- I don’t think Tw*light fulfills any spiritual needs. Like I understand what the writer of this article is trying to say, and maybe it’s because I’m a Christian myself, but I don’t read read or watch Twilight and think, “Welp. Here’s a good allegory that illustrates the relationship between God and man.” Because no. It does not. Nothing about this series reflects the goodness of God, however it does reflect much of the hatred of man, but you already know that.
- Oh no. Here we go with the toxic purity culture. I want to be very clear; if someone decides to wait until marriage for personal reasons, religious reasons, or any other reason it’s valid. The problem comes into play when people believe that people choose to do so are somehow more virtuous or better people. What someone chooses to do (or not do) is their choice and should absolutely be respected. It’s the moral superiority and disrespect towards women in particular that creates toxic purity culture. It’s the looking down on and degrading others that creates toxic purity culture. Stop that.
For anyone who’s wondering, the author of this article is basically saying that the meadow scene represents the garden of Eden. I do find this to be an interesting comparison, but what’s even more interesting is that most modern interpretations of the Biblical text, including those presented in theological arguments at times (within Christianity, in particular, though certainly not always), stem from a poem called “Paradise Lost” by John Milton. It was written in the 1600s. Paradise Lost, while taking some elements from the account in Genesis, was the first popularized text to vilify Eve as Adam’s downfall. The original text (Genesis in the Bible or the Bereishit in the Torah) was translated by a Rabbi (who actually understands the original text, as it was written in Hebrew) named The Madregat Adam in the 19th century, and this is a widely accepted translation amongst many Rabbis and other religious leaders. He explained that, in his understanding, Adam and Eve never planned on revolting against God. Their hearts were not evil. He explains the full text with much detail (you can read more here if you’re interested). To summarize, he essentially says that by facing the trial in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve both sought to strengthen their faith and obedience to God, but failed as they were imperfect and had never truly been faced with temptation before. They were still perfect, to an extent I suppose, in that they had no evil desires and no desire to fail or be corrupt. It’s complex, and I’m really not explaining anywhere near as well as the author of the article I linked does. Anyway, this interpretation places Adam and Eve on a level playing field. It does not demonize either of them. It simply points out that, even humans who have perfect intentions, have the capacity to succumb to temptation. It is part of being human. Ultimately, God understands humans and He knows our hearts and He understands our desires better than anyone else. This basically means that, while Adam and Eve disobeyed his command, He still loved them and wanted the best for them. This was a long rant, but my point is that I don’t quite see the parallels between smeyer’s racist story and the beautiful allegory illustrated in religious texts about God’s love for us. It’s just not there and to be honest, it feels quite sacrilegious. I’m sure smeyer would like to think her work is some beautiful allegory about God’s love, but considering how much racism, sexism, and other problematic themes are present in her work, I just don’t see it. Anyway. This ended up being a lot more theologically driven than I ever intended, but I don’t like this comparison at all, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it was smeyer’s intent.Â
