Is this book okay for me, as a Christian??

Question

I really love the Twilight series..
i finished Twilight last week, and
I'm most likely to be finished with New Moon today..
I simply love th characters and the story, the plot..
but something keeps getting to my mind..

is "Twilight" okay for me to read, as a christian tho?
i mean, it's got vampires in it..
but not the typical "bloodsucker" vampires
who kill people..
this book is different with those other vampires..
is it okay for christians to read books
that has something about vampires or werewolves involved in it (for characters i mean)..
I just want to know..
*is my question sort of weird..?

ok,
who ACTUALLY read the book
and is Christian???
I mean, this book doesn't have the gores, horrorness, or pretty much,
anything about vampires or werewolves.. this book is clearly different than those other vampires and werewolves I thought I knew..
These vampires are good guys..aren't they?? (in the book).
and this book has like, romance, and adventure, sort of mystery..
...you need to tell me the source by the way..~

Answer 1

Is it okay for you as a Christian to read the Twilight series? It's not really a question that can be answered with "thou shalt" or "thou shalt not" by someone else. It's really a matter between you, your conscience and the Lord.

Don't forget what Paul says in Romans 14:23: "But the man who has doubts (misgivings, an uneasy conscience) about eating, and then eats, stands condemned, because he is not true to his convictions and he does not act from faith."

He's talking about eating certain things here, but the same could apply to anything that's on this order and not called sin by the Bible. If you are convinced that it's sin and go ahead and do it, you do wrong. If - in a situation like this - you are convinced it's fine then it's fine for you. (Of course, I'm not talking about doing something that God specifically calls sin.) Paul is talking about outward things like eating and drinking, and I think reading and watching movies would fall into the same category. (BTW: Paul talks about everything - the outward, not sins - being legal for him but not everything is profitable.)

About the above, there was a time when many churches told the congregation it was a sin to go to a movie - any movie - and if Jesus came and found them in a theater, they'd be left behind. That's RELIGION Not Christianity.

Basically, I'm saying that you should neither be influenced or feel condemned by people saying, "That's sin," if you read it or by those saying, "That's ridiculous," if you choose not to read it! Either way they're judging. Truly, it's simply between you, your conscience and Jesus.

Now if you were talking about a satanist "how to" book or one that literally blasphemes Jesus....

Remember from Ecclesiastes 12:12, second sentence -"...Of making many books there is no end [so do not believe everything you read], and much study is a weariness of the flesh."

Addition: I forgot to mention that, yes, I am a Christian!

Answer 2

I am a Christian. I love the Twilight series. I look at them a little differently then you do. Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula, was a Christian. Stephenie Meyer is Mormon. Even if you think that being Mormon is being part of a cult, you can't deny that she has high moral standards.

It's not the characters that make a book okay to read or not okay. It's what the book promotes. The Twilight series has to do with the power and strength of love. That isn't a bad thing. So it's fantasy. So it's got vampires and werewolves. Since when did God command us not to use our imaginations? I also think Harry Potter is fine to read. Don't look at the characters to tell you whether or not you should be reading a book, otherwise every book with an evil character in it is going to be off limits. Judge it by its themes.

Answer 3

Just to give you some perspective, for most of the time A.D. writing was heavily censured for religious and moral content. Some monks who illuminated (drew pictures for) texts were criticized for enjoying it too much. The only thing worthy of communication was God's law.
The first literary critics judged a work 1st on moral content. Only if the moral was deemed "good" was the writing style even considered.
So, I guess your question isn't weird, historically.
Do you think that reading Twilight harms your faith or your soul? Or, does reading about vampires and monsters harm your soul? I really can't imagine answering yes for myself, so this is going to be your decision.

Edit: Looking at the response beneath gives me a good reason to encourage people to read a variety of things: If one doesn't, one runs the risk of turning into a narrow-minded name-caller. Really, being called a false Christian for reading a story? How about for judging and being so obnoxious that you lose the humility you should have been born with?
One small step to calling a Tellytubby gay.

Answer 4

I'm Muslim and I'm a fan of these books.

These books aren't the book of Satan so I don't see why you shouldn't read them. I don't believe in werewolves and vampires but I still read these books.

I think you should be fine, even being a Christian. These books are not against God or anything. Also the author is a Mormon so I don't think she would put anything innapropriate in these books!

I was in your position while buying these books because of my religion but i brought the books anyway!

I write gothic novels (vampires, werewolves, werecats...) and I'm religious. I know it's odd but I don't let my writing affect me as a religious person and you shouldn't let the books stop you from being religious. Also, you shouldn't let your religion stop you from reading these books!

My cousins who are also Muslim read these books so go ahead.

So what if these are vampires in these books. These vamps aren't telling you to convert!

Answer 5

I am a Christian, and my fictional tastes include the Harry Potter series and all of Stephen King's books. Reading them has not harmed my beliefs one whit.
You enjoy the books - go ahead and read them. And then read some more. God has no interest in denying us the small pleasures of life - though some people would like to.

Answer 6

To me, your question is not weird, just a bit unsettling; I will just state my opinion, for what it is worth.
It is okay for Christians to read ALL books, provided they can distinguish facts from fiction. You can be a Christian and read a Satanist book for the pure sake of knowledge, without of course believing or agreeing with one single word of it.
Being Christian does not mean to wear blinders and go around as harnessed horses. It means to read and critique books from a Christian point of view and being able to tell fact from fiction and argument for or against ideas.
My goodness, I thought the times of Inquisition and censorship were long gone!

Answer 7

I consider myself a Christian and have read all 3 of the Twilight series books. I think it is a matter of personal moral standards...if you think it's alright to be reading it then it's ok. Everyone's got to decide for themselves.

Answer 8

Sure, it's OK.

I checked the Ten Commandments, which is *god's* definition of sin, twice. Nothing there about not reading books.

You're not allowed to *worship* the book. But otherwise, it's OK.

If someone tells you something is a sin, and it's not listed in the Ten Commandments, they are working for Satan, not God.

Answer 9

well, it's considered "secular" since it isn't about jesus. so the answer the church would give you is that you shouldn't read it.

however, did you like reading it? did you enjoy it? did it feel good? did you hurt yourself or anyone else by reading it? if not, then don't listen to what they have to say. there's a pretty fine line in believing in god, the church, the bible and mindlessly following and doing exactly what they say without ever exploring for yourself.

Answer 10

You are asking people on here to get justification for enjoying it. Ask yourself why you love the characters? You know why and thats why the Christian part of your mind is yelling at you. Im sure you will get other advice from non-Christians and false Christians alike telling you that its ok. But you already know the answer to your own question.

*Edit* I just read Paul Dings comment and i will have to disagree maybe. He said theres is nothing about reading books, but the first Commandment is "I am the lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before me" This means that if you like the twilight series above the bible, you are breaking the first commandment.