Virgin Mary Through the Ages

Today I did some research on religious art through history for an illustrating job I have. The purpose of this was to study the culture and clothing of the first century as portrayed by various artists. As I scrolled through over one hundred of the most famous paintings, it struck me as funny how each artist’s culture changed his perception of different scenes. There were many that contained historically correct clothing and realistic scenes, but there were many others that did not. I couldn’t help cracking a grin when I saw Caravaggio’s Calling of Saint Matthew. This painting was done in 1600 and the persons in the picture were dressed in styles belonging to that century.

     I think Mary would laugh if she could sit next to me and see all these paintings. Roughly half of them depicted her. She was painted with everything from blonde and red to brown and jet-black hair, dressed in the plainest frocks and the most elaborate garments from the fashions of the first century to the Regency period.

Sometimes, she was a small young girl, other times a full-figured woman. She sat in barns, caves, thrones, clouds, temples, rocks, and even floated above the clear waters at the edge of a tropical island.

Her waist contracted and expanded and her skin darkened and lightened with the fads through the centuries. 

 I wonder what she was thinking while she was laboring in a smelly animal cave in the dark and cold night. I wonder if, as she held her newborn baby close to keep him warm and comforted, she knew that what had passed would be recorded and celebrated for millenniums by people all over the world.

Did she understand the significance of that moment? As she lay down, exhausted and sore, on a pile of straw, could she foresee what lay ahead?

Did she dare to imagine that millions would veneer and even worship her? Her hair was matted and messy. She was weary and sore from riding on a donkey all day and giving birth. Her clothes were dirty and old. She and her husband were almost penniless.

There was no floating above the ground in a gold throne while she rocked her baby. He was red, wrinkled, and floppy—and oh, so tiny! He did not sit up gracefully and observe the world with wise eyes.

When the shepherds, stinky and unpolished, came trooping through the entrance, what did she think? When she heard the hosts of Heaven break out into song, did she tremble? These weren’t little fair-haired children with stubby wings, after all. These were mighty spiritual beings like nothing  she had ever seen!

     What was it like? I always wonder what life is or was like in places and times I’ll never be in. What was it like? The paintings aren’t any help whatsoever. Even the scriptures skim the details. What was it like for Mary? I wonder.

Cute Mitten Ornament

Isn't this fun? Directions at http://the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com/2007/10/mitten-ornament-tutorial.html

My Own Little World

Here's a great video to the amazing song, "My Own Little World." Please watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP5mYOzOvCs

Meet the CEDAW

    I just read the scariest thing I have read in a very long time. No, it’s not another Frank Peretti novel. I’ve learned my lesson in regards to those. Actually, I just finished reading the text of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The purpose of this treaty is to end discrimination and degredation of women. The problem is that it is being dealt with in a very humanistic manner and that legal force will be used to ensure the equality of both sexes in all spheres. Translation: governments will force man and women to abandon traditional roles. This is stated very clearly in the Preamble: “A change in the traditional role of men as well as the role of women in society and in the family is needed to achieve full equality between men and women (CEDAW, Preamble, par 16).”  What does this mean? I will allow the CEDAW to explain:

States Parties shall take all appropriate measures:

(a) To modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women;

(b) To ensure that family education includes a proper understanding of maternity as a social function and the recognition of the common responsibility of men and women in the upbringing and development of their children, it being understood that the interest of the children is the primordial consideration in all cases (CEDAW, Article 5).
     In other words, the goal of the CEDAW is to abolish traditional roles. How will this affect you and me? I plan to eventually marry, have children, and stay at home to raise and educate them while my husband acts as the head of household and primary breadwinner. According to CEDAW, my husband would be treating me as an inferior being, taking advantage, of me, and discriminating against me. I would be a victim of a tyrannical spouse, and my children would be labeled as “abused,” and probably removed from our home (most certainly, if the Convention on the Rights of the Child passes). I don’t know about you, but the freedom to embrace my femininity is more important to me than this so-called equality. I feel more degraded at the thought of being forced to follow a humanistic pattern for my life than I do at the thought of staying at home.
     What makes me seriously offended by the CEDAW is the concept that I will be forced to follow what the United Nations thinks is a good plan for my life. I don’t even have any say! It will be illegal for me to say that I am submissive to my husband. Yet it will be permissible and even condoned for a woman to badmouth her husband at every opportunity. I really don’t care if some other woman wants to pursue a career, run the household, and give her husband no say in family planning. Really! It’s no skin off my nose. So why on earth does that woman care whether or not I stay home and raise my kids? It’s none of her business, it’s none of Hilary Clinton’s, and it’s none of the United Nation’s business what I do in my personal life.
     Indoctrination of children is written into this treaty. You are probably already aware that the feminist movement is highly lauded and thoroughly covered in public school text books. The CEDAW wants to go one step further:
“The elimination of any stereotyped concept of the roles of men and women at all levels and in all forms of education by encouraging coeducation and other types of education which will help to achieve this aim and, in particular, by the revision of textbooks and school programmes and the adaptation of teaching methods (Article 10, section c. Emphasis added).”
     Yet another reason to homeschool. However, I have reason to suspect that homeschooling will not be sanctioned under the CEDAW, as a woman’s place will no longer be in the home, but in the office.
     What does the Bible have to say about this? We know that to God, men and women are already equal. We are different, but we are equal, as stated in Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” God has different plans for men and women. The head of the woman is the man (1 Cor. 11:3), or as the New Living Translation puts it, “A woman is responsible to her husband.” This does not mean that a man is better, more important, superior to a woman (as anti-Christian disputers proclaim), it is simple the God-appointed way to keep order in the home, the church, and in the world. Pastor, Bible commentator, and writer Chuck Smith writes,

“I do not believe that the Bible has ever taught that God favors the man over the woman. The Bible does teach that God made man first, and then from man formed the woman. When God looked at man and said, ‘It is not good that man should live alone,’ and so He made the woman from man that she might be a helpmeet for him.

Now, some people misinterpret that. The helpmeet, the word meet is an old English word fit, a help that is fit for him, created for him. No way does it signify a subservient position. God saw that man by himself could never make it, and thus, the woman created, as God said, ‘for the man.’”

     We don’t need any new laws to make men and women equal. Do you want to feel worth and purpose? Follow God’s plan for your life. Not the United Nations’.

Find out more from Michael Farris

Remembering

To all those who have laid down their lives

To those who have lost a loved one

To the wounded

To the soldiers who have healed

To those who did not

To fathers and mothers who had to leave their children

To sons and daughters who had to leave their parents

To the men and women who are far away

To the ones who may leave at any time
To those who have returned

To those who direct them

To those who train them

To those who treat them

To those who feed them

To those who minister to them

To those who love them

To those who pray over them

Thank you

Let us never forget.

National Socialism?

For a school project, I have to define about a dozen forms of what Gary North refers to as “philosophies of organized envy.” Good description.

While doing research on National Socialism (Nazism), I stumbled across a National Socialist forum. Here I got the best definition of what National Socialism is and began to watch a very screwy video about why Nazism is great and the Holocaust was a lie and a bunch of cruddy bologna like that. It took me about 2 minutes to see that the video was not going to profit me in the least. As I scrolled up to click out of this messed-up site full of ethnocentric weirdoes, I caught site of the site’s slogan:

“White Pride, World-Wide.”

I felt tears stinging my eyes. These people are missing the whole point of humanity! I believe in one race: the human race. Who cares about pigment? Why does that even matter to people? It shouldn’t; to use a wise quote, “Our blood runs the same red.”

     Don’t get caught up in racism, bigotry and ethnocentricism. Don’t be a fool.

My Dog Stalks Ceramic Bunnies

...But don’t we all do the same thing? At one time or another, haven’t we all chased after an illusion? The world presents so many things that are unattainable. It shows us the “American Dream,” flawless skin, perfect friendships, happily-ever-afters. These things are plastered all over television, the internet, books, magazines… you name it. We sing about true teenage love in songs. We read all of Demi Lovato’s skin-care tips. We watch Mr. Rich Marries Miss Gorgeous. And yet we know we will never attain this perfection. We know that high-school dating normally ends in heartbreak after a few weeks. We know Demi’s pretty photo is electronically airbrushed. We know that every marriage has ups and downs and that the guy who dies with the most toys… still dies. Even with this knowledge of the facts, we still spend way too much time and brainpower trying to catch the eye of that cute guy or girl. We still stand in Wal-Mart trying to decide if we’re ivory or light peach, or if Miracle Cream will really get rid of that dad-gum red bump.  We still overspend on the latest electronic device and shoes and covet all the cool stuff we can’t afford.

      I was puzzling over this. I wonder why I often trust advertisements over common sense? Why I stress out in front of the mirror? Why I get bummed whenever I see the Joneses drive by with their speedboat? I’m reminded of a quote that’s on the wall where I get my hair trimmed: “A beautiful thing is never perfect.” It’s true. A beautiful life is never perfect. A beautiful painting is never perfect. A beautiful person is never perfect. If we could achieve perfection… well, somebody in advertising would come up with the “new perfection” so we’d still have to buy the Overpricedandoverrated Brand of whatever to feel adequate. Maybe it’s time to be content with what we have and focus on God’s bigger picture instead.  

Beautiful YOU

I just felt like I ought to post this video. Hope it makes someone's day. It sure makes mine!
For some reason, the video does not want to play on this website. It's too good a video to pass up, though, so go ahead and watch it on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXSkd8apbWM

A Monkey Ain't My Uncle: Chinks in the "Theory" of evolution part 4

     Why should Creationism be taught beside Evolution in public schools? I have done some research on this and quite frankly, I have to say that any evidence for Evolution is either dubious or completely faked. In fact, if you look at one of the major illustrations used in science textbooks today, you will find that it is completely inaccurate. This illustration is the well-known picture of the ape-to-man timeline which begins with a picture of an unassuming ape and continues with more human-like primates until we finally see a hairy cave-man. The artist’s perception is probably very unlike the actual organism looked. Why? Because the skeletons are hopelessly incomplete. Look at Lucy (Australopithecus)- she has very few bones about her and only six shards make up her skull! Another one of the “link” skeletons is but a broken skull, which could be placed together in a plethora of ways to make it appear either more human-like or more ape-like. The rest follow this pattern. And yet we are teaching our children that these are without a doubt our ancestors. Very sad.

     It is not just this way with homo sapiens. It is this way with every genus. Why are all the missing links still missing? How come the fossil record isn’t showing any evidence for evolution? And why don’t we teach Evolution as a hypothesis, which is what it is?

     Much to the chagrin of Evolutionists, the geological record follows the Creation theory much more closely. In addition, a worldwide flood is the only explanation for many inexplicable findings. The Cambrian Explosion shows many fossils together which shouldn’t belong together, according to Evolution. So why don’t we teach Creationism? Why don’t we encourage school kids to think for themselves and choose what makes the most sense to them?  Cramming only one idea down their throats (not just in science, but also in History classes) makes for TV watchers and passive bystanders, not critical thinkers, avid readers and enthusiastic, active citizens.

Sources:

Mike Snavely (http://www.natureofcreation.org/)

http://www.answersingenesis.org/

http://www.natureofcreation.org/articles/aunt_lucy_revisited.htm

I recently had the privilege to hear Mike Snavely speak at a seminar for three or four sessions. One of his sessions was called “Aunt Lucy?” and part of what he spoke about is featured in this article.  If you ever have the chance to hear Mike Snavely speak, I encourage you to do so. His sessions and the Aunt Lucy one in particular are extremely infomative, well-researched, and interesting.

Support Parental Rights

I decided to follow President Obama on Twitter ( I follow my senator, representative and governor as well. It's good to know what's going on in the political arena even if I disagree with some of their politics). Today, our President said, "Each time we’ve made epic change, it's come from the grassroots rallying around a cause. That's what we need again." For once, I couldn't agree more. Although what I have in mind is probably a bit different than what he has in mind. We need people to rally around the grassroots movement of the Parental Rights Amendment. Yes, I know, I've dedicated my last few posts to either that or some other political topic! But this is so important and I refuse to let the issue go. Please get on http://www.ParentalRights.Org/ to get aquainted with the issue and sign the petition... this is too important for even those of you who are less politically minded to pass up.
     And this Parentl Rights Amendment will not promote an "epic change" that will cost you as a taxpayer billions of dollars... you can keep your change, Mr. President, thanks.

Constitution Day

Happy Constitution Day! This year for Constitution Day, I want to tell you about something exciting going on with your Constitution. So listen up and don’t click that little red “x,” because this concerns YOU.      This spring, a new amendment is going to be pushed through the House of Representatives. The amendment is called the Parental Rights Amendment and it reads: Why do we need this, you ask? Isn't it OBVIOUS that parents have the right to raise their own children how they like? maybe not. Right now, those rights are being threatened internationally. The United Nations is pushing a treaty called "Convention on the Rights of the Child." This will, among other things, prevent parents from homeschooling, teaching their children to follow any particular religion (ie Christianity) or use nearly any form of punishment. Why are they doing this? Isn't it going to break up families and create monsters out of children and government? Of course it will. The reason they are doing it is because the government thinks it can raise your children better than you can. And they can pass the CRC. You bet they can, and they probably will. But if the Parental Right Amendment passes first, the CRC won't be effective in the USA. So, please visit http://www.parentalrights.org/ and sign the petition!

You won't get any spam, I promise. Just a newsletter. Trust me, I've been getting it for months. Anyone over 12 ca  sign it. Please tell you friends and family about this.

    This year, I have been studying the case laws of Exodus. It is interesting (Yes, it is frequently interesting!) to see how God’s plan for government covers all the bases. It provides for everyone and everything and makes a whole lot more sense than the structure of government in our country today… whether you’re reading this from the US, Canada, Japan, South Africa, Romania, or Australia, it makes more sense! It just WORKS. If it is followed. Problem is, it often wasn’t. That’s when the problems began for Israel.

     After one of their “falling away” times, Israel was taken captive in Babylon. (There’s a whole interesting sequence of events involving prophesies and maybe I’ll post about that later.) Nehemiah was allowed to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall, and after it was built, the Law was found. They read the Law, realized their errors and came up with a “Magna Charta” or constitution of sorts. Here it is http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Neh&c=10&v=1&t=NIV

Read it there or crack open your Bible to Nehemiah 10. Please don’t just bypass this, it won’t take you that long. I think you will enjoy it anyway.

Having just finished dissecting the US constitution last week, I dissected this rather shorter piece of legislation and summarized it. Here is what I came up with:

(signers names and seals)

“We the people do solemnly swear to be a people pure and distinct, to follow God’s plan for our property and time, to pay “taxes” in the form of a simple tithe (that is, ten  percent), to give a contribution to the House of God, as is our duty, to give the Lord our first and our best, to provide for our leaders, to provide for the poor, and to remember our God.”

Don’t you think that sounds like a good law-of-the-land? I mean, it’s simple. And welfare is built in, but nobody is discriminated against. And taxes are low and simple! No crazy paperwork for them to fill out. We see, though, that just 3 chapters later, the Israelites had totally discarded the document! Isn’t that sad? After all God had done for them... made the King agree to Nehemiah’s request (1:4-6), gave them faith and strength (2:20), gave them protection (4:14), gave them financial relief (5:12), thwarted plans of the opposition (6:10-13), gave them success in rebuilding the wall (7:1), brought exiles home (7:5), gave them the Book of the Law (8:1-2), and forgave them and gave them joy (8:11-12). Let’s not be like them, so ungrateful and unfaithful!

     The good news is that God still forgave them and gave them a second chance. 2 Titus 2:13 says, “When we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.”

     Lord, make us like Nehemiah, who had faith, patience, and perseverance. Let us live for you alone and stay at the center of your will. Let us bless you that you will bless us and the work of our hands. Amen.

September 11

Dear Americans and Friends of the US,
September 11, 2001 is a day, like December 7 1941, that will live in our memories forever. Will any of us ever forget the horror of the video footage and the mourning for loved ones? Will we ever cease to think of the lives destoryed by the flames? Will any one of us ever travel to New York for DC again without remembering the ugly scar across its face? Let's all take a moment to bow our heads and say a prayer for those still recovering. Let us pray that our nation will turn back to God.






PRESIDENT BUSH: Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or in their offices. Secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers. Moms and dads. Friends and neighbors.


Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.


The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger.


These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation.


Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.


America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.


Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we responded with the best of America, with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could.


Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government's emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it's prepared. Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington, D.C., to help with local rescue efforts.


Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks.


The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington, which had to be evacuated today, are reopening for essential personnel tonight and will be open for business tomorrow.


Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business as well.


The search is under way for those who are behind these evil acts. I've directed the full resources for our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.


I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance.


America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world and we stand together to win the war against terrorism.


Tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for
you are with me."


This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time.


None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.


Thank you. Good night and God bless America.

America the Beautiful?

O Beautiful, for polluted skies,
For grayish strips of asphalt,
For mammoth buildings majesties,
Above the city streets!
America! America!
God has no place in thee
Let’s crown the stars, rich and popular
From beach to crowded beach!

O beautiful for government
Whose stern agendas pressed
To take away our freedom, and said
It was for our best!
America! America!
God’s name is thought a flaw.
Confirm thy happiness with self in mind
Thy demands in law!

O beautiful for idols proved
In televised strife.
Who more than self nothing loved
And money more than life!
America! America!
May the Fed thy paper bills refine
Till all success be selfishness
And every gain be mine!

O beautiful for American dream
That lusts beyond what’s yours
Thine chrome and glass cities gleam
Wells Fargo Tower and Sears!
America! America!
God? Ancient myth is he!
Let’s crown the stars, rich and popular
From beach to crowded beach!

O beautiful for jet-filled skies,
For imported, modified grain,
For Oprah, her majesty
Who makes her politics plain!
America! America!
God has no place in thee
Let’s save the bears and earth and air
And kill our own babies!

O beautiful for pedicured feet,
And busy moms who stress
Woman’s lib and freedom meet
Sadness no one could have guessed!
America! America!
God, if I like, is ME
I’ll base my life’s path on
My wild thoughts
Don’t need to hit my knees!

O beautiful for gory tale
Of murderous strife
With constant vice,
for man's avail
Men destroyed precious life!
America! America!
God’s blessings all will flee!
Till selfish gain ceases to stain
The hearts of you and me!

O beautiful for children’s dreams
That sees no hope, just fears
Thine crowded, starving cities gleam
Awash by human tears!
America! America!
God won’t be mocked by thee!
Pray nobler men keep once again
His plan for this country!

(c) 2010 Becoming Godly Maidens

Och, Then, for All the Piper Holds Dear!

Do want to know something I love? I love Scottish poetry. I could live and breath Scottish poetry. I enjoy poetry in general, and am the proud possessor of several volumes, the majority of which is Robert Frost. American poems and English poems are lovely. But Scottish poetry is the most beautiful thing I have ever read! When I read it, I seem to find myself sitting on a grassy hillside with a cool breeze blowing the fragrance of wildflowers around. Call me a nerd, but I’d rather read a Scottish poem than a popular novel any day.

The Return (A Piper's Vaunting)
Och hey! for the splendour of tartans!
And hey for the dirk and the targe!
The race that was hard as the Spartans
Shall return again to the charge:
Shall come back again to the heather,
Like eagles, with beak and with claws
To take and to scatter for ever
The Sasennach thieves and their laws.
Och, then, for the bonnet and feather!
The pipe and its vaunting clear:
Och, then, for the glens and the heather!
And all that the Gael holds dear.

The Fairy Dance
The fairies are dancing — how nimbly they bound!
They flit o'er the grass tops, they touch not the ground;
Their kirtles of green are with diamonds bedight,
All glittering and sparkling beneath the moonlight.
Hark, hark to their music! how silvery and clear —
'Tis surely the flower-bells that ringing I hear, —
The lazy-wing'd moth, with the grasshopper wakes,
And the field-mouse peeps out, and their revels partakes.
How featly they trip it! how happy are they
Who pass all their moments in frolic and play,
Who rove where they list, without sorrows or cares,
And laugh at the fetters mortality wears!
But where have they vanish'd? — a cloud 's o'er the moon,
I'll hie to the spot, — they'll be seen again soon —
I hasten — 'tis lighter, — and what do I view? —
The fairies were grasses, the diamonds were dew.
And thus do the sparkling illusions of youth
Deceive and allure, and we take them for truth;
Too happy are they who the juggle unshroud,
Ere the hint to inspect them be brought by a cloud.


23rd. Psalm in Scots
The Lord is my Shepherd in nocht am I wantin'
In the haugh's green girse does He mak me lie doon
While mony puir straiglers are bleatin' and pantin'
By saft-flowin' burnies He leads me at noon.
When aince I had strayed far awa in the bracken,
And daidled till gloamin' cam ower a' the hills,
Nae dribble o' water my sair drooth to slacken,
And dark grow'd the nicht wi' its haars and its chills.
Awa frae the fauld, strayin' fit-sair and weary,
I thocht I had naethin' tae dae but tae dee.
He socht me and fand me in mountain hechts dreary,
He gangs by fell paths which He kens best for me.
And noo, for His name's sake, I'm dune wi' a' fearin'
Though cloods may aft gaither and soughin' win's blaw.
"Hoo this?" or "Hoo that?" -- oh, prevent me frae spearin'
His will is aye best, and I daurna say "Na".
The valley o' death winna fleg me to thread it,
Through awfu' the darkness, I weel can foresee.
Wi' His rod and His staff He wull help me to tread it,
Then wull its shadows, sae gruesome, a' flee.
Forfochen in presence o' foes that surround me,
My Shepherd a table wi' denties has spread.
The Thyme and the Myrtle blaw fragrant aroond me,
He brims a fu' cup and poors oil on my head.
Surely guidness an' mercy, despite a' my roamin'
Wull gang wi' me doon tae the brink o' the river.
Ayont it nae mair o' the eerie an' gloamin'
I wull bide in the Hame o' my Faither for ever.

8-4-10 "Can You BELIEVE This!?"

KANSAS CITY, MO - A blind couple who had a baby two months ago say that the State of Missouri violated their constitutional rights by taking their newborn away, and now their attorney says that she's working to make sure it doesn't happen again to another blind family.

Erika Johnson and Blake Sinnett say they were not able to bond or care for their baby girl for 57 days because social workers were blinded by ignorance. The couple says that when their child, Mikaela, was born on May 21 they were filled with joy, but social workers then refused to let them take her home.

"I didn't think that was appropriate at all, we are just as capable as our sighted peers," said Sinnett.

Johnson says that their nightmare began when she was trying to nurse her baby in the hospital.

"There was some breast tissue blocking her nose," said Johnson. "But the nurses across the room at the time, I asked them was she okay and she said, 'No, she was beginning to turn blue, but it's fine it could have happened to anybody'."

Johnson says instead of the lactation nurse teaching her how to breast-feed her baby, she reported the incident to the state and for the next 57 days they were not able to care for their child because little Mikaela was in a foster home.

"I'm the one that should have been waking up at 1 o'clock in the morning, feeding her, I missed bonding with her," said Johnson.

The couple's attorney, Amy Coopman, says while the state dismissed the case and returned the baby this week, the state should be held liable for violating the couple's constitutional rights.

"A lawsuit doesn't take that time and give it back to them, but we want to make sure some other blind person that walks into the hospital to have their baby doesn't have this happen to them," said Coopman.

The Missouri Department of Social Services says it can't comment on the case because of privacy laws. But a spokesperson says children aren't taken from their parents unless abuse, neglect or the welfare of the child is in imminent danger.

"We are visually impaired, not mentally impaired," said Johnson. "We are just like everybody else, we just can't see as well."

Wow. Can you believe that? That is insane. Help stop this sort of thing- support the Parental Rights Amendment. I do! http://www.parentalrights.org/

-me

http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-story-blind-parents-child-072210,0,6427253.story

8-2-10 "Stuff You Don't Learn in a Classroom"

I just spent a lovely weekend with my family out-of-town. In true homeschooler fashion, I will list some of the things that I learned this weekend:

1) Crawdads like papaya. They like shaved ham even better.

2) Raccoons travel in fuzzy clumps, whether they are climbing trees or on the ground.

3) As long as you are careful, the canoe will not tip. It’s fun to troll!

4) Catfish are hard to kill. They can survive an entire night after being hooked and they still wiggle after they are decapitated.

5) Preparing a fresh-caught trout to be cooked is actually less gross than dissecting a shark.

6) It is possible to catch a lizard while standing on an ant-ridden log over a lake and holding a fishing pole in one’s dominant hand.

7) The quickest way to make your stuffy, crowded garage look like the scene of a murder is to have your garage freezer full of elk meat die while you are gone for four days, and then accidently dump all the blood onto the floor.

6-27-10 "Books: Best of the Best"

There are a few books that I really think everyone ought to read. Actually, I have a list as long as my arm (literally) of books that I highly recommend. I plan to publish that on http://www.becominggodlymaidens.com/ sometime in the near future. For now, though, here’s a short list of nonfiction books that, in my opinion, make life complete. Please comment and give me titles of books that you recommend! I’d appreciate it. Even if you do not belong to HSB, you can still comment without giving your name or email address.

& Do Hard Things- the book to transform the life of anybody between the ages of twelve and twenty-five and the mindset of all other parties. Stop what you are doing and read this book!

& Rachel’s Tears- this book takes you through the spiritual journey of Rachel Scot, one of the Columbine High School tragedy victims. This was an extremely inspirational book for me. You may find yourself wanting to journal through your Christian walk, too!

& Lies My Teacher Told Me- want to know what you history books got wrong? Curious as to what REALLY happened? Great book – I’ll give it an A for content! Unfortunately, it gets a D for worldview… the author is not interested in following God.

& More than a Carpenter- A great apologetics book. Who was Jesus, and what did he do?

& Kingdom of the Cults- Important for Christians to read. This book lists every cult of the Christian faith, why it is a cult, and what they believe. An important book to at least skim through. Christians need to be informed so they do not get confused.

& What He Must Be (if he wants to marry my daughter)- Homeschool dad, speaker and pastor Voddie Baucham wrote this. I cannot emphasize enough how IMPORTANT this book is to anyone- fathers, daughters, young men, and all other people. This is an non-apologetic guide to doing engagement and marriage God’s way. But don’t wait to read it… if you are in high school or above, this book is for you.

& I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl- Why wait to date? After reading this book, you may not want to date at all! This is the classic book that tells how to please God with romantic relationships in this modern-day world.

& For Young Women only and For Women Only- great way to find out how to relate to guys better. May revolutionize your current or future marriage! Written from a Christian perspective but please note- the first listed recognizes dating vs. courtship as the normal course of things. But don’t let that stop you from reading it. The latter listed is written for married women.

& For Men Only- same as above, only written for guys to understand the female set. I have not personally read it, but as it is the same as the one for women, I would recommend it. I’m not sure if there is one for teens guys out currently and this is written for adults, but I assume it is still very good.

& Good biographies written before 1920, such as The Life of Patrick Henry by William Wirt

& Bible studies and devotional books. I already put some of my favorite feminine Bible study titles online at http://www.becominggodlymaidens.com/homeschool.html/ You guys will have to figure out your own for this one… guy studies are not exactly my area of expertise.

That’s just a few of the cream of the crop!

7-17-10 "Miss Bush? I Do!"

7-7-10 "Demonic Origins of Twilight"

The Darkness of Twilight

Demonic Origin of Twilight?

Written by Sue Bohlin

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.{1}

“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 Twilight was 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}

A Love Story on Steroids: Emotional Dependency

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.

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

Emotional Pornography

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.

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.

The (Rotten) Fruit of Twilight

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-yearold

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 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.

Twilight is one of the most successful series ever published. Readers don’t just read the books; many of them reread

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 thirtysomething

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

Addendum: Should I Let My Children/Grandchildren/Students Read

Twilight?

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.

I have read all four books in the Twilight series. I strongly recommend against reading these books.

But I also understand that it’s a cultural phenomenon, and lots of people are going to read the books no matter

what anyone says. So allow me to attempt to redeem the cultural pressure inherent in these books’ popularity by

suggesting how you can help the tender, untaught minds of your loved ones to think critically as they read.

If your teen or tween expresses a desire to read the books, give an explanation for why you think they shouldn’t.

(“Just say no” just doesn’t work with most kids. They need to know why, and that’s fair.) I would suggest

something along the lines of, “I love you and I want what is best for you, and that means protecting you from

dangers you are not aware of. This series is steeped in the occult and in demonic influence, both of which God

strongly warns us against in His word. There is also a powerful emotional draw into unhealthy fantasy which could

sabotage future relationships with real people. There are spiritual dangers and emotional dangers that I want to

protect you from.”

If you receive pushback, then you might respond by saying, “If you want to read the books, then I’ll read them

with you. We’ll talk about them, a chapter or a scene at a time. The choice is yours.” This gives your loved one the

power of choice, but you remain involved in the process. What would be especially powerful for young girls is for

Dad to read the books as well and talk to his daughter(s) about what’s in them. Men would have a very different

take on the emotional lust in these books, as well as a sensitivity to the unfair expectations of a lover that would

be formed in their daughters’ hearts. Girls need their father’s input in this adolescent time of emotional and sexual

confusion, and Twilight is almost guaranteed to add to the confusion.

Question 1 – Me and God

Question 2 – Me and the People Around Me

Question 3 – The Bible

Talk about the books’ content frankly and openly; if they are embarrassed for you to know what they are reading,

their well-placed shame will make a powerful statement about the wisdom of reading this kind of book. Make sure

they know that you are completely aware of what they are taking into their minds and spirits, just as you would

want to know if they were taking drugs into their bodies. Reframe the book’s content in terms of what the Bible

says, and ask questions: Does this agree with the Bible’s explanation of life and reality? Does this help you draw

near to God, or does it make you want to avoid Him and His Word? How do the descriptions of Bella's, Edward's

and Jacob’s thoughts and feelings make you think about the people in your real life? Are you tempted to look down

your nose at the “mere humans” you do life with?

Even though this work is fiction, it is still making statements about reality. What is it saying about life on earth?

About God? About sin? About love? About the soul? About heaven and hell? About biblical truth?

How does the book compare to what the Bible says? For example, look together at the Ephesians 5 passage about

marriage and why it is important. (Marriage is an earthbound illustration of the union of Christ and the church.)

And what Jesus said about the nature of the marriage relationship in heaven in Matthew 22:30. (The marriage

relationship is ended by death.) How does it compare with the ideas about marriage in Twilight? Look for the ways

Bella relates to her father. Is it according to God’s command to children to obey their parents (Eph. 6:1; Col.

3:20)? Does she get away with her deceptions and repeated acts of disobedience? (Yes.) Is this consistent with the

Bible’s teaching on the consequences of sin (Gal. 6:7)?

Talk about the gold standard for what God wants us to expose ourselves to: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true,

whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is

excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things” (Phil. 4:8). Look for what is true and not true, noble and not

noble, right and not right, etc. The books are not without statements and ideas that are true, noble, and right; the

problem is that they are mixed in with even more compelling ideas that are false, ignoble, wrong, impure,

unlovely, and shameful.

“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 7:23). The things we think about by filling our minds and hearts will

shape us. What are you filling your mind and heart with? Longing for the perfect lover that no human being can

fulfill? Discontent with being human and wishing you could have supernatural powers? Will that serve you well?

Lia Carlile, a teacher at a Christian school in Washington State, offered these excellent critical thinking questions to

help students think through Twilight or any other cultural phenomenon. Lia cites many Scriptures in her notes,

which I highly recommend.{26}

• How is this thing building my relationship with the Lord?

• How does my interest in this area compare with my time invested in my relationship with the Lord?

• Is this creating conflict in my family or with others?

• Does it offend other believers or is it confusing them in their faith?

• What am I saying to my non-Christian friends or what example am I setting for others?

• What does the Bible have to say about this? Who does it glorify—God or Satan? Jesus or the things

of the World?

Question 4 – Me and Twilight (or whatever applies)

• How is this affecting what I think about; my attitude, heart, and mind?

• Does it help me to do what is right according to God? Or, does it promote things of the world?

• Does it distract me from the Lord and my relationships with others? Serving, praying, reading Bible,

ministry, etc.

• Does it cause me to say, think, or do things that are contrary to Jesus and his life?

Notes

1. www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight.html

2. www.Twilightgear.net/Twilight-news-and-gossip/stephenie-meyer-reveals-details-of-new-dream-about-edwardcullen/

2493, March 29, 2009.

3. Steve Wohlberg, "The Menace Behind Twilight," SCP Journal: Vol. 32:2-33:3 (2009), p. 27.

4. Ibid., 28.

5. Ibid.

6. Personal conversation with the author, May 2010.

7. Michael O'Brien, "Twilight of the West,"www.studiobrien.com/writings_on_fantasy/Twilight-of-the-west.html

8. I am indebted to Steve Wohlberg's article cited above for this insight.

9. Stephenie Meyer, Twilight (New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2005), 288.

10. Meyer, Twilight, 342.

11. Meyer, Twilight, 414.

12. http://www.truthinlovetomormons.com/basic_mormon_doctrine/doctrine/theo/fall.htm

13. www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight_faq.html

14. "As God now is, man can become. As man now is, God once was." James E. Talmadge, Articles of Faith (Salt

Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1976). See also Oscar W. McConkie, Jr., God and

Man (Salt Lake City, UT: The Corporation of the Presiding Bishop, 1963), 5. Cited in Russ Wise, "Mormon Beliefs

About the Bible and Salvation," www.probe.org/mormon-beliefs-about-bible-salvation.

15. Stephenie Meyer, Eclipse (New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2007), 68.

16. Douglas Wilson has written a series of insightful reviews of Twilight at Credenda:

www.credenda.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=author&id=64&Itemid=127

17. Lev Grossman, "Stephenie Meyer: A New JK Rowling?" TIME Magazine, April 24, 2008,

www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1734838,00.html). Cited in Marcia Montenegro, "A Girl and Her

Vampire: The Frenzy Over Twilight." www.christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_Twilight.html

18. spesunica.wordpress.com/

19. bit.ly/9m4Nje

20. Meyer, Twilight, 268.

21. www.radicalparenting.com/2009/05/14/the-new-bible-Twilight-mini-article/

22. spesunica.wordpress.com/is-Twilight-anti-christian-yes/

23. bit.ly/aSKdWl/

24. I am indebted to the wisdom shown in the comment by Jae Stellari on spesunica.wordpress.com.

25. O'Brien, "Twilight of the West."

26. www.ericbarger.com/twilight.carlile.pdf

© 2010 Probe Ministries

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

What is Probe?

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.

Probe Ministries is a non-profit ministry whose mission is to assist the church in renewing the minds of believers

with a Christian worldview and to equip the church to engage the world for Christ. Probe fulfills this mission

through our Mind Games conferences for youth and adults, our 3-minute daily radio program, and our extensive

Web site at www.probe.org.

Further information about Probe's materials and ministry may be obtained by contacting us at:

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