I got Tagged!!!

I got tagged by Grey Traveler! It is one of my favorites that I have seen going around for a while. Now I get to do it!

The rules are as follow:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Tag 20 friends.
5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing.
6. Have Fun!

IF SOMEONE SAYS ‘ARE YOU OKAY’ YOU SAY?
What the world needs now is Love - Jackie De Shannon (my mom and I share an Ipod, so this is her song)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Ji-Go-Lo-Ba - Santana (no idea what that means, I think it's Spanish)



HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Gloria (Missa Luba, An African Mass) - Muungano National Choir


WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Lotta Love - ??? (not really!!!) (another of my moms songs)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Break on through - The Doors

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Certain Kind of Fool - Eagles (I suppose Authors have been considered insane)

WHAT’S YOUR MOTTO?
Feel like going Home - Notting Hillbillies (there is no place like home)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Across the Lines - Tracy Chapman (What lines?)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Midnight Walker - Davy Spillane (well, they do say I am a night owl)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
The Fairest of all Yarrow - Kate Rusby (I do love herbs, in fact, in my story, I am a healer)

WHAT IS 2+2?
Gold Coast Highway - Emmy Lou Harris

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Sabbath Prayer - Fiddler on the Roof Soundtrack (yes, being around her is almost as refreshing)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
With or Without You - U2 (huh?)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Murmurer's Dance - Loreena Mckennitt

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Mrs. Robinson - Simon &Garfunkel (Well... it could be that I suppose *shrugs confusedly*)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Run Me Down - Notting Hillbillies

WHAT WILL YOU DO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Crazy Love - Ray Charles (Awww... I should hope so!)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Celtic Myst - Brad White & Pierre Grill

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
The Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Love and Marriage - Frank Sinatra (WHAT?!?!?!? NOT!!!! Unless I am to marry a giant SPIDER) (Mom's music)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Two of us - The Beetles

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
  Scarborough Fair - Simon & Garfunkel

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Only a Broken Heart - Tom Petty (well, I have had a few friend like that, but I love the friends I have now!)

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Desert Road - Putumayo (hey, I like the desert. In fact, I live in one)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Talk - Pat Metheny

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Too Much of nothing - Peter, Paul & Mary (actually, I just get board)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Lost and Found - Michale Nyman

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
I've Got To Use My Imagination - Gladys Knight (hmmm)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Bewilderment - Notting Hillbillies (yeah...)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
I could have danced all night - Chet Baker (Mom's music again)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Three Babies - Sinead O' Connor (Yes, I would give them good christian homes where they would be loved and taught about the One who loves them. And I wouldn't stop at three!)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Rent - Original Broadway Cast (doesn't paying the rent always hurt?)

WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO SAY TO THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU?
 Nightingale- Norah Jones

WHAT WILL YOU NAME THIS NOTE?
Ashes to the Wind - Rachel Portman


Well, that was really fun! I think I will let all of you enjoy this one! I hope you have fun, and hopefully you don't have to share your Ipod with your mom and have all of her romantic music on it ;) .


Arries

Torn heart Giveaway!

Hey, there is a really awesome giveaway over at Ellyn's blog right now! She is giving away two copies of her recently published book, Torn Heart! I am definitely entering!

So, hop on over there to check it out!

Arries

A late Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, I sure did! Instead of the traditional Christmas meal, we made a homemade Mexican meal, (my dad's favorite), with Enchiladas, pork Verde, Salsa, and tamales (the only thing not homemade). I got a BEAUTIFUL tea set from my mom that has 4 cups and 4 plates and a teapot. Well, I need to go, one of our family traditions is that we do a detailed houseclean and get rid of a whole bunch of stuff every year right after Christmas, so I need to go help with that.

Arries

Legend of the Guardians screensavers

Here are some screensavers that Dak (Dakota) and I found on the internet. 

 Kludd, the main characters older brother

 Gylfie

 Digger

 Eglantine 

 Nyra

 Soren

And, Metal beak

Hope you enjoy!

Arries

A favorite song from a favorite movie

I love this song!

Don't forget to turn off the music at the bottom of my blog.

2 tags from Eldarwen!

I got tagged by Eldarwen!

Here we go!

1) What picture does your calendar have for the month of October? My calender has a picture of the Stonehenge in Ireland (It is an Irish calender).

two-- What are three things that you can grab from where you're sitting? A brown coffee cup with an orange maple leaf on it, A baseball cap with our website logo on it, and my camera.

three-- What is something that you've been collecting since you were really young...and sometimes think to yourself 'hm...I'm kind of outgrown for this', but just can't stop? I have been collecting poetry for as long as I can remember, but I don't necessarily think I am too old for that. Hmm, I collect books like crazy, but you can never get too old for books. Yikes, this is a hard one! Ok, I got it, up untill a few years ago I still liked to collect stuffed animals, I have them all packed away now.

four-- Something that you absolutely...DISLIKE that everyone else seems to love: Green olives!!! DIS-GUS-TING!

five-- What was the last movie you watched? The Musketeer

It is a wonderful movie and is mostly clean, (it only has a scene in it when someone is trying to spy on Francisca bathing, but there is boards in the way).

six-- Who was the last person you hugged? My mum. I don't really hug anyone else.

seven-- What is your favorite meal to cook? How can I choose a favorite!!! I LOVE to cook, so almost every meal is my favorite! Lets see, I am really good at baked chicken and mashed potatoes, but the easiest recipe I know it spaghetti, and I love easy recipes!

eight-- What kind of sheets are on your bed right now? (texture, pattern/color, etc.) They're plain sage green.

Now for the next one!

one-- What time do you wake up each morning? Why? Our family wakes up at five every morning except Saturday. As my dad say's:

"Early to bed, Early to rise,

Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

two-- You've just woken up, and you're thirsty. You fix yourself a glass of.... Water, then coffee

three-- Where do you go to school? What do you like/dislike about it? I'm Homeschooled and loven it! Actually I graduated last summer, but I still loves homeschooling! I wouldn't change a thing!

four-- How many siblings do you have? What are their names and ages (if you're allowed to share)? Dakota is 16, going on 17 in November, ShawNee is 12, Kiowa is 10, Sequoia is 9, and Ukiyah is 1.

five-- What is your favorite game to play with your family? Bible Challenge! and Apples to apples.

six-- What's the silliest thing you've ever done with your siblings, cousins or any other family member? Would you do it again if you could? I don't know??? Our family is rather serious, probably the silliest thing we'v done is when Dakota and I will spend forever quoting a whole movie.

seven-- What's your favorite game to play with your friends? Our friends have a bunch of big flat rocks on their property, so one of our favorite games to play at their house is rock tag, everyone has to stay on the rocks and not get tagged.

eight-- If you could meet one person in the whole wide world (who's currently alive), who would it be? Why would you want to meet that person? What would you say to them? Probably Peter Jackson, IDK, I'v never really thought about it. I would tell him what a good job he did on the LOTR, and that I want him to do the Hobbit!

nine-- If you could meet one person in the whole wide world (from the past), who would it be? Why would you want to meet that person? What would you say to them? Oh, how could you ask me that!!! HOW COULD YOU!!!! Only one person!?!?! IMPOSSIBLE!!!! Who? William Wallace, Elizabeth 1, Thomas Jefferson, Robert the Bruce, George Washington? I could go on forever! If I could only choose ONE, than I suppose it would be.... Elizabeth 1. She has always been one of my favorites.

ten-- What is your favorite way to worship God? Singing, dancing, playing an instrument, praying, fasting? I love to sing for God! I love singing, and using it to worship Him except that I sound awful when I do it.

eleven-- "God cares about the little things of life." Do you agree? Can you give specific examples of ways that God has shown Himself in the little things of your life? Yeah! I totaly agree! I can't exactly pin point any examples from my life, but I have seen it in other people's life's. I am always reading all kinds of books on missionary's and stuff and it's hard to miss.

twelve-- Is there a particular Bible verse that has stood out to you recently? Which verse and why? Colossians 3:23, because that means that we cant do any job only half way, unless that is the way you would do it for Jesus, and if He asked you to do something, you would most likely do it with a smile, right?

thirteen-- Your parents are out for the day, leaving you home alone (with your siblings). Then, your grandmother from out of state calls and says she'll be there in fifteen minutes. (She wasn't supposed to come until tomorrow) What do you do? Welcome them in, offer tea, and talk to them until mum and dad return.

fourteen-- Have you ever traveled out of country? Why did you go? No, I haven't. But I most certainly will someday!!! Preferably to Europe or Africa or India, or... :D

fifteen-- What sport do you play and what do you enjoy about it? I don't play sports, nor do I have even the slightest interest in them.

sixteen-- Do you like cats or dogs better? If neither, specify: CATS!!!! Cats Rule, Dogs drool!

seventeen-- Country or city? Country! I would shrivel up and die in the city. I'm a country girl all the way!!!

eighteen-- Cowboy hat or prairie bonnet? Cowboy hat. Not one of the big goofy ones though, a cute one, preferably made of straw.

nineteen-- Flipflops or tennis shoes? Flipflops, totally! :D

twenty-- Do you like my (Bleah Briann's) blog? Yes, I do!

Well, that's all for today folks!

Arries

Yah, I know...

I should post more often, yes, I know, I know. Usually when winter comes around things start slowing down a little bit. Not this year!!! I am no longer babysitting my 2 cousins, so that should free up a little bit of time.

Dakota just got a really cool program called photo explosion, it is AMAZING!!! We have had a blast messing around with it!

Here are some pictures I made for my story:

Soryn, Evelyn and Arries

(Evelyn is my main character, and Arries is, well, me)

I have had alot of fun messing around with the pictures.

Well, mum is calling me for family time, so I'd better be going

Arries

P.S. I do NOT agree with Eragon, but when I saw that picture of Murtagh, I knew it was Soryn.

All photos are courtesy of Google images.

Legend of the Guardians

Well, my family and I finally went to see the Legends of the Guardians in theaters. It was amazing!!! It was very well done, and the graphics were absolutely stunning! The rumors that I heard about David Wenham and Hugo Weaving were true! David plays Digger and Hugo plays Grimble. The only thing I was disappointed in is the fact that it hardly resembles the books at all, they tried to cram 6 books into 1 1/2 hours, but still, I truly enjoyed it!

Little baby Eglantine was sooooo adorable!

Well, Mum is calling me, so I'd better go now.

Arries

A Tag

Izori, from Evening Stars has tagged me! I LOVE tags!!!

When can you remember laughing the hardest?
A few years ago when we were riding one of our friends horses. As I galloped one of their mares I laughed for the sheer joy of it.

What is one thing you're exited about for tomorrow?
My last day of babysitting until next Wednesday!!!

How many posters are in your bedroom?
I have one, but it is rolled up in my closet until I get a frame for it.

What is one place you'd rather be right now?
Out in the wilderness somewhere on the back of a horse, galloping towards the mountains. *contented sigh*

What can you smell right now?
Baking chicken, garlic, and teriyaki sauce, YUMMM!!!!!!!

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
My mom

What is the corniest movie you've ever seen?
The Lord of the Rings Cartoon! That movie is AWFUL!

If you could choose one food to live off the rest of your life, never mind nutrition, what would it be?
Catfish! Especially when it is deep fried by our neighbor

Where are you going next?
To my room for a shower.

I tag anyone who is COMPLETELY crazy about horses!

Well, there you are, I'd love to post more, but I need to run ;)

Arries

Ga'Hoole Trailer

Here is the trailer for what is going to be a really awesome movie! I can not wait until Ga'hool comes out! My brother Dakota and I have literally been counting the days until we can go see in in theaters, September 24th can't come soon enough!

I have even heard rumors (I haven't yet looked it up for myself to see it it is true), that Hugo Weaving (Elrond) and David Wenham (Faramir) act in it!

Arries

A Tag From Eldarwen

Hey, I just got a tag from Eldarwen at The Faithful Elvin Princess.

8 books I've read recently:

1. My Bible.

2. Ark Angel; Alex Rider Adventure series book 6

3. Sneakhead; Alex Rider Adventure series book 7

4. Trail of Fate; Youngest templar series book 2

5. Breaking free by Lauraine Snelling

6. Scorpia; Alex Rider Adventure series book 5

7. Duchessina by Carolyn Meyer

8. Joseph by Terri Fivash

8 Songs or Albums I Listen to All the Time:

1. Sanctus, by David Arkenstone

2. Celtic Myst by Brad White and Pierre Grill

3. Ring of Hope by The Brobdingnagian Bards

4. Middle Earth Bragging Song by Marc Gunn

5. Happy Birthday from Ireland by Marc Gunn

6. Buttercups Lament by Marc Gunn

7. The Voice by Celtic Women

8. Wild Child by Enya

8 Things I love:

1. Kittens

2. Cooking

3. Reading

4. Kitchen Work

5. My Family

6. Horses

7. My Home

8. My Blogs 8D

8 Things I've Learned This Year:

1. How to use a pattern

2. How to make soap

3. How to Make cheese

4. How to make butter

5. How to use blogger

6.How to...Hmm, let's see,(this is getting difficult), ...build a website

7. About the ancient Egyptians

8. How to make a tincture

Whew, I actually managed to finish that one

8 New Recipes I Want to Try and Make by the End of the Year:

1. Pumpkin Pie

2. Apple Pie (I will eventually figure out the pie crust thing)

3. Apple crisp

4. Baked Salmon

5. Potato Soup

6. Peanut butter cookies

7. Molasses cookies

8. Roast Duck

8 Favorite Online Hangouts:

1. Blogger

2. Clearwire Webmail

3. Visionary Daughters

4. Ladies Against Feminism

5. Oh dear, let's see, For Such A Time As This Press

Well, I don't really go anywhere else

8 Projects I Need To Work On:

1. Clean my room, (smiles sheepishly)

2. Canning/Pickling Green beans

3. Clean Goat pen

4. Add Saxon Math to our website

5. Grind Feverfew for my herb collection

6. Separate lavender for my herb collection

7. Decorate for fall

8. Transplant our locust trees

Well, that was alot of fun! I tag all of you! Enjoy!

Arries

The Writers Tag

I just got the writers tag from Celtic Traveler at The Grey Traveler's Inn. This should be fun!!!!

Rules: Fill out the tag, and then add two of your own questions!

What do you write your stories on?
Usually I use Microsoft Office Word, though I will every once in a while use a notebook, (usually to write out Ideas and/or History).

What is your favorite kind of character?
I love characters who are dark and mysterious and/or grim and somewhat sad.

When you're asked what your story is about, what is your usual reaction?
I usually just vaguely mention that it is a medieval story with a touch of fantasy, and then I rather quickly change the subject.

What is your biggest writing pet peeve?
Writer's Block.
Definitely Writer's Block.

I just got over a serious bout of that and I would do almost anything to avoid going back!

What is the biggest turn-off for you when reading a book?
Excess Magic, (LOTR is about as magical as I will take it) and also I don't like extreme Fantasy, I like to keep in touch with reality a little bit.

Your favorite era in history?
Dark ages/Medieval/Renaissance all the way!

How many words on average do you punch out in one sitting?
That depends on how inspired I am, hard to say, I usually don't pay attention.

Are you a fast typist?
Kind of.

What do you do for inspiration?
I listen to drama music/soundtracks to inspire the type of scene I am currently writing. I also will scroll through the history of my characters and look at the pictures that I have found of certain characters.

The truest writing quote you've ever heard:
Can I do three? One is; "Write down the thought of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commenly the most valuble" Francis Bacon. And another is; "being an author is like being in charge of your own personal Insane Asylum" Graycie Harmon. And the last is; "If I'm trying to sleep, the idea's won't stop. If I'm trying to write, there appears a barren nothingness" Carrie Latet.

What's your favorite genre to write?
Medieval/Historical/Fantasy

Favorite font to write with?
Tahoma is my favorite font, though for fancy writing I like Old English

Least-favorite writing prompt you've ever recieved?
"What's your favorite kind of food? Describe that."

What do you like better: Pens or Pencils?
Pens all the way!

Do you listen to Drama Music for inspiration? Yes, I most certainly do!

If you do, what is your favorite soundtrack to listen to?

My favorites are the Lord of the Rings and Narnia soundtracks.

Well, that was a lot of fun! Your turn!!! I tag any of you who are proud bearers of the title "Writer". Enjoy!

Arries

Enya Music Video

I found this on youtube. I absolutely love it!!! It is Enya's song Exile, put to all the scenes with Aragorn and Arwen.

Isn't it wonderful! I thought it was great!

Arries

Demonic Origin of Twilight?

You have probably guessed by the button on my sidebar that I am NOT a Twilight fan, to those of you who are, please understand that I am not trying to offend any of you. My good friend from Goldendale sent me this article and I wanted to share it with you

Please keep in mind that I don't agree with 100% of the things she says, but I think she has a pretty good view on Twilight.

The Twilight saga is a publishing and movie phenomenon that sweeps tween and teen girls (and a whole lot of other people) off their feet with an obsessive kind of following. Millions of Christian girls are huge fans of this series about love between a teenage girl and her vampire boyfriend-then-husband. But it’s not just a love story made exciting by the danger of vampires’ blood-lust. I believe the Twilight saga, all four books and their corresponding movies, is spiritually dangerous. I believe there is a demonic origin to the series, and the occult themes that permeate the books are a dangerous open door to Satan and his hordes of unholy angels.

I was stunned to learn about how the idea for Twilight came to the author, Stephenie Meyer. She tells this story:

I woke up . . . from a very vivid dream. In my dream, two people were having an intense conversation in a meadow in the woods. One of these people was just your average girl. The other person was fantastically beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire. They were discussing the difficulties inherent in the facts that A) they were falling in love with each other while B) the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her blood, and was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing her immediately

“Fantastically beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire”? Consider what vampires are, in the vampire genre that arose in the 1800s: demon-possessed, undead, former human beings who suck blood from their victims to sustain themselves. A vampire is evil. And the vampire who came to Stephenie Meyer in a dream is not only supernaturally beautiful and sparkly, but when she awoke she was deeply in love with this being who virtually moved into her head, creating conversations for months that she typed out until Twilightwas written.

When I heard this part of the story, it gave me chills. Scripture tells us that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, which is a perfect description of the Edward Cullen character.

Then I learned that “Edward” came to Meyer in a second dream that frightened her. She said, “I had this dream that Edward actually showed up and told me that I got it all wrong and like he exists and everything but he couldn't live off animals . . . and I kind of got the sense he was going to kill me. It was really terrifying and bizarrely different from every other time I've thought about his character.”{2}

I suggest that if the Twilight saga is demonic in origin, it is dangerous, to Christians and non-Christians alike.

Vampires, Blood, and Salvation

I explained above how the Twilight saga was birthed in an unusually vivid dream that I believe was demonic in origin. So it’s really no surprise that the books are permeated with the occult.

The Twilight vampires all have various kinds of powers that don’t come from God. They are supernaturally fast, supernaturally strong, able to read others’ minds and control others’ feelings. Some can tell the future, others can see things at great distances. These aspects of the occult are an important part of what makes Twilight so successful.

In both the Old and New Testaments, God strongly warns us not to have anything to do with the occult, which is part of the “domain of darkness” (Col. 1:13) where demons reign. He calls occult practices “detestable,” which tells us that He is passionate about protecting us. One of the reasons Twilight is so dangerous is that readers can long for these kinds of supernatural but ungodly powers; if not in real life, then in their imagination. And this is a doorway to the demonic, which is all about gaining power from a source other than God. Twilight glorifies the occult, the very thing God calls detestable (Deut. 18:9). This is reason enough for Christ-followers to stay away from it!

For a growing number of people, vampirism is not make-believe. In a special report on the Fox News Channel, Sean Hannity reported, “there’s actually a vampire subculture that exists in the United States right now and spreads into almost every community in this country.”{3} Joseph Laylock, the author of a book on modern vampires, explains that there are three general categories of people who “believe they have an ‘energy deficit,’ and need to feed on blood or energy to maintain their wellbeing.”{4} Some drink real blood, others feed only on “energy” they draw from other humans, and “hybrids” who are a bit of both.{5}

My Probe colleague Todd Kappelman, a philosopher and literature critic, observed that Stephenie Meyer took unwarranted liberties with the genre. Vampires are evil, and you can’t just turn them “good” by writing them that way.

You can’t have vampires strolling around in the daytime. You can’t make evil good and good evil, putting light for darkness and darkness for light [Is. 5:20]. It’s a law of physics: light always dispels the darkness. You can’t have the bad guys win. There is no system in the world where evil is rewarded with “happily ever after”; it violates our sensibilities too much. Either the extremely ignorant or the extremely childish would fall for it. And apart from the moral aspect, it’s doing violence to the genre—like putting Darth Vader in a Jane Austen novel.{6}

Writer Michael O’Brien comments,

In the Twilight series we have a cultural work that converts a traditional archetype of evil into a morally neutral one. Vampires are no longer the “un-dead,” no longer possessed by demons. There are “good” vampires and “bad” vampires, and because the good vampire is incredibly handsome and possesses all the other qualities of an adolescent girl’s idealized dreamboat, everything is forgivable.{7}

Closely connected to the occult is drinking blood, which is a focus of the vampire literary genre; vampires feed on the blood of humans. In Twilight, we are supposed to embrace the “good” vampires who have learned to feed on the blood of animals, calling themselves vegetarians (which is an insult to all vegetarians!). Interestingly, in Lev. 19:26 God connected the occult with ingesting blood 3200 years before the vampire genre was invented.

God understands the importance of blood; in both the Old and New Testaments, He forbids eating or drinking it. Not only did this separate His followers from the surrounding pagan cultures, but it also separated out the importance of blood because it atones for sin. In the Old Testament, animals were sacrificed as a picture of how the spotless Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, would pour out His sacred blood to pay for our sins. God doesn’t want people to focus on the wrong blood!{8}

Twilight is also spiritually dangerous in the way it presents salvation. When Daddy Vampire Carlisle turns Edward into a vampire, it is described as saving him.{9} He ended a 17-year-old boy’s physical life and turned him into an undead, stone cold superbeing, which Edward describes as a “new birth.”{10} Vampire Alice describes the process as the venom spreading through the body, healing it, changing it, until the heart stops and the conversion is finished.{11} Poison heals, and changes, and converts to lifelessness? Healing poison? This is spiritually dangerous thinking. Isaiah warns us (5:20), “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

This upside-down, inside-out way of thinking is rooted in Stephenie Meyer’s strong Mormon beliefs.Twilight’s cover photo of a woman’s hands offering an apple is an intentional reference to the way Mormonism reinvents the Genesis story of the Fall. LDS (Latter Day Saints) doctrine makes the Fall a necessary step, called a “fall up.”{12} At the beginning of the book you will find, alone on a page, Genesis 2: 17—”But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

Stephenie Meyer explains:

The apple on the cover of Twilight represents “forbidden fruit.” I used the scripture from Genesis (located just after the table of contents) because I loved the phrase “the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.” Isn't this exactly what Bella ends up with? A working knowledge of what good is, and what evil is. . . . In the end, I love the beautiful simplicity of the picture. To me it says: choice.{13}

Echoing Satan’s deception of Eve with the temptation to become like God on her own terms, the heroine Bella eventually becomes a god-like vampire, glorying in her perfection, her beauty, her infallibility. She transcends her detested humanity and becomes a goddess. This is basic Mormon doctrine, not surprising since the author is a Mormon.{14}

One of the messages of Twilight is that there is a way to have immortal life, eternal life, apart from a relationship with God through Jesus Christ; that there is a way to live forever without dealing with the obstacle of our sin problem by confessing that we are sinners and we need the forgiveness and grace of a loving Savior.

This is a spiritually dangerous series.

A Love Story on Steroids: Emotional Dependency

Why are girls of all ages, but especially tweens and teens, so passionately and obsessively in love with Edward, the vampire in Twilight?

Edward is very different from the vast majority of young men today. He is chivalrous, sensitive, self-sacrificing and honorable. He wants the best for Bella, his teenage girlfriend and eventual wife. He is able to keep his impulses in check, which is a good thing since he lusts after her scent and wants to kill her so he can drain her blood. No wonder girls and women declare they’re in love with Edward Cullen!

But one of the troubling aspects of the Twilight saga is Edward and Bella’s unhealthy and dysfunctional relationship. Yet millions of female readers can’t stop thinking about this “love story on steroids,” which means it is shaping their hopes and expectations for their own relationships. That’s scary.

The best way to describe their relationship is emotional dependency. This is when you have to have a constant connection to another person in order for you to be okay. Emotional dependency is characterized by a desperate neediness. You put all your relational eggs in one basket, engaging in an intense one-on-one relationship that renders other relationships unnecessary. In fact, there is often a resentment of not only the people that used to be your friends, but you resent anyone in the other person’s world who could pull their attention and devotion away from you.

When things are going well, it’s like emotional crack cocaine. The intensity is addictive and exhilarating. When things aren’t going well, it’s an absolute nightmare. Emotionally dependent relationships strap people into an emotional roller coaster full of drama, manipulation, and a constant need for reassurance from the other.

When Edward leaves Bella for a time, she becomes an emotional zombie. The book New Moon is full of descriptions of the pain of the hole in her chest because when he left, he took her heart with him. She had withdrawn from all her friends to make Edward into her whole world, so she had no support network in place when he left. All of her emotional eggs were in his basket. Many readers see this as highly romantic rather than breathtakingly dysfunctional.

One or both people are looking to another to meet their basic needs for love and security, instead of to God. So emotional dependency is a form of relational idolatry. People put their loved one or the relationship on a pedestal and worship them or it as a false god. When you look to another person to give you worth and make you feel loved and valued, they become inordinately essential. When we worship the creature rather than the Creator as in Romans 1, what results is a desperate neediness that puts us and keeps us at the mercy of the one we worship. They have a lot of power over us, which is one reason why God wants to protect us from idolatry.

Twilight is like an emotional dependency how-to manual. At one point, Bella’s mother tells her, “The way you move—you orient yourself around him without even thinking about it. When he moves, even a little bit, you adjust your position at the same time—like magnets . . . or gravity. You’re like a . . . satellite, or something.”{15} The power of story, especially this story, is that it can set up readers to mistake emotional dependency and relational idolatry for what a love story should look and feel like.

On the Credenda blog, Douglas Wilson makes a powerful case for Twilight also serving as a manual for how to become an abused girlfriend and then an abused wife. Edward’s moods are mercurial and unpredictable, and Bella just goes along with it, making excuses and justifying his actions.{16}

Twilight is spiritually dangerous because of its demonic origin and its occult themes, both of which God commands us to stay away from. But it’s emotionally dangerous too.

Emotional Pornography

The Twilight series is touted as pro-abstinence and pro-chastity because the main characters don’t “go all the way” before they get married. A lot of parents hear that and give a green light for their daughters to read the books and see the movies. But the Twilight books are a lust-filled series, so embedded with writing intended to arouse the emotions, that it is legitimately considered emotional pornography.

Marcia Montenegro writes,

Much has been made of the alleged message of Twilight, that it is one of abstinence and shows control over desire. In truth, Edward is controlling himself because he does not want to kill Bella; her life is truly in danger from a ferocious vampire attack from the one who loves her. Aside from that, a vibrant sensuality of attraction lies just beneath the surface. A TIME reporter who interviewed Meyer wrote, “It's never quite clear whether Edward wants to sleep with Bella or rip her throat out or both, but he wants something, and he wants it bad, and you feel it all the more because he never gets it. That's the power of the Twilight books: they're squeaky, geeky clean on the surface, but right below it, they are absolutely, deliciously filthy.”{17}

The struggle with self-control is saturated with eroticism and lust. It’s so sensual that teenage boys and young men will read it simply for that reason. The protest, “They don’t have sex” is lame; the relationship is extremely sensual. One very insightful blogger writes,

To claim that the Twilight saga is based on the virtue of chastity is like calling the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition pro-chastity because the girls are clothed.

Bella gives detailed first person accounts of her “make out” encounters with Edward—everything from trying to unbutton clothing, to how loud her breathing is and how this or that feels . . . these detailed first person descriptions are designed to arouse young girls—like a gateway drug to full blown romance novels or vampire lore. How can books in which the author has written detailed first person descriptions of actions leading to arousal help readers to be chaste? The words on the page defy chastity. Anyone who claims that the books promote chastity has to explain how a young girl can read detailed first-person descriptions of “making out” as a tool to preserving her innocence.{18}

The sensuality of Twilight is not lost on even the youngest readers and movie-goers. Robert Pattinson, the actor who plays Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies, was asked in a Rolling Stone interview, “Is it weird to have girls that are so young have this incredibly sexualized thing around you?” He answered, “It’s weird that you get 8-year-old girls coming up to you saying, ‘Can you just bite me? I want you to bite me.’ It is really strange how young the girls are, considering the book is based on the virtues of chastity, but I think it has the opposite effect on its readers though. [Laughs]”{19}

God’s word says, “Flee youthful lusts” (2 Tim. 2:22). Without a strong discernment filter in place, and without a strong determination to guard one’s heart (Prov. 4:23), it will be very hard to obey that protective command when reading the Twilight books or watching the movies.

Recently at a youth discipleship camp, I asked the young men how they felt about Twilight. They booed. Real men don’t stand a chance to be enough compared to the too-good-to-be-true Edward Cullen. When girls use the emotional porn of romance novels or movies, they are setting up impossible expectations that have no hope of being fulfilled by limited, fallible, all-too-human beings. It’s a cruel twist on the way men can sabotage their relationships with real women by their use of internet porn. Is there much of a difference between using sexual porn or emotional porn? In both cases, fantasy creates unrealistic expectations that reality cannot satisfy.

Apart from the problem of unrealistic expectations, it is unhealthy to make such an intense heart connection with a fictional character. Some people choose getting lost in reading and re-reading the books over having connections with real human beings in community. One lady told me that she called a friend about going out to a movie, but her friend begged off: “Oh, I’m going to stay in with Edward tonight.” A nail technician had one 60-year-old client who confided, “Don’t tell my husband, but I’m in love with Edward.”

In the first Twilight book, Edward sweeps Bella off her feet with the intoxicating description of his intense desire for her and why she desires him: “I’m the world’s most dangerous predator. Everything about me invites you in. My voice, my face, even my smell. . . I’m designed to kill. . . I’ve wanted to kill you. I’ve never wanted a human’s blood so much in my life. . . Your scent, it’s like a drug to me. You’re like my own personal brand of heroin.”{20}

I believe there is a spirit of seduction in the Twilight saga. Something supernatural draws millions of readers to fantasize about being desired, pursued and falling in love with a character that I believe has a deeply demonic component. It’s dangerous on several levels.

The (Rotten) Fruit of Twilight

Twilight is one of the most successful series ever published. Readers don’t just read the books; many of them re-read them, multiple times. In order to be discerning, we need to examine the fruit of this series to see its effect on readers. I believe that there is a spiritual reality of evil behind Twilight that explains three kinds of fruit I see.

First is the fruit of obsession. Literally millions of fans can’t stop thinking and talking about the books, the characters, the minutia of the Twilight world. There is an addictive element of the series for many people. Addiction is bondage; why willingly submit yourself to bondage?

Some girls talk about their daily reading and study of “The Book,” and they’re talking about the whole saga—not the Bible.{21} With social networking and digital media, fans have access to an ever-growing community of other Twilight-obsessed people, which allows them to connect with their God-given desire to be part of something bigger than themselves. But the transcendence of connecting to the Twilight world is so much less than God intends for us to experience!

The second fruit is the spiritual warfare reported by Christians, especially those who disobeyed God’s leading to get rid of the books—night sweats, hearing voices and other unusual noises, being gripped by a spirit of fear, loss of intimacy with God. Some thoughtful people have reported what one woman called “a stronghold I didn’t want and couldn’t seem to overcome. I became uncontrollably obsessed over this make-believe world. And fell into a pit of manic-depressive-suicidal state.”{22}

One Christian teenager, clearly under conviction, wrote this comment on a blog:

As a 15-year-old, reading those books was a . . . strange experience for me.

I didn’t think they were too bad or morally lacking until I heard my old high-school chaplain [a thirty-something woman, I think. Never dared to ask :-) ] praise them. And then something inside me clicked, because it struck me as wrong that a Godly woman would find this series good. . . .

Another problem with Twilight that I had is that it drives girls to think of love before they are emotionally and mentally ready for the idea. It pretty much skews their ideas of love up. I know it’s done that to me. Because what this series has done is stick Edward Cullen in one category (i.e. “pure perfection”) and “everyone else” lumped together in another as a portrayal of pure “ocker”ness. I am now not sure to what percentage *gentlemanliness* exists in a normal, TANNED boy. So it’s not really fair to guys, or girls, because of skewed expectations. . . .

Otherwise, I enjoyed the Twilight series, but I don’t feel that I should have, so I’m going to pray about that one.{23}

The third fruit is a spirit of divisiveness. Some Christians are inordinately defensive about Twilight, choosing the books over relationships with other believers who take a negative view of the series. One Christian speaker who shared her deep concerns over Twilight at a church conference was verbally attacked at the break by supposedly mature women. Some of them still refuse to speak to her.

Of course, we hear the refrain, “Oh come on. It’s just a book. It’s just fiction.” But all forms of entertainment are a wrapper for values and a message, and we need to be aware of what it is. Remember, what we take into our imaginations is really like food for our souls. If something has poison in it, it shouldn’t be eaten. Saying “It’s just a book, who cares what it is as long as we’re reading,” is equivalent to saying, “If you can put it in your mouth and swallow it, it must be food.” What are you feeding your soul? Goodness or poison?

Readers resonate with the important themes of life and literature: romantic love, family love and loyalty, beauty, sacrifice, fear, danger, overcoming, conflict, resolution. But these themes are laced with spiritual deception: “You, too, can be like God.” You hear that Twilight is a love story on steroids, and people—especially young girls—are drawn to God’s design for a woman to be cherished, protected, and provided for. They are drawn to the way Bella responds to Edward with love, respect and submission, which is also God’s design. So it is especially devious that the elements that resonate with our God-given desires for love are poisoned as occult principles are interwoven with the story.{24}

One teenage girl made this comment on a blog: “I never thought of [the books] as arousing or erotic in any way. Like many other girls, I found myself falling for Edward as I delved into the story. Before I knew it, my heart was beating faster during the mushier scenes.” Like millions of others, she is unable to discern the line between emotional and sexual arousal. Swooning because you are in love with a fictional character, when you long for this character when you’re not reading the book, means you’ve been taken captive (Col. 2:8). And God does not want us in bondage to anything except Him!

Twilight is dangerous because it subtly stretches us into accommodating that which God calls sin. People don’t leap from embracing good to embracing evil in one giant step; it’s a series of small, incremental allowances. Readers easily accept unthinkingly an unmarried couple spending every single night together when the Word says to avoid every form of evil and to flee temptation, not lie there cuddling with it! Readers are led to accept as heroes and friends vampires who murder human beings to drink their blood.

Commentator Michael O’Brien makes a stunning analysis of Twilight:

In the Twilight series, vampirism is not identified as the root cause of all the carnage; instead the evil is attributed to the way a person lives out his vampirism. Though Bella is at first shocked by the truth about the family’s old ways (murder, dismemberment, sucking the blood from victims), she is nevertheless overwhelmed by her “feelings” for Edward, and her yearning to believe that he is truly capable of noble self-sacrifice. So much so that her natural feminine instinct for submission to the masculine suitor increases to the degree that she desires to offer her life to her conqueror. She trusts that he will not kill her; she wants him to drink her essence and infect her. This will give her a magnificent unending romance and an historical role in creating with her lover a new kind of human being. They will have superhuman powers. They will be moral vampires—and they will be immortal.

Here, then, is the embedded spiritual narrative (probably invisible to the author and her audience alike): You shall be as gods. You will overcome death on your own terms. You will be master over death. Good and evil are not necessarily what Western civilization has, until now, called good and evil. You will define the meaning of symbols and morals and human identity. And all of this is subsumed in the ultimate message: The image and likeness of God in you can be the image and likeness of a god whose characteristics are satanic, as long as you are a “basically good person.”

In this way, coasting on a tsunami of intoxicating visuals and emotions, the image of supernatural evil is transformed into an image of supernatural good.{25}

Twilight is not dangerous because people will literally want to become vampires. Twilight is dangerous because, through the powerful medium of storytelling, dangerous ideas and messages go straight to the heart like a poisoned-tipped arrow, without being passed through a biblical filter. Beware the darkness of Twilight.

About the Author

Sue Bohlin is an associate speaker with Probe Ministries. She attended the University of Illinois, and has been a Bible teacher and conference speaker for over 30 years. She is a frequent speaker for MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) and Stonecroft Ministries (Christian Women's Connections), and serves on the board and as a small group leader of Living Hope Ministries, a Christ centered outreach to those dealing with unwanted homosexuality. Sue is on the Bible.org Women's Leadership Team and is a regular contributor to TheTapestryBlog.com. She is also a professional calligrapher and the webmistress for Probe Ministries; but most importantly, she is the wife of Dr. Ray Bohlin and the mother of their two grown sons. Her personal website is suebohlin.com.