Twilight from another perspective
Jonathan Skagfield, age 21
Let me begin this post by stating that I am not going to tell parents to send their children to see Twilight (especially if your child is drawing pentagrams on their High School Musical 3 notebook). Neither am I going to tell parents that they shouldn’t allow their children to see this movie. Instead, what I would like to do is have you, the parents, question your reasons for either allowing, or not allowing (as the case may be) your children to read these books or see the movie.
Twilightis the latest Christian scare for many parents. Some think that if they allow their teens to read the books or go see the movie that the devil is going to grab a hold of them. This is a bit exaggerated, but it does make the point. Parents don’t want their children watching the movie because of the inclusion of vampires and the supernatural. Many parents will immediately quote the Bible verses that pertain to taking a stand against magic, and I think this is a valid point. Yes, we as Christians should not be practicing the dark arts. But does watching a movie or reading a book mean that we are practicing the dark arts? My immediate answer would be … well, I’m not going to answer that question because you need to make that determination.
As far as Twilightgoes I think that the use of vampires and the supernatural is a theme used to highlight intrinsic longings in the hearts of many. Edward is a great guy. He is caring, spontaneous, protective, assertive, etc. (Besides the whole blood sucking thing, he really would be a great son in law!) Girls have a strong desire for a guy like Edward. They want to find someone who is as good as Edward. It is Edward and his relationship with Bella that pulls a person into the story. The vampire motif is just a means to an end. Side note: Perhaps you should have your sons read these books so they can better understand what makes a girl willing to risk so much in order to maintain a relationship with someone like Edward.
The very mystery and restraint that shrouds Edward is easily seen in the classic portrayal of an international assassin or spy. The problem with these two motifs is that everyone is tired of reading about assassins and spies! Then along comes Twilightwith its new spin on what it looks like to fall in love, and BOOM you have women at work reading the books while doing collection calls.
Finally, many will still say that anything having to do with vampires is just plain wrong. Avoid the books. Avoid the movies. Stay away from them. Two thoughts: 1) The apostle Paul didn’t avoid engaging the pagan culture of his day by avoiding the presence of idols or by avoiding anything having to do with vain philosophers. In fact, he engaged the culture by using his knowledge of their beliefs in order to relate to them. 2) Do you allow your children to read authors such as Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, or J.R.R. Tolkien, all of whom use magic in their stories? Stop and think of the authors’ use of magic. They use magic so that the reader will experience life in a new and creative way. We sympathize with Bilbo as he struggles to give away the Ring, for we too have felt this in ourselves. We have hope in Romeo’s struggle against destiny, for we seek to defy the odds. Finally, we mourn with Lucy for Aslan, for we too know Someone who went to die on the behalf of another. The use of magic enabled these authors to let us see life once more, the good and the bad.
Stephanie Myers, of course, doesn’t hold a candle to the previously mentioned authors, but she has definitely portrayed love in such a way that her books are on best seller lists. I would not presume to tell you to go read the books right now, or to go to the movie (it really is rather bland), but what I would suggest is that you prayerfully consider the motives behind whatever decision you make.
(Another review to Twilight can be found below, or by clicking the “older posts” option.)
