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 The stars of the movie Twilight: Breaking Dawn at the UK premier of the film.
November 18th, 2011
05:00 AM ET
My Take: 5 reasons Christians should love 'Twilight'
By Jane Wells, Special to CNN (CNN)–The books and movies of the Twilight Saga have launched a firestorm of debate as to whether the vampire-human love story represents eternal love at its finest or glorifies misogynistic and abusive relationships. I am a proud member of the first camp, seeing epic and eternal themes in the books as worthy of discussion and the violence as a part of the fictional world that tells the story. With Breaking Dawn, part 1, opening nation-wide this weekend, here is my list of the top five spiritual lessons from the first three movies in the Twilight franchise: Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse.
First, some background. Turns out, not all vampires are Bram Stoker monsters concerned only with their own impulses and appetites. Author Stephenie Meyer created the Cullen coven, respectful of human life, living off the blood of carefully culled wild animals. It is one of these “vegetarian” vampires, Edward, which the very human Bella Swan has fallen in love with. There is enough conflict in that one sentence to carry the story through four huge novels, one novella, a partial draft and eventually five movies. In the first novel and movie, Twilight, Bella moves to her father’s home in Forks, Washington from her mother’s home in Phoenix, Arizona. Soon she meets Edward Cullen, and learns that vampires are not only real, but walk daily among the residents of the small town. Her awareness of them, or previous lack thereof, does not affect the reality of their existence. In Hebrews we read that we are to entertain strangers because we might be entertaining angels. From Ephesians we also know that our battle is not against a physical foe but against “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” An awareness of the unseen is a big piece of walking in faith. #2. Love results in, and even requires, sacrifice. In the second book and movie of the series, New Moon, Edward concludes that including Bella in his vampire world is unhealthy. He attempts to save her by breaking up and moving away. It is, he says later, the hardest thing he’s done in 100 years. Although it nearly kills him, he is willing to die if it meant she would live a normal, happy, human life. It was no less than Jesus himself who said in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this – that a man lay down his life for his friends.” #3. Humans crave divine perfection. Throughout the series, Bella notes how perfect she finds Edward in every way. The gaping hole Bella feels when Edward leaves (see #2 above) is very much like the one we spend our lives trying to fill with relationships, food, status, or any other of a million different things – but can only be filled by a relationship with God. No one captures this better than David in Psalm 42, which opens with an image of a deer searching for water – just as David’s soul desperately seeks out God. In this psalm of heartbreak, David cries out to the only perfection that can heal him. Later, in verse seven he says, “deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls, all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” Our human spirits recognize and respond to the call of the Spirit of God, even if in the weak echo of nature’s beauty. #4. A drastic change of direction may be exactly what you need. In the third novel and movie, Eclipse, we learn about Jasper Cullen, Edward’s adopted brother. He was second in command of a vampire army during the American Civil war. However, after several decades of constant conflict, the violence began to weigh heavily on him and he left. Eventually he found peace with the Cullen coven. Every disciple Jesus called turned his back on one way of life to embrace another, none more drastically than Matthew who had been a tax collector. But the choice is yours, as illustrated by the rich, young man of Matthew 19. Jesus looked on him and loved him, yet he walked away from Jesus’ offer of eternal life because it hurt too much to give up his wealth. #5. You’ll only really fit in after you accept what it is God has designed you for. All of her life Bella was a misfit. In Arizona she was a pale geek. In Forks, she is the newcomer. Her mother doesn’t get her, her father is clueless. She is a square peg to everyone’s round hole – until the end of Eclipse where she realizes she’d been fighting to fit into everyone’s expectations which, although well intentioned, were far too small. “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. How about you? Are the expectations placed on you really right for you? Are bits of your soul and psyche rubbed raw by the assumptions you have accepted as your own? Perhaps it’s time to broaden your scope of vision. Because even your biggest dreams pale in comparison to what the God who created every good thing has dreamed up on your behalf. I can’t wait to see Breaking Dawn. If it follows the books as the previous movies have we will see one of the toughest spiritual lessons of all – when Bella learns that sometimes it is after we’ve made the right choice that things are hardest of all. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jane Wells.
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's Note: Jane Wells is the author of 
"5 Reasons Christians should love twilight"
!: Because they already believe in ridiculous fairy tales about virgins and people who aren't totally dead.
2 through 5: See 1
Well, looking at the authors photo I can still believe in virgins...
Hopefully there are 78 of those awaiting any suicide bomber...Maybe they would think twice...
@GodPot
LOL. her picture kinda scares me everytime I see it. I know it's shallow, but she is FUGLY!
@TheTruthFairy: You mean to say that "come hither" look isn't making you long for a romantic evening with the author of this "article"?!
Believer in God to Athiest: Why are you so interested in blogging with people about the God you claim you don't believe in?
Athiest: Because...
Believer: Becausee...what?
Athiest: Silence...
Believer: Well...wouldn't it be nice if you just went about your merry little way and be content with your enlightened state of existence?
Athiest: But I care.
Believer: ...we're just fine (quite alive) and not really in need or in want of your 'correction'. And we're also quite happy with the God who truly makes us feel happy and loved. Believe me ;).
Atheist...shooulda spell checked..anywayz...get my point
Melony, that was beyond lame. The issue of belief, especially when believers cite only religious beliefs taken on faith as grounds to persecute those who believe differently -and there have been centuries and centuries of THAT sort of horrid nonsense, is of vital interest to non-beleivers.
Wow, Melony. You write fiction just as well as that woman who wrote the Twilight books. Maybe you should write books.
lol derp
And here they go again storming here like bees. They just can't help themselves when the word Christian is mentioned.
I'm still laughing to a certain poster that claims that "Majority of posters are Christians". LOL!
This is the religion blog moron. Did you forget where you were?
Many are recovering Christians.
There is a 12 step nowadays.
Don't lose hope, there IS a cure! We just pry your head out of your rear end, and point you towards reality.
I find the psychosis of religion fascinating, quite frankly. And as I view it to be the most detrimental factor world-wide to the advancement of our progress as a species...
Well, I like to keep myself up to date on the crazy sh1te you people believe. "Know your enemy" and all that.
Note: I'm not saying I hate Christians. Just Christianity. And Islam, Judaism and Hinduism. And all their little sub-cults.
Wild Bill is that where the saying heads up came from ?
The majority of posters are christian. The majority of posts likely are not. See the difference?
Thanks for contributing to the discussion. Insecure much?
@ Awkward situation
Religion blog, RRRREEEAAALLLYYYY???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Read again the road signs or ask CNN that you may know what place you're in and WHO'S the real MORON here!
I feel very, VERY sad for you. Your idiocy has been putting you in a VERY awkward situation. TSK! TSK!
@Hellbent
Are you accusing Awkward situation, Reality, hippypoet, The truth Fairy, William Demuth, Tallulah 13, AtheistSteve, Warmest Ghosts, Kirk, Chuckles et'al as conmen, aren't you?
Wait, how are atheists hypocrites again? Do you think it's because we dismiss your beliefs as silly due to lack of evidence?
You think we're hypocrites for "knowing" so much about evolution, science and reality, yet you people claim to actually know the mind, will and history of the Allmighty Creator?
I just don't really understand your point in calling us hypocrites, particularly because Christianity is one of the most hypocritical religions on the planet. Your messiah said love, peace and good will. Meanwhile his adherents run around spreading misery, hatred and violence. I just don't get it.
@William Demuth
Thanks Bro. Don't forget to save for yourself and for your fellow atheists. You need it more than we do.
warmesThosT
I think something about you is HEAVILY BRUISED by my moniker. WAIT! Oh, I see, it's your EGO. Want me to call a Medic?
"Are you accusing Awkward situation, Reality, hippypoet, The truth Fairy, William Demuth, Tallulah 13, AtheistSteve, Warmest Ghosts, Kirk, Chuckles et'al as conmen, aren't you?"
No, I'm not, but thanks for basically proving my point. You basically have the same dozen atheists on these boards posting, while you have a wide range of Christian posters. Try going through the posts in any article about hom.ose.xuality or islam.
You can't reply intelligently to my questions so you resort to ad hominem attacks.
Typical christard, dismissed.
"I think something about you is HEAVILY BRUISED by my moniker. WAIT! Oh, I see, it's your EGO. Want me to call a Medic?"
Typical response by a Christian poster who has no independent thought – ad hominem attacks because you have zero defense of your "positions" – though in this case you don't even seem to have that.
The funniest part is that you seem to be the biggest d!ick on here so far.
"Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie." – Wiki
How again would an atheist be a hypocrite? An atheist does not have to pretend to live up to any imaginary God's moral code while practicing something different. There are lots of things you can call atheists which would hit home far better than "hypocrite" since it's so laughable.
@HypocrAtheists
Based on this: "Read again the road signs or ask CNN that you may know what place you're in and WHO'S the real MORON here!" I'm guessing the real MORON here is you.
What is it that you trying to articulate here? I've read it several times, and I can't get my head around it. I know it's an insult of some sort but other than that, I'm lost. If you could translate into anything other than MORON, I'd appreciate it a bunch.
@Fookin' Prawn
And you have the smallest one in the whole world. Your 300lbs wife told me last night.
You should be in Guiness.
You had s e x with TheTruthFairy's 300 lb wife last night? I hope you left a truth under the pillow, but I'm not sure what the reward is for that...
Ah, ok, just prawns wife. I guess thats ok... she's always been a bit shellfish...
Don't you find it ironic that you are demanding for intelligent reply from me when you opted to base your first comment on my moniker rather than my post?
Did the medic gave you a dose of your medicine? Well, don't blame me!!
My latest reply above was meant for warmesTghosT and to William Demuth as well.
@ TheTruthFairy
That's because of the TRUTH that the brain you're using now, you borrowed it from the FAIRY wasp.
"That's because of the TRUTH that the brain you're using now, you borrowed it from the FAIRY wasp."
WWJD? I'm guessing not make lame insults in an attempt to cover up the fact that he had not one intelligent thing to say.
@godpot
Nope, she made an indecent proposal last night but I turned her down. I thought hers was too narrow for mine.
@HypocrAtheists
"That's because of the TRUTH that the brain you're using now, you borrowed it from the FAIRY wasp."
Thanks for the mind marbles. Was that supposes to be an insult as well? Sorry, but as I mentioned before, I don't speak MORON. Please tell me that English is not your native tongue.
@Hellbent
"You basically have the same dozen atheists on these boards posting, while you have a wide range of Christian posters. Try going through the posts in any article about hom.ose.xuality or islam."
Yeah you're right. But WAIT...Did I say "when the word Christian is mentioned" in my original post, didn't? Sorry to break it to you but I have news for ya, you got it wrong all along. Try to proof-read and refrain from punching those keyboards to make a post/comment/reply while your brain is taking a nap.
What have we learned boys and girls? That this really is the religion blog and it proved itself to be a moron. 😀
+ 1598 points: atheists
– 923 points: morons
@TruthFairy
It seems that while your ego is bloating like a space blob, your brain is shrinking to the size of a quark. It's getting more and more obvious everytime you make a reply.
I think it's just a side effect of too much viewing your polyps. Try to snap your head out of your colon and a have a nicer view of the outside world. It has a whole lot of good things to offer.
HA (original post): "I'm still laughing to a certain poster that claims that "Majority of posters are Christians". LOL!"
HA: "Yeah you're right. But WAIT...Did I say "when the word Christian is mentioned" in my original post, didn't?"
So ... are you a liar, or just that stupid?
Troll. Thanks for continuing to add nothing but a pathetic attempt to insult.
@Awkward Situation
I tried hard to admire your fighting spirit in standing firmly on your claim that this is a "religion blog". But the harder I tried, the clearer I see your thick skin.
An entire magazine of AK-45 will be humiliated when fired at you. It couldn't inflict even a scratch on it.
Take a moment to glance up at this page's web address.
@William Demuth
That was funny... and true. Well said. Stay on the planet. You would be missed!
Cheers!
There is a simple cure for atheism too....it's called dying and realizing you were wrong and that it's too late to fix your twisted, meaningless life!
Im order bfor something to be a "cure" .. it has to be researched, tested, tested again, and again by 3rd 4th 5th party independent sources. Your only "source" (and I use that term loosely) is a 2000 year old book filled with contradictory 3000 year old stories. Not much in the way of any evidence in that is there? A cure requires you to provide all data and research for that disease.. just what "disease" are you mentioning that needs a cure anyway?
Strange, I was just thinking before I opened this blog; When and why do evolutionist think that humans "created" a deity because every culture, even primitive cultures, have some sort of god or gods. Evolution is a late comer.
Lol "evolutionists". It's utterly hilarious that in this day and age people have their heads so deep in the sand (or somewhere else, cough) that they can't accept that evolution is a fact. With the mountains of evidence available on the Internet, Bo, I have to assume you're just trolling and have no interest (or perhaps simply lack the intellectual capability) to research the subject comprehensively.
I do not think Bo was asking about evolution here. He is asking more about the origin of belief in a deity.
Bo
Religion was created when someone like me realized how gullible someone like you could be.
We made it to enslave you, and I it appears it worked.
Next we will fill you with more propoganda. Maybe we will make you republican.
Oh and we will turn your neck red.
A Darwinist! Get em pa!
If he's honestly so dull that he can't comprehend that early humans had no scientific knowledge of the workings of the universe and therefore applied anthropomorphic attributes (gods) to events like storms, earthquakes, plagues, etc in order to explain the (then) inexplicable events that happened to them...
Well then he's just dull enough not to realize that evolution is a fact.
@warmesTghosT: Yes, it all has to do with supernatural beliefs – a category in which religion falls under. Primitive cultures didn't have the tools of science that we have now to explain the natural world around us so they had to make due with the limits of their weak senses. In fact, religion was a primitive form of "science" if you will.
Strange, I was just thinking before I opened this blog; When and why do roundearthers think that world was "created" round because every culture, even primitive cultures, have some sort of flat earth origin story. Round earth is a late comer.
I don't understand your point. Humans create gods. Always have. I suspect that some always will.
Jane Wells! Is this your way of selling this movie to Christians? Wow! Jane would also think it would be good idea for Christians to add this movie to their movie library. And probably watch it with the entire family (including kids).
Which fiction do you hate more, the Vampire fiction that Twilight is, or the Zombie fiction that Christianity is?
Persoanly I think Ann Rice or Bram Stoker leave the Twilighters looking like fools, and I think George Romero's zombies are so much more plausible and entertaining than the whole Christ yarn!
I hate Twilight more but not by much. The only redeeming quality that Christianity has – as a zombie fiction – is that it creates real life pseudo-vampire fans in its wake.. what with the whole drinking of the blood and wanting to life forever thing. It's an entertaining dynamic.
Modern day Christianity is to the bible what Twilight is to Vampires. It's the sugar coated fairy tale repackaged with all the gore and violence replaced by a sparkling shirtless heartthrob. Go Team Jesus!!
Holy moly, I hate this so much.
I've been exceedingly disappointed in the lack of thoughtfulness on the CNN belief blog. It's draining to read about such a flawed view of Christianity. People should stop being close-minded and actually learn what Christianity teaches. Then, perhaps, there could be an intelligent discourse on the Twilight series or anything else. Because of this post, I have decided to stop following the CNN belief blog. For the sake of humanity and thoughtfulness, I surely hope you guys at CNN get things figured out and stop posting trash.
We see what it teaches everyday
We see the body count, the bigotry, the abuse, the fraud, the cruelty and the psychosis.
Please get a grip and realize you are in a CULT, and that the nonsense you espouse is poison to our society
William, he seemed to be talking about what Christianity actually teaches – not what the people who follow it actually do. It's an unfortunate distinction one must make.
@Eh,
Very profound. I've always said the greatest deterrent from Christianity is its followers.
Christianity teaches nothing worth learning.
Jesus (though fictional) did have a few good things worth reading up about, though of course nothing he ever purportedly said was original to Christianity.
The rest of the Bible is garbage though.
The Jefferson Bible is the only one worth reading.
Oh He..ll no. Even the ti.tle of this article irked me. Twilight is nothing but a lengthy dia.tribe about some Mary Sue who is having to make a choice between ne.crop.hilia and bea.sti.ality. I read the first book just to see what the hype was about. By the end, I was rooting for Blade and Van Helsing to team up and take out the whole Cullen family.
I'm sorry. "I've been granted immortality. I know! I'm going to go to high school over and over again!" And the sparkling? Excuse me?
Stephanie Meyers capita.lized on tweens lack of knowledge of what love is and provided this faux expectation of how boys who "really love you" should act. Way to provide women with unrealistic concepts of what love is!
"Humans crave divine perfection"??????
This is a bunch of BS. I'm sure that some do but then again a lot of people are just plain crazy.
5 reasons why Christians should love Twilight :
1. Taylor Lautner
2. Taylor Lautner
3. Taylor Lautner
4. Taylor Lautner
5. Taylor Lautner 🙂
This, I suspect, is the most honest reason on the page.
I bet you are some kind of teenage girl.
I bet it's Jerry Sandusky...
Ugh, the fact that Stephanie Myer is so popular and my younger sister doesn't even know who Anne Rice is sickens me.
Twilight is emotional p0rnography for women. If you want well written, articulate and compelling literature about vampires written by a female author, check out the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. Leagues beyond anything Myer could ever dream up.
And Rice is a Christian. Should work for everybody.
The characters in the Twilight books are like empty receptacles. Anyone reading can simply insert themselves and their real life "crushes" into the book and live out the vampire/werewolf version of their hopeless love life. These books are simple, formulaic, lame, and cater to the retards of the book reading population – which is exactly why they're making so much money. There are plenty of morons to go around buying up this nonsense.
Anne Rice is entirely different since she can actually write literature with well a well developed plot and characters.
Anne Rice was not a Christian when she wrote those books. She was far from it. Just sayin.
I read Interview with the Vampire and most of Vampire Lestat. I couldn't get past the incessant whining of Louie and Lestat.
I think I liked Memnoch the Devil the most. Interesting view on Christian theology and the morality of "the devil".
Wrong genre, obviously! Jesus was a zombie, not a vampire or werewolf!
Brains...braaaiinsss...whoops.. guess I'm gonna go hungry.
Don't worry, Jesus isn't going hungry anytime soon. He is munching on the proverbial "brains" of millions worldwide as we speak.
Jesus was alive and radiant reflecting Gods glory and love. I have not seen a zombie that does not look dead, empty and wasted. That is like comparing Matt Damon to the hunchback of Notre Dame. The same applies to Christians as some are really Bourne again while others are just hiding in a church.
@fred, really... some are really "Bourne again" so does this mean like the church says, when a women is Bourne again, that skin flap magically grows back or just poof there it is after they accecpt a dead man as there savior? again, you are just showcasing the depth of your insanity for all to see... LOVE IT! keep it up , i want my friday to be filled with laughter! 🙂
Acutally, Jesus was a hole-ridden corpse walking amongst people. John 20: 24-28. Thomas put his hands in the holes and stuff....yuck!
Oh btw, Thomas is one of the most celebrated of the apostles, yet he required proof. Blessed are those who require proof!
@fred: Right, so how many zombies have you seen exactly!? I've seen zero but it sounds like you're bumping into them left and right. Watch out now.
1. The supernatural surrounds us whether we’re aware of it or not
-So, to justify the existence of the supernatural, christians should look to a book of fiction? Sounds about right.
2. Love results in, and even requires, sacrifice.
-This is hardly a christian motif – just about any human anywhere understands this.
3. Humans crave divine perfection
-See response to #1
4. A drastic change of direction may be exactly what you need.
-Did someone have chinese last night? This seems like it was plucked right from a fortune cookie.
5. You’ll only really fit in after you accept what it is God has designed you fo
We should accept who we are? Hardly a christian concept – sounds more like buddhism, and certainly requires no deity.
It doesn't matter your religion. There is no reason to read these dreadfully written books or see these movies, unless you're 12 and think vampires are dreamy.
On the other hand, I hear that The Hunger Games series is terrific. I don't read a lot of fiction anymore, but I've been thinking of giving these a go.
I was bored the other day so I watched one of the movies on TV. I was not that impressed. I can see though how they are trying to appeal to teenage girls. The guy is like 'I am so dark and mysterious you should be afraid of me' and the girl is like 'no I am strong I am not afraid of you.'
What a pathetic concept
Find facts about fiction as interpreted through other fiction.
This broad is straight out of some comic convention for losers.
I remeber yahoos trying to bring continuity to the various Star Trek series. They would get all worked up and shoot each other with their toy phasers.
Both points or reference are fabriacted works of fiction designed to entertain simpletons.
This whacko probably speaks Klingonese!
He's dead Jim.
Whoa whoa whoa
First of all, it's just Klingon, not Klingonese.
Second of all, Star Trek is real and should have continuity, the fans keep the show honest, unlike the bible trying to keep its fans honest.
I like you William. You can be a bit gruff at times, but generally a lot of the things you say are amusing, but point that gun somewhere else and leave Trekkies alone.
What does God need with a starship?
I have some friends who were spending the weekend in San Francisco and spotted a Klingon riding a cable car. They later found out there was a Star Trek convention in town.
Chuckles
I have had dinner with Shatner, met Koenig a dozen times, Have drank with Montgomery (before his passing) and attended conventions as fas back as the tenth anniversary (1976)
I even own a tribble from the show, so I guess I qualify as a Trekker (We hate the IE variant)
They are usually BRILLIANT people, but I suspect you will admit that a few are "a bit dweeby"
@William
Well now I don't know what to think. You say somethng like "Klingonese" and then say the term "Trekker" is more preferable than Trekkie? Color me confused!
I will admit though, there are some mighty big trekkIE nerds out there, but I like to think of them as endearing rather than sc.um.
Back in the day we defined it as such
A Trekkie wants to live in the fantasy world of space travel
A Treker wants to make the fantasy a reality.
The original school fans show up in the sciences ant the IT industry, and have made many of the stuff real!
Some of the new school fans show up at unemployment with their liberal arts degrees and whine they can't earn a living.
I actually know a gentleman (he is passed now) who wore Vulcan ears to a company meeting, and then wondered why on one took him seriously!
@William
I honestly had no idea there was division in the ranks of Trekkies, other than the clear division of original vs. TNG vs. deep space nine vs. (gag) voyager.
I also want to redefine the terms you put up because I think all trekkies and (ahem) trekkers want to make stuff on star trek become a reality, some are just smarter than others and can get those jobs in IT and engirneering.
I think I died a little inside when I read the beginning part of the article..... I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. Now, I'm a Harry Potter fan, a pretty big one, but I think I've been able to keep it in perspective, to identify that HP is a classic hero saga tale. His flaws are as apparent as his heroic stature and he never claims to be "perfect" or any of that garbage. His world is supposed to exist parallel to our own but is completely different, yet there are universal truths or truth, justice, loyalty that pervade the series that essentially boils down to " I get by with a little help from my friends".
This series, like what is stated at the beginning, glorifies one of the most unhealthiest relationships ever. Take outrageous liberties with vampire and werewolf lore and twists it into a sick, bizarro version of itself in order to promote values that don't make sense. There's nothing we can all do now but wait for this franchise to run its course and fade to black.
dude, you did like 3 grand like homages thingies.. it was great – first the beatles, " I get by with a little help from my friends"
then superman, the cartoon when the bizarro superman comes to play.....and finally, Metallica for fade to black!!! awesome dude, just pure awesome!!!!
Sokath...His eyes uncovered.
Dude, Chuckles, you and I need to hang out, have a couple of brews and discuss the awesomeness of Star Wars and Harry Potter.
Then, once properly intoxicated, we can begin having a discussion on religion and faith. Probably by then, will be last call and they'll want us to leave. But there's nothing better than two drunks staggering down the street discussing the intricacies of the Ewok Religion and how we can see parts of it in Christianity and Judaism.
@Damian
I'll buy the first round. I can also probably be convinced to talk star wars (the merits of the orignals and the need to abolish the later 3) as well as HP(see my incredibly short discourse above) for, I don't know, probably a week straight.
And two drunks discussing jewish and christians morals within Ewok religion sounds like a college course I would gladly sign up for. Count me in!
@Chuckles,
Harry Potter was interesting, had a whole world developed, the obvious creative genius behind J.K. Rowling filled the pages. And there was enough content for there to be seven books, nearly twice what the Twilight series had. Just to put this out here, this is a quote attributed to Stephen King. "Harry Potter is all about confronting fears, finding inner strength, and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend."
My belief regarding Star Wars, is that the first three (Ep 1, 2, 3) , on their own, could (not necessarily should) stand on their own as a seperate series, but should NOT be part of Star Wars canon (Ep 4,5,6).
And yes, my friends, Han did shoot first.
@Damian
I saw that quote too and thought, "Holy sh.it, truer words have never been spoken", The real question is, do you think there will be more books? Say, a prequel about James and Lily? Voldemorts story? Dumbeldores? Part of me wants to believe that a new HP is in the works and that one day will be released, but maybe that's just me already insanely wishing I could attend just one more midnight premier of the book/movie. Then again, I have yet to go to HP World in FL, so there's something to look forward to.
As for Star Wars. I will admit I enjoyed the 3rd one, some parts were contrived (namely when Anakin actually turns evil) but it was pretty solid, and had it stoof on its own would have been good. Episodes 1 and 2 though.....well, there aren't enough words in the english language to describe how upset and disappointed I am with those movies, nor do I think they could even stand alone and be considered anything more than sh.it. Liam Neeson did a hell of a job and Ewan McGregor was fine, I guess if you want to stretch the word "fine" as far as possible, but I will never forgive George Lucas for what he did to his fans. He literally bent them over, ra.ped them and demanded that we pay him money in return.
I agree though and believe that Han did indeed shoot first, it makes him a badas.s. I should also warn you that the Cantina is my ring tone.
@Chuckles,
On one hand, I would love to see more HP stuff. But on the other, I feel like it was full to its completion. Harry Potter wasn't about the wizarding world as a whole, but was the story of Harry Potter. I'd love to know more about the Marauders and Potter's kids, but I wonder if it wouldn't be contrived just to appease fans. As for Voldemort, I feel his story was complete. Book 6 detailed out Riddle's story well enough that I don't think there's much more that needs to be written.
I loved Voldemort as a bad guy, second in my list of all time favorite bad guys. He is only surpassed by Darth Vader and that's because I will never deny my loyalty to SW. I loved how he was really just a scared little boy with a lot of power, afraid to die because it would make him weak, afraid to feel anything and an unrelenting desire to accomplish his goals and did so with brutal efficiency.
I am actually going to the theme park in May next year.
As for SW, we knew Anakin was going to become Vader. I think they should have stretched it out though. Here is how I look at what happened in 3.
It would be like the leader of Satan's Army coming and saying, "Hey, Damian, you know what? There's a lot of really AWESOME power over here on Satan's side."
Damian: "Really? Well I've always been taught you were evil, but you say it so convincingly, everyone I've always loved and trusted MUST be wrong. Ok, I'll join you."
Satan's Army Leader: "Great! Your first job? Go slaughter everyone in that preschool over there."
Damian: "Right-o! On my way!"
It just felt...wrong. It felt too neat. I also hated how Padme was this awesome, strong woman at first (Queen of Naboo, then Senator, and fought in the Clone Wars) but as soon as Ep 3 opens, she's this whiny, defenseless woman who dies from a broken heart. Really? It would have been better if Anakin had actually killed her.
Ep 1 was not good at all. Outside of Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Darth Maul, it was terrible. That pod race scene is too damn long.
Ep 2 I enjoyed, but mainly because I liked how Anakin slaughtered a whole village of Tuskin Raiders and then the end fight. And the first view of Yoda fighting. I cheered when he summoned the lightsaber to his hand, ignited it and then went at it with Count Dooku.
And no worries about your ringtone. Mine is the Imperial March. 🙂
@Damian
I totally agree that there probably shouldn't be any more HP books, it would probably feel too gim.miky anyways, I would probably attend a midnight premier right now though if they rei.ntroduced any one of the 8 HP movies back in theaters. Hel.l, I'd dress up too.
I have to admit, the more and more I think about, the more and more I think Voldemort might be a bigger baddie than Vader for a couple of reasons. Voldemort has always been bad. Vader had his time as Anakin with lofty goals of saving the slaves and bringing peace to the universe, he wanted to be a jedi knight and protect the galaxy. I'm fairly certain Voldy always wanted to be bad and he's all the scarier for having duped so many people into believing he was good.
2. The end clearly shows it. Vader, when given the chance for remorse and redemption, takes it to save his son, save the galaxy and find peace after his self-sacrifice. Voldemort is given the same opportunity by Harry, but Voldemort is beyond redemption, beyond remorse, dude literally tore his soul into 8 pieces in hopes of living forever so he could reign as the biggest villain for eternity.
3. Darth will kill just about anyone who gets in his way but ma.ss murder is generally saved during battle. He kills one of the officers for disobeying him, but leaves the rest of the table to watch. Voldemort does the same, but when he goes into rages he'll start smiting anyone in his path, he kills like there's no tomorrow and he'll kill unarmed people (I mean, I guess as unarmed as you can get in the wizarding world)
To transition into SW. I completely and totally agree. It was hard for me to wrap my head around Anakin being told by a guy he knows to be evil in the midst of fighting a jedi councilmember that he can save Queen Am.idala and Anakin is like, "Yeah, sounds about right, lay off him Mace", then cuts the dudes arm off, throws him out the window, then hops on over to kill younglings and all his friends because.....oh yeah, thats right to save Padmay from dying sometime in the undefinable future.
I also HATED that she died of a broken heart, that was.... well it basically made me throw my hands in the air in disg.ust when I first saw it. It would have been so much better if she had died because a) anakin kills her, b) a jedi ki.lls her in rev.enge of anakins mas.sacre at the temple c) she actually follows anakin, becomes ev.il and is as.s.asinated and/or ki.lled a traf.fic ac.cident or something, basically showing anakin that he can't protect her forever.
It would have also made a lot more sense to show Anakin misusing his powers, using them for personal gain, or re.venge or something to indicate he was turning evil and having Obi Wan try and cover it up. Instead you just had Samuel Jackson and Yoda just saying sh.it like, "sounds like you have emotions, I don't trust you".
The only saving grace of Ep 3 is that it had a KILLER last fight scene with Obi Wan and Anakin, some great effects and a story that started to move.
Ep 1 and 2 both had the cool fight scenes as well (Darth Maul's double lightsaber to this day lives on as one of the most bada.ss weapons ever and there's a reason why yoda is one of the best jedis ever), but the storylines fell flat, the pod racing was a joke and Jar Jar Binks deserved to have everything that Rasputin had done to him x1 million. I will never, repeat NEVER, forgive George Lucas for creating Jar Jar Binks.
it makes me sad that they aren't going to make ep- 7,8,9.... and D, i agree with you on ep -1,2,3.. there is no way they could stand on there own, they just piggy back on ep 4,5,6... it also makes me sad that in ep 4,5,6 its yoda who trains Obi Won, not Count Dooku like in the new ep 1,2,3... totally failed to keep to the original story! And how they changed the original Vader's ghost to the new actor of vader – dude would still have been older then he was when he became vader so why use the kid, they should have left it with the old white dude – and the voice of James Earl Jones... i miss that, but hearing the kid attempt the voice was comical!
Hahahahahaha – You have successfully proved you are a bigger dork than I am. I never dress up, not that there's anything wrong with it, I just neither have the time nor the resources to design a costume that I'd want to wear.
Voldemort is undeniably more evil than Vader. There was always good in Vader. I don't think there was in Riddle. Riddle was evil at 11 when Dumbledore first met him. He was stealing people's stuff, killing people's animals and hurting people before he even knew he was a wizard. And like you said, Voldemort didn't even consider being a good guy. He was evil throughout. Umbridge was pretty evil too. I kinda think she would've become a Death Eater if Voldemort hadn't been killed by Harry.
One thing you have to give Vader though; he was perfectly cool with allowing the Empire to blow up an entire planet just for the sake of showing off the Empire's power.
I agree. Padme should have died in a much more spectacular way. Anakin clearly believed she betrayed him. He should have strangled her to death and she should have been dead. Would have been a much more poetic way for her to go. He turned to the dark side to save her, and that wound up being the reason she died.
One of the things that was difficult, was I never saw how Anakin and Obi-Wan were such good friends. Master and apprentice? Sure. Friends? I never felt like they fleshed that out enough. Really, the story of Anakin going to the dark side should have been longer, maybe one or two more films. But I do agree, the Obi Wan and Anakin fight was legen...wait for it...dary. I remember going, "That's awesome!" when Anakin swung on the rope and came back to fight Obi-Wan. Reminded me of some of the battles in pirate movies.
Agreed, Jar Jar must die. A horrible, excruciating death. He wasn't funny. He wasn't entertaining. And the stupid jokes that C-3PO had in Ep 2 were just as bad, if not worse. "Oh, I'm beside myself." Lame.
Personally, I've felt that Edward Cullen was honorable and if any vampire could have soul, it would be him and his family, who are decent, loving beings. He believes in abstinence and refuses intimacy with Bella until they are married, among many other fine attributes. He's a fine example, imo. I've struggled with this and believe I will have a blog soon about my take on this matter and other questions when Christians may disagree. Thank you for a wonderful blog...
wow, if that wasn't a joke then you are such a loser....fat, drunk, and having an obsession with a book is a bad way to go thru life! Now i understand you may not be fat or drunk, but i don't really care – it was a take off animal house, roll with it!
This was embarrassing for me to read.
So he's immortal, forever youthful and immune to disease...and he's NOT tapping every piece of @ss that comes his way?
What a moron.
Actually, Edward only avoided intimacy with Bella because he was afraid he would lose control and kill her during the act. It wasn't a moral sense that stopped him, it was his desire to not murder her that stopped him. Generally, if you are on the verge of killing someone at some point, it's probably best to avoid physical intimacy with them as well. Good rule to live by.
What utter drivel. Dumbest article I've read in a while.
"I am a proud member of the first camp, seeing epic and eternal themes in the books as worthy of discussion and the violence as a part of the fictional world that tells the story."
Isn't this statement entirely backwards? Eternal themes are fiction whereas violence is all too real. This article demonstrates just how selective believers are about things that matter to them with regard to spiritual themes. Like how drinking mere animal blood equates to "vegetarian" vampirism. Really? But humans are animals too so where is the actual difference? Twilight is based on vampires and werewolf lore and although the Cullens can survive in sunlight they are still cursed creatures. The undead with no heartbeat, living like parasites on the blood of their victims and by any normal definition UNHOLY. Sheesh...I had a bit of a headache before reading this article and now it's turned into a full blown migraine.
Science has continuously discovered logic to everything that exists in nature and have said to themselves let learn from the knowledge of logic that is in everything created. The scientist's greatest teacher is the Almighty God, creator of everything.
when science proves that even one thing was created by a design i will agree with such a statement! Until then, your delusions are just showcase of the depth of your insanity. I rather enjoy it.
Ermm "God" has never taught us anything. In fact, in the Babble, he explicitly got angry and chucked us out of Eden when we ate the fruit of "knowledge". God likes us dumb and complacent.
Logic stems from the natural order and structure of the universe, not the other way around. No deity required.
When someone calls themselves "the truth", it generally follows that "the truth" is just "the opinion".
Say what?
If he digs science and scientists why does he have his followers kill them off?
Creation presents logic to scientists. They are like children in a vast library full of books of knowledge and trying to figure out whose is the author. Where does knowledge come from? It come from the creator of everything. (Y)
@the_truth_speaks – your god is nothing but a child, nothing comes from that creature but suffering and death. thats if it exists that is!!!!
you can claim free will and by so cover all of the human actions done to the world but how can say that god is real and controls nature when nature has killed more purely innocent lives then anything in history ever... if god was just and comp@ssinate why send the tsunami that killed 300 thousand, why create the plague that killed nearly 75 million in the middle ages when nearly everyone was a VERY devout believer.... WHY????? if god exists, i say again, it is nothing more the a complete di-ck with enjoys watching his creation suffer and the irony is the believers claim it is god that made them suffer and then believe more then before as a precaution to the next suffering.... thats insanity! thats ignorance of the true cause and reason which only ends up driving the believer further into the delusions that it has been plagued with and suffers currently! its sick, it is the cancer to society and the cure is knowledge! the more to know this to be true the safer the world will be. Inshort, there is no god, or one worth worshipping!
isn't it strange how a solid argument is left alone by the believers... i am willing to bet noone will throw am attempt at an answer for the post above. and thats because they can't... god is a pri-ck who doesn't care of just doesn't exist... only possible answers in life are found own your own! Now GROW UP!
@HP
They won't answer because deep down they know you're right. They may never admit in public, or even anonymously online, but when they search deep within themselves, they know it's all BS. Anyone that doesn't is truly hopeless, because it shows they have zero grip on reality, and therefor incapable of accepting the truth when it presents itself.
LOL – dumbest article ever! how is this national news, international news... anything that really impacts anyone by the woe is me fans that are obsessed with the books or the idea of vampirism...just stupid.Once when i was tripping and had my future wife on the phone, i had a VERY long beard (about 4-5 inches) 🙂 and she said i was a werewolf and i started freaking out sceaming no no no don't say that, thats bad oh no... she thought is was funny as hell, i being the experienced tripper quickly explained the dangers of such jest – one day while in new hampshire, she had eaten 7 grams of shrooms ;)... well she isa beginner and i told her not to, but she did...needless to say she was freaking out beyond her control to come back about some bad men coming to get her... so i walk in the room she is in now and i say these exact words "the bad men can't get you if the musics playing" then i turn the radio now and bam, shes fine – after that we had a bowl 🙂 now thats funny and a morality tale of the evils of the lack of forethought and lack of understanding. enjoy my little story. 🙂
7 GRAMS!? On purpose?
yup.... she has seen me do an once at once before so i guess she thought that the affects weren't something to respect! And i am being serious just so you know.
I've got a whole new level of respect for you after reading that... you crazy ole hippy.
i prefer lsd to shrooms anyday, the onset is freaking painful with shrooms... but i prefer the after effects of shrooms over lsd. safer trips – morning glorys,nutmeg, running really fast and then falling – all good fun. bad things to trip off of – belladonna and datura... they make you go for days and you never know when your really done, much like lsd with the up and down effect but this is not anything else like lsd! there are some others that i have tried, but throwing them out over the net will get someone kiled. oh and belladonna and datura WILL KILL YOU IN HIGHER DOSES. according historians, Caligula's father was killed by belladonna.... it leaves big red blotches all over your body after you die. But under a gram, wow it can be fun. Datura is alittle weaker, but don't EVER exceed 2 grams with this!!! Morning glorys i find to be the most like lsd, and they are safe agani under a certain amount....but this amount is special to each person... and datura and morning glorys go together like a peanut but-ter and jelly... they were made for each other. Don't even bother with the nutmeg, it tastes bad, and sometimes makes you purge after ingestion!
I used to prefer lsd, but i had one too many bad trips, and i just can't do it anymore. it get's inside my head before i even drop and it's all downhill from there. Zoomers on the other hand are much easier for me to handle, as i find they are far less intense, but still very enjoyable and i can easily amp them up with a couple of bong hits if necessary. haven't had much experience with the others you mentioned, but i'd be interested to hear about the 'un-mentionable' ones.
check out baby wood rose seeds and Oligoli seeds... then if your up to the hellish event that leads to a heaven like state of mind – try out caapi B. .... syrian rue is fun.... the african dream nut is friggin awesome – but hard as a rock..Calea zacatechichi is an awesome sleep herb as well......this is not to be trusted so if you try it, small amounts -Chacruna ..... most of these come from either the amazon or africa...oh heres a good one... try different combos of all kinds of wood rose seeds...if you drink booze with anything here.... DO THE RESEARCH FIRST, YOU MAY DIE! i am a bit of a shaman and drugs are to be respected – not abused... they can and will kill you if you are not careful.
I need to go on a journey with you fellas!
I haven't tried lsd as of yet but I really want to.. just haven't had the right opportunity. Last time I did shrooms I was with a friend at Disneyland out of all places! That.. was.. a trip to remember.
thanks for the info HP. i'll check those out on erowid dot org.
i used to live by erowid.. i love the vault page where you read other peoples experiences... but i have since found sites that offer info and experiences but also sell them... now thats better!
@Awkward Situations
I can well imagine that was a trip to remember. That must have been hard to hide your 'highness' in an environment like that.
I am the last one to be a preacher about anything... but, hippypoet, while you are free to enjoy your trips, I just hope that you have made secure provisions for your much-beloved little kids, who may well be without a father (and perhaps a mother) one of these days in the near future. That's good advice for any parent, of course, but wow, man, you sound like you are on a slippery slope... take care...
@TheTruthFairy: I didn't try very hard to "hide" it.. I told myself that if I fixated on that I would make myself obvious and paranoid. I just enjoyed myself and noted my observations to my friend as quietly as possible. People most likely thought I was weird or really really excited to be at Disneyland.
@No Preacher: Yes, it is a slippery slope to fun times and expanding your mind. Believe it or not, people can enjoy drugs responsibly without turning into crackheads!