Introduction

I, along with nearly every breathing female I know from 12-60, have recently finished reading the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. Initially I was surprised that a Mormon, a young mother who graduated from BYU nonetheless, would actually write a novel about vampires and werewolves. What surprised me even more was that nearly every girl and woman I know has read the series voraciously. Doesn’t it seem strange that such a conservative, even somewhat pious, population should become so enamored with what appears to be a hormone-driven teenage romance novel?

I went into the experience of reading the series with a bit of skepticism. I was determined to read the books objectively with few expectations. I quickly found myself becoming obsessed with the story of Edward and Bella. I stayed up late, didn’t do my dishes, didn’t actually do much of anything because I HAD TO KNOW what was going to happen to them. By the time I reached the final novel, I implemented a bribing system for myself to regulate my life a bit. I would set little goals, like I can’t read another chapter until I at least look at what my RS lesson is about on Sunday. I have to at least feed my family breakfast and put clothes on everyone before I indulge in a page. I pride myself on usually not getting caught up in every pop culture craze (Okay, so the last season of American Idol is another exception). I was puzzled at why the story affected me so much. I found myself wondering why was I so susceptible to Meyer’s writing. After a little analysis, here’s what I came up with:

Stephenie Meyer I (and maybe you?) share a lot of the same background and cultural identity. We are both LDS (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) and grew up in the culture of the church. We’ve been taught the gospel since we were very young, and that understanding influences how we make sense of our experiences and the world around us.

As I read, I gradually recognized that my mind was struggling to interpret and anticipate the story of Bella and Edward in the context of the gospel. Subconsciously I was trying to make sense of what it all really means from an eternal perspective. As I started to identify aspects of the story that affected me the most, I started to recognize patterns that I have been taught since I knew the words to “Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam.”

Now, I don’t pretend to know or understand what Stephenie Meyer
was trying to say in her books with regards to spiritual messages. I suspect she didn’t have any overt intentions. She wasn’t trying to write the sequel to the Book of Mormon (although that may be an interesting project for her to consider). I think that her beliefs are so much a way of how she thinks that they just spontaneously emerged in the process.

I have identified 15 gospel principles or ideas that I think emerge from an analysis of the Twilight Saga. My plan is to present the basic principle and explain how I think it shows up in the books. I would love to have this become a conversation. Please let me know if you agree, disagree, or have a different perspective to share. I am going to list the first 5 topics so that you can get the wheels turning. If any one would like to volunteer to write on one of the topics, please let me know! Also, please share the link to this blog with anyone you think may be interested.