Recently I've had several people ask me what I think, as a pastor of youth, of Twilight, the new movie based on a best selling novel series. I thought I would post my thoughts here in case anyone is still reading this blog.
Let me preface my response to this question by admitting that I've not read the Twilight book series, nor have I seen the movie, and most likely will not be doing either anytime soon. I have only tried to understand the premise second-hand through Christian and secular reviews, and other places that give information about it.
That said, I actually see nothing positive about either the books or the new movie, and see no benefit whatsoever in either reading the story, or seeing it play out on a movie screen. In fact, I would go so far as to say that these movies are particularly dangerous, perhaps more-so than a lot of entertainment out there today. I say this, because, from what I can understand, the "moral lessons" present a kind of morality that absolutely opposes the true morality God has established in Scripture. I'll try to explain by giving examples.
- The whole idea of love in this movie (a good thing) is in reality nothing but idolatry. Bella and Edward are enraptured with one another that Bella would lie to her father to protect her romantic interests, Edward would sneak into Bella's room and watch her sleep, and Bella would be willing to go to the dark side and be cursed forever (i.e. become a vampire) in order to be with her vampire boyfriend.
- Vamprism is put in a positive light. These beings that have supposedly been forever cursed by God, are actually viewed as good moral beings, for the most part, who are genuinely struggling to choose goodness. I realize that such beings are merely fictional, but the idea of such a being is absolutely absurd according to Scripture. Those who are apart from God and cursed by God are enemies of God. They are not good, and they are not genuinely trying to do what is right. They are rebels who love their rebellion, and who are determined to continue in it. So, even if vampires did exist, they would not be good moral creatures, as Twilight would present.
- There is a scene in which Edward sleeps with Bella in her bed, fully clothed, throughout the night. This is seen as a good thing - since intercourse with Bella would make Edward want to kill her. Therefore, in this movie, it is presented as acceptable for a 17 year old high school junior to sleep in the same bed with her boyfriend, as long as they do not have sex. Edward and Bella are seen as acting honorably then, since they resist the urge to engage in intercourse with one another. They are presented as struggling with a genuine moral dilemma, and in this case at least, choosing that which is good. Yet, from God's perspective, a choice like that is obviously not honorable or good in any way; but seriously dangerous and completely unwise.
I could go on, but these give you an idea of what I am saying. The problem with the Twilight series has to do primarily with the fact that it presents a kind of goodness that is, according to Scripture, not goodness at all, but rebellion against God. Love, in Twilight is not really love, it is idolatry. What Twilight paints to be good, is not good at all, it is sin and only sin. I guess this is true of the vast majority of entertainment out there, but it seems to be particularly deceiving in Twilight, since the sin it glorifies is glorified with very little of what we would normally expect (i.e. very little profanity, no sex, no nudity, etc.). Rather, sin in this series and movie, is presented as something pure, something valuable, something very good. That presents an even greater danger for those who will enjoy this series & movie, in my opinion, since it deceives people into thinking certain actions and attitudes to be moral, when in fact they are anything but.
But don't just take my word for it. Evaluate it yourself, second-hand, as I have done, if at all possible. How? I would recommend using what Walt Mueller calls , the 3-D review process.
Step One: Discover: Discover what the themes and messages of the movie/book/song are. What's the main idea? How is the movie/book/song/etc. suggesting that I think, act, or live in a certain way? What does it say about God? What does it say about people? What does it say about how we are to treat people? What set of morals is it presenting? Where does it say peace and/or hope is found? What does it present as our greatest problem, and what is its "gospel"?
Step Two: Discern: Figure out what the Bible says about those same themes & messages? What does the Bible say about these same things, and how is what the Bible says different from what the movie/book/song says?
Step Three: Decide: Based on the answers to the above questions, consider whether God would desire for you to enjoy this movie/song/book. Ideally, we should do this before we engage in these kinds of things, but it is just as important to do this kind of evaluation after we have seen or read or listened to these things as well, so if you're one of the millions who have become wrapped up in this story, it's not too late to apply a biblical mind to it if you have not done so already.
Simply put, 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says: "test everything; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." If Twilight is good, by God's definition, hold fast to it. If it is evil, as I believe it is, you know what to do.
