Comments on Joyfully At Home: Abstaining from the Madness

This was great! I know nothing about this other t...

2010-04-23T15:48:18.944-05:00

This was great! I know nothing about this other than what you have briefly laid out here...but I appreciate your thoughts and perspective. ;0)

I never liked Edward. He needs to get a backbone. ...

2010-03-25T22:39:08.408-05:00

I never liked Edward. He needs to get a backbone. Jacob on the other hand..... jk.

Good post, by the way =D

Thanks for this post! I linked to it on my blog. :...

2009-12-11T00:23:30.826-06:00

Thanks for this post! I linked to it on my blog. :)

I was looking back over your different blog posts ...

2009-12-05T12:01:56.704-06:00

I was looking back over your different blog posts (since I hadn't visited in a while)and couldn't help but read this post. I had only ever seen posters at our local library and don't have any friends who read the book so it was interesting learning a little bit more about the book.
I really appreciated what you said about emotional pornography. I am a person who can fantasize and dream alot easier than my other friends. And after reading your post it reminded me why I don't read romance books.
Thanks for all your hard work, I will defiantly be checking your blog more often from now on!!!

Persuaded, Thank you so much for sharing your th...

2009-12-01T21:19:05.216-06:00

Persuaded,

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, ma'am --they've got the gears in my brain turning --those are some very astute and thought-provoking observations. =)

~~

Thank you for what you've written! I echo your th...

2009-12-01T14:30:54.332-06:00

Thank you for what you've written! I echo your thoughts.

I work with 5 women who are obsessed with the Twilight/New Moon books and movies. They have tried to give me the books to borrow and read. At first I resisted because I detest books that are completely fictional with no believable qualities. Then I looked up the books to get an idea of what they were to see if I would be interested. I decided, from reading reviews, that they were not books that I needed to spend time reading when there are much better things to read.

My daughter Amelia and I watched the first movie i...

2009-12-01T09:19:51.032-06:00

My daughter Amelia and I watched the first movie in this series together and I was, quite frankly, repulsed. Even if one disregards the whole vampire aspect, the story itself is odd and disturbing. What I find very interesting though is what this says about the young girls of today. In todays feminist society, it is surprising to me that so many girls are captivated by this character and her story. She is allowed to be free and independent (by her parents) but instead of reveling in her independence, she gives herself over to a very strong male character. He cherishes her (kinda), he protects her and sacrifices himself for her. Hmmm... it seems the antithesis of the egalitarian-type relationship that is lauded by feminists.

So I suppose, for all that is sad and disturbing about the Twilight phenomenon, we can find a shred of encouragement. The very fact that young girls are so drawn to this story, reminds us of the roles that God has created for men and women. In fact the books' very popularity confirms that God has created us separate and different from each other- that women desire to be cherished and protected not to be "equal and independent." It is bred into us by our Creator. Our "desire shall be for our husbands and they shall have the rule over us"... or something like that;)

When I first heard about Twilight, I was rather st...

2009-11-28T23:22:32.939-06:00

When I first heard about Twilight, I was rather stunned. Falling in love with a vampire??
Think about it folks, for just a split second. He's a VAMPIRE.

My mom read a review by a Christian lady the other day, who, my mom told me with great disgust, was attributing fruits of the Spirit (that would be the Holy Spirit) to Edward.
We're talking about a vampire here. How can vampires (even fantasy ones) be thought of as in any way "good"? Maybe I am just sheltered (thank you Dad and Mom), but I've always thought of vampires as inerrantly Evil. GOD is good.

Just looked up "vampire" on Wikipedia, and here's the first line:
"Mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures regardless of them being undead or a living person."

Who is the Giver of Life? The Creator of Life?
Would not something that is feeding on other creatures' life-blood be destroying life... therefore be opposite of God, and therefore be opposing God?

The Bible says whoever is not for God is against God. I'm thinking vampires would be falling into that category.

I have been extremely disturbed lately by an increase in ads (or maybe just an increase in my seeing them) for psychic readings.
The world's obsession with darkness and evil is no accident. The Lord's return is drawing near, Satan is working overtime, and we as Christians need to be working overtime as well.
That should leave little time for dreaming about Edward the Vampire.

The Twilight movies remind me of an older movie ca...

2009-11-27T16:10:59.927-06:00

The Twilight movies remind me of an older movie called "Endless Love" with Brooke Shields. It dealt with the same kind of obsessive love/lust for another person. It's not something to desire girls. Thank you Jasmine for your post.

Wonderful post! I agree with you 100%. Twilight ha...

2009-11-27T15:15:27.111-06:00

Wonderful post! I agree with you 100%. Twilight has saturated the minds of so many girls and women... and none of them seem to realize these books aren't as harmless as they claim. One of my good friends, who is also a pastor's daughter, has the entire series on her shelf... I've also had to discuss the "Twilight" issue with young girls at my Bible Study. So many people need to be awakened to the seriousness of this matter.
Thanks for writing about this... it really needs to be said!

Your Sister in Christ,
WarriorMaiden

Hello Jasmine, I know you might find this hard to...

2009-11-27T10:42:10.657-06:00

Hello Jasmine,

I know you might find this hard to believe, but I hadn't heard of this book or film. I live in a very remote part of Scotland and don't keep up with movies or books much.

This was a wonderful post though, and I heartily agree with your sentiments.

Love in Him,
Tina

Hi, Jasmine. I have read all four of the Twilight...

2009-11-27T09:38:33.262-06:00

Hi, Jasmine. I have read all four of the Twilight books, and while my reasoning for disliking them is somewhat different from yours, I agree that these are not good books to give to adolescent females. (I don't believe in banning books, but if I had a daughter who read them, we would have to discuss them at great length.) I found the character of Edward to be extremely disturbing. This, for me, was not so much because he was a vampire. Instead, I found many of his actions to be inappropriate.

Edward was never physically violent towards Bella, but I found his behavior to be extremely controlling and it raised several red flags for me that indicated he had the potential to become an abuser, especially if he was a real life person and not a book character. (I grew up in a house with domestic violence and so I am sensitive to these issues.) Things like sabotaging Bella’s vehicle to limit her mobility or having Alice (his sort of sister, for you non-Twilight readers) keep tabs on Bella while he was away disturbed me. Furthermore, sneaking into Bella’s room to watch her sleep (without her even knowing he was present) is extremely disturbing. The legal system would classify that as stalking. (They’d probably throw in breaking and entering as well.) The justification for these behaviors is that Edward loves Bella. I didn’t see that as love – I saw it as obsession and dangerous obsession at that. It’s not romantic – it’s disturbing. Bella needs a restraining order and Edward needs counseling at the least.

You hit the nail on the head! Thank you for this ...

2009-11-27T06:06:17.769-06:00

You hit the nail on the head! Thank you for this post!

Great post, Jasmine! I have no interest in this se...

2009-11-26T21:42:25.299-06:00

Great post, Jasmine! I have no interest in this series, but your post has made me aware of the disturbing fact that this series is "big" in Christian circles. Wow, that's really disturbing. It reminds me of the hoopla surrounding the movie, Titanic a few years ago. Christian women raved over the movie, hands clasped to hearts as the swooned over, "What he did for her!"(Can't remember the main character's names, sorry!) I was just aghast, because the story involved so much lust, impropriety, and fornication. Now I hear that this same attitude is cropping up over the Twilight series. This gives me much to pray about. The enemy is having a field day distracting Christian women.

Thanks for informing us about this!

First off, I would be rather shocked if you and th...

2009-11-26T18:13:13.777-06:00

First off, I would be rather shocked if you and the majority of your readers approved of the Twilight books. I agree with many of your points, but I also think there is nothing wrong with reading Twilight if one doesn't take it seriously. The Botkins calling it porn was rather harsh. It is a book and while some may have an unhealthy obsession with it, for most it is just fun, light reading.

I read lots of books, some good literature or good Christian living books and some that are just fun. And Twilight is just that. Although I'm not sure if you're the type of person who disapproves of fantasy in general (I've met some Christians who feel that CS Lewis' Narnia series--which is great literature IMHO--is wrong).

I'm not saying that you or any of your readers should read the Twilight series if you don't want to or feel it would morally corrupt you. But just cut the rest of us some slack.

-an occasional reader

Jasmine, Hello. I (know you've hear this before...

2009-11-25T21:03:43.379-06:00

Jasmine,

Hello.

I (know you've hear this before) found out about your blog through -- you guessed it -- your dad. My family has been so encouraged by his "nonconformist stance" and you have been a great encouragement also.

I know very little about the Twilight saga. Its been a gradual crescendo from hearing about Twilight via a few friends, to, having the series stare at me every time I enter my local Barnes & Noble.

As I’ve already said, I knew nothing about the books, and yet I had a strange sense of caution. There was a vibe I was getting in regards to Twilight.

You see, I never read a page of Harry Potter. I found out its subject and decided that witchcraft (sorry if it sounds harsh) was not a subject I wanted to read thousands of pages about.

Oddly, there is this same sort of obsession with the Twilight series. That kind of wide-spread addiction always puts me on my guard.

My suspicions about how edifying or appropriate the books were was confirmed. I know someone who has (I can almost say) NEVER read a whole book in their life. Yet, they were so completely obsessed with the novel that they finished the series in about a week. Now, I don't know about you, but anyone who HATES reading that much, but CANNOT put Twilight down worried me, to say the least.

You nailed it! I thank you for taking the time to address these books that have been a deadly epidemic that has (unfortunately)been accepted by the church. Thank you for clearing up any of my doubts about Twilight.

Take care.

Jasmine, That was well written. Thank you for inf...

2009-11-25T20:26:02.265-06:00

Jasmine,

That was well written. Thank you for informing the truth about Edward and Bella's romance. I never saw the movies, nor read the books. In fact, I didn't really have a stand on the film until I did my own research, too. Now, I can say that I wont be missing out much on the Twilight crave.

I wrote an article for a local website about New Moon. My perspective was placed on Bella's strong-will and disobedience in the film, not in the book (According to readers, the book didn't enphasize much on a rebellious Bella). But still this was a matter that, as mentioned in scriptures, leads to or is a form of idolatry. Man, did I get lots of hate comments when I posted it on Facebook. Lol.

Thank you so much again for your post. It really encouraged me to be the godly man that I need to be so that one day I can serve my godly wife for the glory of our risen Lord. :)

Mauricio Belgrano

Jasmine, Thank you for this post. We have been a...

2009-11-25T18:14:44.292-06:00

Jasmine,

Thank you for this post. We have been a Twiligh-free home from the beginning. First of all my daughters are young 10 and fourteen and I am very careful about what they see. My oldest has seen Emma, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice but we are careful to discuss every every detail to make sure we do not get carried away with flights of fancy and a wrong image of men, courtship and marriage.

As for Twilight I am very concerned with Christians believing it is okay to have anything to do with the occult. The Word is clear here, we are to stay away from it. It is for this reason that we do not celebrate Halloween. Vampire's, werewolf's and witches really have no place in the life of a Christian. I think we can find better more God honoring ways to amuse ourselves.

I will be glad when all of the fuss surrounding these books dies down. Great post Jasmine! I am sure it was encouraging to many teen-age girls. I know it was to my daughter she was the one who told me about this post.

Hello Jasmine, I don't really know much of "Twili...

2009-11-25T14:52:37.355-06:00

Hello Jasmine,

I don't really know much of "Twilight", but I am thankful that I do not! Thank you for posting about the Botkin Sisters post--it was outstanding! I still need to read yours... But - I was wondering what you thought about Jane Austen’s books. I’ve never really read her books and I’ve never seen any movies based on her books, but many of my friends have. What’s your view on Austen’s books? Are they good wholesome books worth taking the time to read?

Thank you,

~Shiloh

Oh. My. Goodness. Jasmine, that was AMAZING!!! I'v...

2009-11-25T12:36:08.061-06:00

Oh. My. Goodness.
Jasmine, that was AMAZING!!!
I've written many posts about Twilight and my views on it, and you hit every one perfectly!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Well done~ Jasmine! :) Thank you for speaking the...

2009-11-25T12:16:19.072-06:00

Well done~ Jasmine! :)
Thank you for speaking the
truth and encouraging us to
'fix our eyes on Jesus'

Love in Him~ Jen

Can I just say "A Hearty Amen" Jasmine? Mrs. Denn...

2009-11-25T11:48:30.220-06:00

Can I just say "A Hearty Amen" Jasmine?

Mrs. Denner

Thank you, Michelle, for your kind words. Please f...

2009-11-25T10:59:43.100-06:00

Thank you, Michelle, for your kind words. Please feel free to print of anything you find encouraging. ;-)

~~

Hi, Sharon! Thank you for commenting! Although I ...

2009-11-25T10:49:24.587-06:00

Hi, Sharon!

Thank you for commenting! Although I can see your point, and would not encourage everyone to read Twilight just for the purpose of refuting it, I feel the need to point out that, as my dad's research assistant, the nature of my job is to read things that I don't agree with, or wouldn't necessarily recommend that everyone read (from literature regarding the homosexual agenda to "The Shack"). I'm very used to reading source documents when writing reviews or doing research, and so it came very naturally to me in this instance.

Because Twilight is so pervasive in Christian circles, and because someone very dear to me was struggling with a Twilight obsession not too long ago, I wanted to lend credibility to my review by actually having done some in-depth research on the topic. I reviewed it because it is so pervasive, and because I hoped that my review would 1) offer a different perspective to those who have struggled with the Twilight obsession, and 2) provide those helping others through their "obsession" with some firsthand information about the series.

I loved this bit of your comment:

"My thought process was as follows: the book celebrates darkness and vampires, therefore is not fit reading material according to Phil 4:8. End of thought process. :)"

While I personally believe your thought process is very sound indeed, for some people, it's simply not that simple. I thought others might benefit from getting a more in-depth look at the series, and hoped to provide it with this review.

I hope that clears things up a bit! Thanks again for taking the time to comment.

Blessings to you ~

whoa... i read Visionary Daughter's post too and t...

2009-11-25T10:19:21.317-06:00

whoa... i read Visionary Daughter's post too and thought it was great... just 'seeing' the trailer when we went to see Prince Caspian was enough for me! The movie looked way too creepy... I felt really bad afterwards... and I KNEW I'd never want to see it... ever... if it's okay, I'm printing this off... I write fantasy, but I want it to be glorifying to the Lord... not a rehash of Twilight or Harry Potter...

Is it okay that I printed it off to use for 'outlines' for myself? I had also printed of the Boktin's sister's article, and I have printed off Doug Philip's article on Harrypotter/Fantasy too...

Thanks! I enjoy your blog! =) Well, you get that all the time, but thanks for really being yourself, and not a 'made up perfect' person... : )