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The *Twilight* book series... does your teen dd read these? (CC)


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EK has friends who read the Twilight books, and she is interested in reading them too. Someone told her that these are Christian books, but I told her that I really don't think so -- a Christian vampire??? :glare:.

 

Am I wrong in thinking that these books would not be appropriate reading for a 14yo girl who is very unapologetically Christian? EK hasn't been allowed to read the Harry Potter books because of the witchcraft themes, and Harry Potter seems downright tame compared to what little I've read about Twilight!

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Okay so here goes...

 

I've read the first three in the Twilight series. I would not even consider these Christian in the slightest. The do touch on the subject of souls, God, and even morality (waiting for sex until after marriage). I would not say there is anything extremely awful from a Christian perspective other then the the vampires. If I had a teen daughter I would probably let her read them. In all I would say that even Harry Potter has more Christian themes (some very blatant ones in fact) than the Twilight series.

 

I am a Christian so I do understand your concerns. I think your best bet would be that if your heart is telling you to keep your daughter from reading them... then you should listen to it.

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The author is Mormon and there are certainly some very broadly Christian themes overall in the books -- but I would by no means call them "Christian". They touch on issues of morality, sin, predestination vs free will, etc...

 

I gave a copy of Twilight to my sister when she was 17, with my mom's blessing. The first three books are very chaste, though there's certainly a lot of longing (highlight to read minor spoiler -- the characters do have sex after marriage in the fourth book, though nothing really explicit, it's not described in detail, just how great it is, lol), and the vampire thing... Well, they're "vegetarians"... ;o)

 

But as the PP said, the Christianity is far, far more explicit in Harry Potter.

 

My dd is young, but I don't think I'd have a problem with her reading the Twilight books when she's an older teen. 14 would probably be borderline for me.

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My dd (15 next month) is devouring these books right now. She started the first book on Monday night, and is working on the fourth one right now. Based on how little I've seen of her today, she's probably going to be finished that book before the end of the day. She's been zooming through her school work each day so that she can read more before she heads out to her evening activities, and then she reads until late at night (I know this, because she's been very tired each morning).

 

She is a very strong Christian, and I trust her to let me know if she feels as though a book is "crossing the line" for her. Her favorite genre is fantasy, so there are books I allow her to read that I might not feel perfectly comfortable with. At the developmental stage that she's at, I'd probably have more issues with the romance than with the vampires. At least she knows that vampires are not real. She hasn't yet learned that all those warm, fuzzy, goose-bumpy feelings aren't always the way love feels.

 

I first let her read them because all of her Christian friends who go to the local Christian school were reading them. Everywhere we go we run into someone else who is reading them, or whose sister is reading them. They are very popular around here right now.

 

Also, dd wants to go to the movie when it comes out, but really wanted to read the book before seeing the movie, which I always prefer her to do.

 

I'm not sure if I've been helpful. I haven't read them myself. I have allowed dd to read the Harry Potter books, but she was old enough to process the witchcraft in a healthy way, so I don't think it had a negative impact on her faith. You know your dd best, and you know what she can handle and process.

 

Lori

PS - I just found my 13 yo ds in his room. Apparently he's enjoying these books, too. He's on the second one. I told him there's a mom on the WTM boards wanting to know if the books were appropriate for a 14 yo Christian girl. He kind of shrugged, and said there were a few swears. I guess he doesn't think vampires are inappropriate subject matter for young, Christian girls.

Edited by LBC
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