By Hannah Goodwyn
CBN.com Producer
CBN.com - The Twilight Saga is unquestionably the biggest media phenomenon – especially among young women – this decade. Just mention the name Edward to any teenage girl and she will immediately think of the 104-year-old teenage vampire from best-selling author Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books. They will know what you mean when you ask, "Are you on Team Edward or Team Jacob?" They may even have bought tickets to the second Twilight installment, New Moon, which doesn’t release until Nov. 20.
This international craze warrants parents' attention. In fact, we should all understand the force behind the resurgence of vampires in pop culture. Twilight isn’t merely the first novel in a four-book tale by Meyer; it was the catalyst for new vampire TV shows, movies, and Christian novels. That’s right, Christian vampire literature. Before we get into how widespread this fetish with vampires has reached, let’s take a look at what started it all.
The Twilight Effect
Meyer’s Twilight series has a dedicated fan base, with more than 17 million books in print. The low-budget first movie made almost $200 million dollars at the box office. With a new director at the helm and a bigger budget, New Moon is expected to rake in much more. The mostly unknown actors (Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart) in the first film became instant celebrities; they can't go out in public now without being mobbed. Amazon.com labeled Twilight as the “Best Book of the Decade… So Far.” It also has been chosen as The New York Time Editor’s Choice and The American Library Association’s “Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults”.
Almost overnight, competing vampire stories have crept into our view in the form of new TV series’ and movies. This fall, the CW introduced a drama called The Vampire Diaries, which is based on novels published in the ‘90s. HBO premiered their own vampire drama, True Blood, to the delight of critics and viewers alike. The first season garnered wide critical acclaim and several prestigious awards, including an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Cam Gigandent, who plays James in Twilight, will star in another vampire flick, Priest (set to release in 2010). In January, Willem Dafoe and Ethan Hawke’s new film, Daybreakers, will give readers a taste of what mankind would be like if a plague transformed almost every human into vampires. Rumor has it, Hollywood also will soon be working on a Buffy, the Vampire Slayer movie.
Each of these bloody tales glamorizes vampires to the point that many fans can think of nothing else. Since the beginning of the Twilight craze, more than 350 fan sites have showed up online. When discussing the first film (as recorded on www.twilightthemovie.com), producer Wyck Godfrey unintentionally hinted to the danger behind this modern-day love story.
"There's a huge amount of danger in this movie," Godfrey continues. "There's also just the excitement of a teenager doing things that are verboten. These are things that people connect to. And not just girls; I think that guys will discover it's dangerous, there's action, there's a thriller element to it, and then, ultimately, that it's cool to be a vampire."
Meyer’s based the story on what she saw one night in a dream. Brought up in the Mormon Church, Meyer built the books around the issue of teenage lust. Edward’s love settles so deep within that he must passionately resist his hunger for Bella. She too faces temptation – wanting to give into her desires. Readers discover some pretty reckless behavior on both their parts. Edward frequently sneaks into Bella’s bedroom to watch her sleep, and she consistently lies to parents in order to protect her relationship with her powerful, vampire boyfriend.
God vs. The Occult
The Christian market is also jumping on the bandwagon. Today, WaterBrook Press is releasing a new vampire book by Christian author Tracey Bateman. Thirsty is the story of Nina Parker, a recovering alcoholic who is convinced that something is hunting her. When animals begin to disappear from the reserve and then turn up slaughtered, Parker is faced with even more as she is tempted to quench her own thirst. Bateman’s novel is described as a tale that examines the inner battle between love and obsession.
Vampire shows and movies aren’t a new concept in entertainment. However, the Twilight characters have propelled this trend into a bigger phenomenon that should not be ignored. Its popularity begs the need for parents to pay attention to what their kids are reading and watching. Is a book burning session the answer? I’m not sure that’s the solution. What our culture ultimately needs is the understanding of God vs. the occult.
Through a web of complicated events, readers are faced with important lessons that many parents would want their kids to learn and adapt into their lives. These themes of love, sacrifice, and selflessness are all great pluses in the series. However, the occultism is too overpowering. The Bible does not mention vampires, but it does refer to the significance of blood.
In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22 (New Living Translation)
Humans who proposed to be vampires, who drink blood, are committing a grave sin against God -- even beyond that of practicing witchcraft.
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division... Galatians 5:19-20 (New Living Translation)
Legend has that by drinking blood a person can gain power. This is similar to the thoughts that may have entered Eve’s mind in the Garden.
The serpent told the Woman, "You won't die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you'll see what's really going on. You'll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil." Genesis 3: 4-5 (The Message)
Pride, a desire to become powerful -- even god-like, can cripple a person’s soul. What's especially interesting is that an apple is aptly used as a symbol of temptation in Twilight.
The fate of “vampires” is addressed in Twilight as well. Edward feels he has no soul, no chance at redemption. In an effort to argue that there are more pros than cons to becoming a vampire, Bella tries to convince him that they must have a chance. In the end, she is resigned to live with Edward forever – an eternity void of God. There is no redemption outside of them. Besides, they are supposedly undead creatures, meaning they’ve basically missed their shot at choosing where they will spend eternity.
Readers should be cautious when partaking in these popular stories. Valuable lessons can be learned from them, but at what expense? Parents of fans need to talk it out with their kids to make sure that this glamorized view of vampires isn’t building a seed of doubt in God or a desire for the occult.
Hannah Goodwyn read the Twilight series -- so she knows of what she speaks.
She serves as a producer for CBN.com. For more articles, visit Hannah's bio page.
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