the while he is trying to cheat you out of eternity with God. Bella is so smitten with the beauty and power of Edward, she is willing to offer up her own mortality to be with him forever- even if it means losing all she is and has known.
Satan sneaks into our lives wherever he can. I don’t think reading this book is to the glory of God and I would caution parents to make sure your child was not getting hooked to the point of giving up quality time with God or family.
Just my two cents.
April 12, 2008 1:06 PM Abby said…
I read all three books in Twilight series in a three day period. I fully agree with anyone who says these books are not only well written, but absolutely brilliant. I will say this, however. After I read them, I had a very, very hard time. I experienced a lot of mental spiritual warfare and I literally felt like I was locked in the story. I immediately discerned a spirit of witchcraft on these books and it made me angry because I loved them! But I literally had to get them out of my house, that’s how bad it was.
So I went to God with it and He showed me what is going down. It isn’t obvious and it isn’t about the content of the books, it is something entirely spiritual. The spirit behind these books is identical to the spirit behind Harry Potter and the spirit behind certain music, like My Chemical Romance. Look for the things that draw obsession out of this generation and pull them away from God. I guarantee you every one of them, the major ones that are addicting to scary and dangerous measures, are a tool of the enemy to infiltrate witchcraft into the lives of an entire generation of young people.
I’m not saying this from a judgmental, outside perspective, I am speaking as someone who is very, very familiar with this sort of thing and who experienced it first hand. If you want proof, you can find dozens of Wiccan and Witchcraft websites that promote these books. Doesn’t that tell you something? And if that isn’t enough to convince you, let Isaiah do it.
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
-Isaiah 5:20
The biggest thing that stood out to me was the way vampires are portrayed as “good” in Twilight and witches and wizards are portrayed as “good” in Harry Potter. It is NOT about the content of the books, people. It is about the deceptive spirit behind them.
Open your eyes
Love in Christ,
Kelsea
Worth the Wait 
I just had to say that I agree with you on this subject, from what I heard about the books from a friend (who is at least a little obsessed), the statements you’ve made are accurate.
Now the problem is how do I get my friend to heed the advice of not reading it when it is important to her.
Thank you so much for writing this! I have had friends suggest to me to read the books, and, because I really didn’t know what they were about, I was planning to. Well, now I am not. I have made a point not to read the Harry Potter books, but I think I shall add this series to my “don’t read” list. Thanks for your post!
The Twilight series has many of my friends completely infatuated and obsessed. Like Harry Potter, it’s really becoming an “idol” — the center of all talk around our lockers.
Thankfully, I’m not into fantasy at all! 🙂
Hey, thanks for the info! My sister reads these books, and she really appreciated my showing this to her.
ok, first off, on a whim, i purchased the book today.
got past the first 30 pages and couldnt put it down…i admit!
second,
i agree that christians/brothers and sisters in Christ need to be cautious about what we surround ourselves with–whether it be tv, music, books, visuals, media, etc.
we are meant to sustain pure minds like those of children–unjaded and innocent, [as possible]…only because Jesus loves us so much, he knows that this world can easily distort what he created: love, romance, intimacy, purity.
and if we are not on guard, we do get sucked into the distortion and have therefore opened ourselves up to becoming vulnerable to the satans lies, leading us down paths of destruction, or distance [from our saviour!]
that said, ive read some reviews saying that many young people are becoming obsessed with this book…why?
does this book make us young ones go to thoughts in our minds that are impure or frivolous??
i dont know yet, though i am very skeptical.
i would like to read this book for myself, and decide for myself [only with Gods help] whether it contains demonic influence or not.
in the meantime…just a thought…
AFTER READING THIS SERIES WHERE DOES YOUR MIND WANDER??
ill be back to finish…
questioning for myself [with Gods help],
another sister
hi kel its julia!
i read the twilight books and at the time i was reading them, i had no idea how wrong they were. when my youth minister talked about them it really changed my view on them. i never believed any of the things that were in them but they are addicting! i relise now that they r wrong. the fact that Stephanie Meyer wrote the books so well is scary. they are well written and they suck you in like a tornado. i know that sveral other girls n are youth group have stopped readinng them as have i. if you havent stopped reading them, i wish for your own good that you would. THEY ARE NOT GOOD FOR CHRISTIANS TO READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have had a major change of heart about them and r now strongly against them!
LUV IN CHRIST
JULIA
This is pretty ridiculous. I do agree that there are many things that pull us away from God, but just because something doesn’t give out a Godly message, doesn’t make it wrong. And just because something refers or has witchcraft in it, it doesn’t make it wrong. And just because the author isn’t Christian, it doesn’t make it wrong.
What about school? It doesn’t give out a Godly message. But it isn’t wrong. On the contrary, it helps us become educated and successful with our lives. And there are also many books that don’t give out a Godly message, but they aren’t wrong.
Look at the Chronicles of Narnia series. It has witchcraft in it, but it doesn’t go against God. It actually sends out a Godly message using witchcraft. Would you say that that was wrong?
Non-Christian people have accomplished and written many things throughout time and are still. I’m sure you’ve read many, many books by non-Christian authors. So is every single one of those books wrong?
Also, vampires are completely fantasy. There is no such thing as vampires. They are simply a figment of imagination. Yes, they suck blood, but how exactly is that wrong? Well, when they suck the blood and molest their victims and/or kill them, I understand, but a lot of books and shows depict vampires as creatures that just suck the blood to survive, and then leave them alone.
Please explain your perspective on everything a little better to help me and other people try to understand.
Sincerely,
Annonymous
Thank you so much!!! I am one of the only girls in my church youth group who has not read the Twilight Series, and it is good to hear from someone in my age group who feels the same way about the books! Two MAJOR things that disturb me about the books are A) The way creatures of darkness (vampires) are made into creatures of light and B) The abusive relationship displayed between Bella and Edward, and Bella’s lust and idolatry with Edward. Btw, Focus on the Family has a really good review, if anyone is interested. (http://www.pluggedinonline.com/read/read/a0004206.cfm) I think we as Christians need to get over several myths: 1) That what we read, watch and listen to does not effect us, because IT DOES! 2) We would be “strong enough” Christians to read something like this, when Satan could use this opportunity to attack us and 3) That Satan will leave us alone because we’re Christians, which is incorrect. I think we need to be aware that there IS a spiritual battle, and that Satan is NOT going to leave Christians alone, but do everything he can to destroy us (“Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”).
The Bible is clear in saying that God is LIGHT and in HIM there is no darkness at all. Therefore, if these books are dark, then they are not from HIM. This makes them, or anything not of God, a potential danger to a believer. I’m not saying we should hole ourselves up in our houses for the rest of our lives, and throw away our boombox, TV, and books, but I do think we need to be very careful to not pollute our minds with things that don’t help our relationship with God, and we need to strive to “do all to the glory of God.” This is a tough goal! Two verses that have been helpful to me in determining whether I should watch, read, or listen to something are Philippians 4:8 (Whatever is good, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable…think on these things) and 1 Corinthians 6:12 (All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but I will not be enslaved by anything.) Your youth pastor’s outline has been very helpful. Thank you for that as well.
I could go on forever – I’ve actually written an article on this topic. At any rate, thank you for standing up and letting yourself be heard. It’s tough to stand alone, as I know, but God gives grace.
God bless you!
Anonymous: you brought up some good points. I will try to explain a few things. then I’ll just let Kelsea explain it too.
From what I understand about the Twilight series is that it isn’t just because it is not Christian that she and others disapprove of it. It isn’t just because it doesn’t give out a “godly message”. It is because it is preaching something contrary to the Bible. The fact that it endorses witchcraft and all that is scary enough. I am not sure totally about my next point because I haven’t read the books, but according to what I have heard the romantic figure in this book is evil, yet he seduces even the readers. We need to heed the warning in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (ESV) We need to be dwelling on things that are glorifying to God and healthy for our souls. Lusting after a character in a book is not.
About Chronicles of Narnia: the witchcraft in it is completely different. The distinction between good and evil is strong. Also the characters associated with witchcraft are always the bad ones. Aslan’s magic is totally different. In some ways people can argue that God can do magic. Because the things he does are unexplainable and supernatural. The Chronicles of Narnia has some of the best examples of any book I have ever read. Not just in the first book, which is a picture of Jesus’ death for us. But also in the other books. In the second one Aslan tells Lucy to come, but she doesn’t because the others didn’t see him and didn’t believe her. Then later he rebukes her for not following him, and tells her that she needs to follow him no matter what others think. There are many more, but I shall not go on. I am sure Kelsea will have something to say on this too.
I will leave any other questions to Kelsea. I just thought I would share my input too. 🙂 I might do that too often…. ;p
hey everyone!
i just read the comment by anonymous and i am sorry that she or he feels that way. this person made a good point about the whole school thing but we can still glorify God while in school. as for the choronicles of narnia the author is christian he uses the witch to portray satan and the lion to portray God. sure it does have a witch in it but i believe that it has a good reson for the witch to be in it.what are your views on this subject kel? love in christ
julia
nobody416 and julia:
Excellent points. I’ll be sure to pass on reading the Twilight series. Hopefully more people will read this page and be warned about the books too.
Sincerely,
Annonymous
hey annonynous!
im glad that you have dicided to pass on the twilight series it makes me really happy! love in christ
julia
I can’t agree more.
Christianity Today has a critique of the series at http://www.christianitytoday.com/teens/special/twilight.htm
It points out the good, bad, and what should be considered when reading the series.
It’s not the books that are the problem, it’s the people reading them. Your friends made the choice to choose Twilight over the Bible, that doesn’t make the books evil. It means your friends made a bad choice and need to work on their faith a little more. Same goes for Harry Potter, etc.
YESSS!!! I am so happy i finally found a page that is going to tell me something about all of this! I really think God just brought me to this. I have read all three books and was only a couple of chapters away from finishing reading “Breaking Dawn”, and didnt have much time to read it cause it was at my moms house…But as a christian, i have to say that Reading all 4 of the books, i could not put them down, and like the guy up there said, we read these books so fast, in like jus a couple of days or less, yet we take almost a lifetime to read the bible. I did feel how with reading these books, i became obsessed. Its What the story is about, the relationship between Bella, Edward being “perfect in her eyes” and her giving up everything for him. All the lust. Its really crazy. And tonight i was on the internet and decided to look for the first few chapters of “midnight sun”(Edwards side of twilight) and read it because a friend told me about it, even though i still havnt finished “Breaking Dawn”. And i started reading and couldnt stop..i wanted to, but started feeling obsessed again. And i diserned a demonic spirit behind it. And i knew right then that i NEEDED to stop. Even only reading the draft of her writing had me where i couldnt stop. It really is scary how well her writing in these books are…how it spiritually captures you and you become obsessed with what the books are feeding you. Im not sure whats behind these books, But i dont intend to keep reading them. I want to get closer to God, i dont want to do something that is keeping me from having a God centered life. Im surely not trying to offend any of you who enjoy reading these books, but believe me, theres something more to them than just a well writen, entertaining story. And i suggest anyone who wants a God centered life, try to avoid reading them and read your bible more. Theres just something wrong about the spirit behind it, its not just some couinsadence that everyone who reads them, becomes somewhat obsessed. Forgive me if i have offended anyone. Just tryin to put my opinion out there, if it helps. But what i would really do is pray to God about this if it means that much to you, see what he says. By the way…im 13. And God Bless you all! Bye
Just Basically i Agree to all what Kelsea said up there.
oopps lol i mean i agree to what Abby up there said. I misread where the name was.
What really bothers me is that the author does claim to be Christian. And maybe she is – it’s not for me to judge – but I firmly believe that her books are not Christian.
Mormons are Christians. I am a Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I believe in Christ. He is the Son of God, our Redeemer. He is my Savior.
And I agree utterly, completely, whole-heartedly with this article. The book is gaining popularity among Mormons just as it is among other Christians. And I believe that the values the Twilight series represents are wrong.
Thank you so much for all of this input. My 16 yr old daughter and I were beginning to feel like freaks because most of our ‘Christian’ friends have drank the koolaid and think that ‘Twilight’ is so awesome. They don’t see the deception.
The Bible says ‘that in the last days even the elite will be deceived.’ We need to be very careful and search God’s heart and His Word concerning everything we do.
God Bless You!
annonynous,
I cant fully agree with you, not to go against you or offend you or anything, but see…your point with the schoool thing, No, school doesnt put out a Godly message and yes we still go to school, and its good for us if we want a education. But thats the thing, we NEED school..we dont NEED to read those books. School teaches us things we need to know, The book does not..
And yes, vampires are make-believe. Their not real. But what they are, are demons..not because they drink blood, but because they were once people, that have got bitten, died, and a demonic spirit has entered their body. In this book, it confuses people in trying to think that vampires are actually good.
In these books, if you look at it the right way, if you open your eyes…Bella has A LOT of LUST for Edward, and he has a lot of LUST for her. Yes they both “love” each other because they care about each other…but theres still a lot of lust mixed in there. Lust is not love. On my opinion..she confuses readers with what lust is and what love is.
And you know, these all are just my opinions..i also wrote another comment up above…but really..these are just my opinions, i think what everyone should do is PRAY TO GOD FOR HIM TO TELL YOU IF ITS WRONG OR NOT, ITS YOUR PERSONAL CONVICTION…DONT RELY ON JUST WHAT MAN SAY, READ FROM THE BIBLE AND PRAY TO GOD, HE HAS THE TRUTH. HE’S ALREADY TOLD ME MINE.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL, SORRY IF I HAVE OFFENDED ANYONE, I PROMISE I HAVNT TRIED TO.
-JOJO
TO ADD ON TO MY COMMENT DIRECTLY ABOVE,
If you are a christian, as a christian, we need to have a God centered life…we need to try to stay pure, keep our minds and hearts pure. If we truely want to get close to God, we need to seek HIM first above all things. He loves it when we are different by standing up for him when no one else is, when we are setting that Godly example for other people. When we dont care if people think we are freaks for living for him. We need to get it in our heads that really…we shouldnt be trying to impress all these people on earth and fit in with them and all of that just because we want to feel wanted. GOD LOVES YOU..no matter what. He wants you to follow him, he wants to see you come home to heaven one day. He wants you, he wants to be your everything, he wants to bless you. We just have to stop ignoring his word and obey it. Talk to him, he loves it for you to talk to him. And think about it…when its time to leave this earth..all those times you did all those wrong things to fit in with those kids or try to make those kids laugh at school is just going to be a waste…because they cant save you when your up on that stand and Jesus asks you..why did you do this. Be careful. FIGURE OUT WHATS MOST IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE. But point being…and sorry i got off topic a lil there..but point being..we need to try to stay pure..that means be careful what you listen to..what you watch..what you say. Dont let it affect you.
GOD BLESS
As a middle school literature teacher at a private school and the mother of nine grown children, I want to say several things. First of all teens really do not discern very well. They are easy pulled into the romance. Unfortuneatly parents are not previewing books and movies the way that they ought to. The Twilight series is titillating and seductive. The characters are obscessed with one another. Is that a message we want our teens to embrace?
The witches and wizards of Tolkein, Lewis and Rowling are a completely different discussion.
Vampires throughout literature are seductive and sexual. I believe Ann Rice (I think that’s her name) who used to write about vampires now has a book titled Out of the Darkness which chronicles her descent into that sad obscessive fantasy vampire world. The message of the Twilight series is far worse than the whole witch and wizard discussion. The author is a Mormon and her beliefs are woven throughout the series. Wake up parents and protect our children!
i agree 99.9% with you. hahah. its just that first sentence… yes, twilight is evil, but i love it. im… addicted. (: / 😦
i stayed up till 2:30a.m. reading the first one, and thankfully, it wasnt a saturday night. I have to admit i have chosen twilight over God. ive been trying to get closer, it just is hard. i have NO christian friends. none. so this comment is also a kinda prayer request… so if you could pray for me id be very thankful. (:
thanks! and great message!
soory, im posting yet another comment. but i had a question…
Samuel :
i dont want to upset you in ANY way, but you mentioned Christ as your savior. And that you believe in Him.
but you didnt mention that you believe He died on the cross. now i dont know if you just forgot that in your comment, but i was just curious.
olivia,
To answer your question, yes, I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross. He took upon himself our sins and was crucified to satisfy the demands of justice, while providing mercy to those who repent and come unto Him. On the third day, He rose again, and now He sits at the right hand of the Father.
I believe all of these things. It is a part of my faith, and it is central to Mormon belief (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), just as it is the central message of other Christian denominations. We believe in the Bible, and we have additional scripture that supports the Bible and testifies of Jesus Christ.
To clarify a point made in this review: it says, “author is Mormon & believes in eternal romantic love.”
Mormons believe that in God’s plan, the bonds of marriage do not end at death. It is eternal. Families can be together forever. But Twilight depicts lust, and sensuality. This is not what we as a church stand for. I would appreciate it if the author of this post would remove that negative statement…
I hope you don’t mind, I linked to this post from my blog…
at the beginning of the book twilight,
it starts with :
Genesis 2:17 (King James Version)
17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
–
i actually was addicted to it. but now i realize that satan can use any way to tackle us. he can change something that’s Wrong to make it so Right, but the truth lies beneath.
i agree with what you say here!
God bless 🙂
Oh, how God’s heart must grieve over the condition of the hearts of His people!! When the people of God begin to defend a series such as the Twilight series, isn’t it simply a revealing of the true condition of our hearts? Our love for God and the things of God has truley grown cold!! How can I earnestly and truthfully claim to have a heart for God when I choose to fill my heart with such utter garbage!! Philippians 4:8 tells us what it is we should be thinking on, and like one sister pointed out, do we have the same love and passion for the Word of God that we have for a series about vampires/zombies/night stalkers or whatever? God have mercy on our souls!! Oh, that we would return to our first love and passion for God, for holiness, for righteousness!! We need to repent, to cry out to God like never before for His mercy, we are in bondage to the world and the things of the world!!
God hates witchcraft, in any form!! Why are we being entertained by something that God hates, and said have NOTHING to do with!! Why can’t we hate the things that God hates, and love the things that God loves, in other words, why don’t we get the mind of God!
If I know that something is contrary to the Word of God, and I don’t do it, but I enjoy watching someone PRETEND to do it, over and over again, wouldn’t you begin to think that I secretly enjoy that act?? If I say I hate murder, yet I get such pleasure out of reading about people committing murders, wouldn’t that be strange? People, God HATES witchcraft, Do You?