Twilight saga continues in NEW MOON . . . differing views

November 7, 10:19 PMHealth and Happiness ExaminerGabriella Filippi

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New Moon in theatres 20 November 2009
West World Media

Twilight reappears when New Moon, the continuing story of Bella and Edward, is released in theatres beginning the 20th of November. In New Moon, Author Stephanie Meyer delivers a combination of romance and suspense, surprising twists and turns, which will now be brought to life on the big screen. 

Here's what some are saying:

Focus on the Family, Christianity Today, The Catholic News Service, Christian Stay at Home Moms and Christian Teen Magazine are among some of the Christian groups who've been misled by occult delusion, and instead of warning Christians of its dangers, have compromised its lying message. "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness…. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!" Isaiah 5:20-21

The church and Christians are being deceived by many new-age occult philosophies and are promoting them as compatible with "Christian" ideals. To name just a few: The Secret came out in 2006, A Course in Miracles and the movie The Golden Compass in 2007. The seventh book in the Harry Potter series was released in 2007. In 2008, there was The Shack and the Oprah Winfrey endorsed book The New Earth (twilight in a Christian perspective.)

The debate over what is acceptable reading material has now added the question of whether teens should be reading the Twilight saga penned by Stephanie Meyer. Not since Harry Potter came onto the scene has a series of books caused quite as much of an uproar on the teen reading scene. Discussion of fantasy books always raises questions, whether written by J.K Rowling, C.S. Lewis, or J.R.R. Tolkien, the question of appropriateness for Christian teen audience seems to come up.

The basic objection to Stephanie Meyer's series is that its main characters are vampires. In traditional vampire lore, the person bitten by a vampire's soul is replaced by an evil demon. This theory means that Edward and his kind would be inherently evil creatures. This is demonstrated in many of the other vampires Bella and the Cullens face throughout the series. They seem more animal-like, giving into their instincts, than the Cullens and some of those that chose another lifestyle. Another objection may come from the fact that Alice, one of Edward's sisters can see the future. She holds the key to many of the important plot twists, but some see her ability as an occult practice. Deuteronomy 18: 10-12 talks about how being a medium is an "abomination to the Lord." As the story moves on, Bella also meets some of the people in Forks who are part of a nearby Native American reservation. Some Christians have objected to the discussion surrounding some of those Native American beliefs, as they feel it would lead teens in the wrong direction. Still, others may object to Bella's strong desire to spend eternity with Edward. Christians have a strong desire to spend eternity with God, in His presence. Her desire strays from that teaching, and many Christians do not feel it is addressed well from a faith standpoint. The final objection has to do with some moral ambiguities. The fact that Edward spends the night in Bella's room, she lies to her parents, and Bella's struggle with her own human desires can be off-putting to some parents. At several points, Bella becomes rather cavalier about giving up her soul, which is off-putting to many Christians. Losing one's soul is nothing to be casual about, and though Bella is confronted by the others about it, it can be disconcerting to those that question the value of the books.

Not every Christian, though, is against reading the Twilight series, and there are some Christian themes that run through all of the books. Love, sacrifice, unexpected pregnancy, and facing temptation are all a part of the series (Christian teens - Christian entertainment.)
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Proponents of the Twilight series point to the fact that several of the characters hold to Christian faith. Edward's father, Carlisle Cullen, was not only raised by a pastor, but was one himself. The book discusses how his faith actually made him rise above the nature of a vampire to become a doctor and save people. He strives to hold onto a little bit of humanity, and he passed that onto the members of his family.

The discussion of what happens after we die is a central theme to the books, though it is only discussed outright later in the series. While Carlisle believes that there is an afterlife, and that possibly vampires aren't damned, Edward is more skeptical. He believes that they will be punished for what they are, and he does not want that to happen to Bella. It is his questions that makes him confront Bella's cavalier attitude about losing her soul. The theme is an excellent discussion point for parents and teens who do read the books, because they can apply to the choices Christian teens make every day (Christian teens - Christian entertainment.)

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