For those of you who aren't familiar with the Twilight series novels and movie, you probably don't have teenage (or preteen) kids. I don't have kids, but I have nieces who are into it, as well as several friends and co-workers' kids. It's basically the hottest thing out there -- think of it as the new Harry Potter, but for older kids.

In a nutshell, the Twilight series is a young adult novel series written by Stephenie Meyer -- the first book was published in 2005. The story is about a seventeen-year-old Isabella "Bella" Swan who moves from Arizona to Washington, and finds her life in danger when she falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen.

Edward admits to Bella that he and his family are vampires, but says that they only drink animal blood to keep themselves from turning into the monsters that many other vampires are.

Edward and Bella's relationship grows over time, and they fall passionately in love. Their foremost problem is that to Edward, Bella's scent is a hundred times more potent than any other human's, making Edward struggle to resist his desire to kill her. However, despite this they manage to stay together safely for a time.

Now, according to Wikipedia, the plot gets intense when another vampire coven sweeps into Forks, Washington. James, a tracker vampire who is intrigued by the Cullens' relationship with a human, wants to hunt Bella for sport. The Cullens attempt to distract the tracker by splitting up Bella and Edward, and Bella is sent to hide in a hotel in Phoenix. There, Bella receives a phone call from James, who claims he is holding her mother captive. When Bella surrenders herself, James attacks her, but Edward, along with the other Cullens, rescues Bella and kills James. Once they realize that James has bitten Bella's hand, Edward sucks the venom from her system before it can spread and transform her into a vampire, and she is then sent to a hospital. Upon returning to Forks, Bella and Edward attend their school prom and Bella expresses her desire to become a vampire, which Edward refuses.

Now interestingly enough, Wikipedia has a little explanation of the book cover, which looks like this:


Apparently, Stephenie Meyer has stated that the apple on the cover represents the forbidden fruit from the book of Genesis. It symbolizes Bella and Edward's love, which is forbidden, similar to the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as is implied by the words from Genesis 2:17 that is quoted at the beginning of the book. It also represents Bella's knowledge of what good and evil are, and the choice that she has in partaking of the "forbidden fruit", Edward, or choosing not to see him.

Now book two introduces werewolves, and book three finds Bella and Edward engaged, and brings into the story a group of really bad "newborn" vampires. And book four, the last book, has Bella and Edward getting married, having rough sex, and Bella getting pregnant and the talk of possible abortion. At the end of book four, Bella transforms into a vampire.

I think I have most of that pretty accurate. Again, I didn't read the books, but my blog here is not to discuss the plot -- it's to discuss whether Christians (or more specifically, Christian children) should be reading it.

The tough part about this series comes from the fact that it's appealing to preteens, teens and young adults. Not only is that an age where kids begin to develop their morals and values, but it's also an age where typically kids begin to really understand the importance of God and Christ. If the child lives in a strong Christian home, then by this time (or around this time) preteens and teens will officially accept Jesus Christ as their savior.

Unfortunately, this is also a time in their lives when peer pressure begins to affect their choices... when popularity plays a bigger role... and when temptations are strong and the prospect of swaying from their core family beliefs becomes a reality.

In a nutshell, what do I think? I think that Satan is getting better and better at his plans to thwart Christians.

Now I'm not saying that Stephenie Meyer is evil or works with Satan. But Satan's influences are there. Bottom line, this series of novels is about darkness, evil, sex, blood and obsession. Now I know, I know... many people will step up right away and say, "But this is different! There are good vampires in these books, and it's a love story!"

But that makes no difference. A love story under the cover of darkness and blood does not make it okay. It wouldn't be any different than a love story under the cover of homosexuality.

Plain and simple, this is a story about vampires and werewolves -- two creatures who for hundreds of years have been the epitomizing characters of evil, darkness and death. The fact that a modern-day author gave them an intriguing story line of love to appeal to pre-teens doesn't make the novels okay.

In the last book, there is a strong storyline of Bella's agreement to give herself completely to Edward, which results in a painful and very physical act of sex. The book describes bruises all over Bella's body. What teenage parent wants their daughter to read about giving herself up completely to a man in that manner, while that young? What Christian parent wants their daughter to read a story that romanticizes succumbing and surrendering to anyone but God Himself?

To me, that's one of the most important issues of this series -- the fact that the "romance" and love story is such a dominating theme. There are lines in the book that say things like “You are my life now.” There is constant dialog about the two being together forever, and it's clear that obsession on both parts is strong. Edward is completely intoxicated and drawn to the smell of Bella's blood, and Bella's love for Edward is the absolute most important thing in life. More important than life itself, in fact. She desperately wants Edward to turn her into a vampire in order for her to be with him always.

These characters are 17 years old! Is this what 12 or 14 year-old teens should be reading? I honestly don't think so. Let's take some verses from the Bible to back up my opinions.

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22)

It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:16-26)

Now, some Christian parents are saying, "I'm not going to prevent my daughter from reading it, though. Just because it's not love in the way Christian love should be, it's still good for her to read other forms of literature so that we can discuss what's right and what isn't." But it's just not that simple. Do you remember being 13 years old? It's easy to get swept up into love stories. I can't think of one teenage girl who doesn't have crushes on boy actors. So while you may have good intentions of letting her read the Twilight series, the bottom line is that she's going to get sucked into it. It completely appeals to the teenage girl's interest in love stories. It might start off with her reading the first book, but then she'll move on to the second, and then third, and the fourth. She'll go from reading about a crush... then onto blood lust... to physical lust... to killings... then pregnancy... then talk of abortion... then the desire for immortality via vampirism. Your daughter will want to see the movie, and put posters up on her wall, and send Facebook flair, and so on and so forth.

I'm not saying that Christian parents who allow their young daughters to read these books are bad parents or going against God. I'm just saying be careful. The devil is sneaky. Over the past 4 or 5 decades, he has slowly worked his deceptions, lies and manipulations to pull God out of schools and public places. No longer are Bibles allowed on school campuses. No more can the Ten Commandments be posted in public places. Prayer is not allowed in schools. It's "unconstitutional" to have God or Christianity present in any public forum or institution that your child might be a part of. Over time, Satan has managed to deceive us into removing God from our children's public life. Now part 2 of his act seems to be introducing Godless themes and ideas as perfectly acceptable. Homosexuality is cool. Teenage pregnancy isn't the big deal it used to be. Abortion is a woman's right. Abstinence doesn't work, so safe sex is better. Vampire love stories are romantic. And on, and on, and on.

In Philippians 4:8-9, Paul writes: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

Why did Paul write that? What does that mean? He's talking about the power of suggestion and surrounding yourself with things that are Godly. Why do you think motivational posters are so popular in offices these days? Because when something occupies your sight or mind on a consistent basis, it becomes part of your thought process. You instinctively and subconsciously gravitate towards those images and thoughts. That's why reading Scripture is so important. If a Christian reads Scripture daily as opposed to once a week or a few times a month, it's more likely that he'll use, remember, reflect on and incorporate the message of God into his daily life.

So with that in mind, think about the highly-influenced teenage girl who might read the Twilight series each day... watch the movies a few times... discuss the characters and plots with her friends... and see the poster on her wall every night and every morning. The messages of the story, whether intended or not, will become part of her subconscious. Vampires... blood lust... sex... obsession... submissiveness... rivalry... anger... darkness... death... werewolves...

All of that becomes a part of her daily life. Do those things sound Godly? Would they be pure, true, lovely, praiseworthy and noble in God's eyes?

I think an even better lesson for your child would be to teach them to stand apart from the masses of followers. I know it's not an easy thing for a 13 or 14 year old to understand and accept, but this is why it's difficult being a parent. It's your job to show them that following the crowd is not what brings goodness into their lives, especially when the crowd is following something dark and sinister.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul gives them instructions. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)

Sure, lots of children and teens in past decades have had a fascination with scary movies and such things as vampires, werewolves, mummies, etc. But this is one of the first times where creatures of the night have been romanticized in such a way that it tugs at the heartstrings of our teens and causes their eyes to glaze over in daydreams. Most parents and educators just shrug, and say that it doesn't bother them as long as the stories are somewhat clean and the kids are reading. No longer is there any sense of darkness and light, right and wrong, good and evil. Parents roll their eyes and say, "Hey, kids are wise enough to know. They're so grown up these days."

But the prophet Isaiah says:

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.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight. (Isaiah 5:20-21)

Do not be the one who encourages your child confuse dark with light, or good for evil. Protect them and guide them so that they have the wisdom and knowledge to discern and understand things that are pure, good, light, noble, righteous and glorious. Give them the confidence and strength through God's word to stand up against those things that are unholy, dark and impure.

And in my small and humble opinion, I am really bothered by the fact that the book has a passage from Genesis on its front pages. "Forbidden" or not, I just don't like the idea of God's holy words on a fictional novel about vampires and werewolves. If this was a genre book tucked back into the horror section of a bookstore, I wouldn't be so verbal in my opposition. But this book is specifically intended for and marketed to teenagers. That just makes it that much more wrong.

1 Corinthians 10:32 states: "Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God--"

This means your children, as well. Do not cause them to stumble in their faith or in their journey at a young age because you didn't step up and show them right from wrong. Do not encourage their fascination with darkness because you didn't reinforce God's light. And most of all, don't ignore the signs of opportunity to teach them God's word when they can be so easily influenced by the Devil's. "Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." (Ephesians 6:10) Be strong in the Lord to protect your children and guide them to Christ.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14) He is talking to you.

Jesus also said, "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly." (Mark 7:20-22)

In order for things of that nature to come out from within your heart, they have to be put there in the first place. And Satan with his evil minions are working to do just that very thing in any/every way they know how. Protect your child's heart by keeping them from stories like Twilight. I can assure you that God and Christ would not endorse those novels.

Instead, take your teen to a Christian bookstore and encourage them to pick out a novel that seems better suited to the Scriptures. Maybe someday soon someone will write a tween story about angels, and create a book based on the love for/from God.

Many blessings to you all...