So, I haven’t read the books, but I did see the movie. And I want to throw my own opinion out there. First of all, on the Mormon section, here’s an interesting link I found to a Mormon website:
http://www.millennialstar.org/2008/10/28/twilight-vampires-and-mormons/
People might want to check that out.

And, btw, I’m a Christian who is serious about her religion but isn’t going to go around bashing people over the head with it. And I’m committed to sexual abstinence until marriage, but that doesn’t mean I think of guys as vampires. I think I’m every bit as responsible for our purity as he is, and he’s not faster or stronger or SPARKLIER just because he’s the guy. I also, and I don’t think this is just me, but I don’t spend all my time with a heaving bosom thinking about guys’ marble chests. Even though I’m 19 and in college. I just wanted to point out that there is a middle ground between “erotic abstinence” and premarital sex, a ground that I and a surprising (for a liberal college campus) number of my friends inhabit.

Also, one of my friends, a hardcore vampire fan, was describing the books to me, and couldn’t stop ranting about the fact that the vampire was SPARKLING. It totally sickened her.

Thanks for hearing me out!

Leading on to the second side note: I’m agnostic, of the variety that believes NO religion has gotten it truly right about higher power(s) that may or may not exist. However, I feel that the FIRST repsonse of main-stream Mormons should NOT be to first deny any comparision between them and other ‘fundamentalist groups’ (same goes for Christians, and Muslims, or any other religion for that matter). The focus should be on the PEOPLE who are suffering - and how they or their group are helping those people not ‘That’s not us! Don’t confuse us with them! WE don’t do those things.’ I also feel that those same people who posted here should have explained their beliefs - so we can all understand them better too.

Here’s the thing: I believe she is holding up a mirror to how it is to be that age in those circumstances. As an author, I know that Ms. SaintCrow is very cognizant of the world she makes for her charactars and their struggles- their ethics match her own. But I think Ms. Meyers just said- here is my charactar- what would she do? And she just followed the charactar, no matter how wrong headed she might have been.

I think at that age, when first love comes, the boy IS all that matters- that all I cared about when I was teen- finding someone to love me and being heartbroken when noone was to be found. Even so, I got good grades, got into a great school, etc. I had all the bad “loves” and found a better love. I grew up.

So, Bella’s behavior: IT’S A PHASE TEEN GIRLS GO THROUGH. Then they outgrow it. What she thinks she wants forever at 17 is not what she will want at 27. But it is the narcissism of youth to believe that what matters NOW is all that will ever matter.

I am not always comfortable with Edward’s behavior, but then, he is an 18 yearold male from the early 1800’s- why is everyone so surprised at his actions? He’s had limited contact with people in the modern world. And those in his family are from a similar time.

Further- I find Bella extremely manipulative of the people in her life. So, i’m not always comfortable with Bella either.

Although Meyers hasn’t said so, she hints at it: I think that Bella has no choice in loving Edward. I think that she is chemically addicted to him, an evolutionary development to keep prey as a ready source. If Ms.Meyers writes from that perspective- basically an addict- well, no surprise Bella is so passive and will do anything to keep him.

Last thought: Authors grow in their craft and change with time. I’d be more interested to see what her next YA series is like.

And I do have to agree with some of the other posters here that it’s a slippery slope to link LDS with FLDS. and that to Meyer. I abhor FDLS - I’ve read quite a bit about the cult and followed all of the news stories very closely. However, FDLS is a cult - it’s like saying Christianity is evil *because* David Koresh and the Branch Davidians had horrible practices. One may still dislike Christianity of course, but for other reasons instead. Linking a cult with a mainstream religion is conflation. And of course, it seems to me to be wrong to dislike a book because of the religious or political leanings of the author. I love Orson Scott Card’s books, but I can’t stand his political stances. Come to think of it, he’s a Mormon, isn’t he? Well, there you go - no one really says “The Mormon author Orson Scott Card”, but they do it to Stephanie Meyer. Maybe it’s a bit of sexism in there, too? It’s difficult to separate an artist’s work from his or her beliefs, but it’s only fair to do so.

Additionally, did anyone else find it extremely obnoxious that every other paragraph describes how beautiful/wonderful/sexy/SPARKLY Edward is? The book could easily have been 100 pages shorter if Bella’s character didn’t comment on Edward’s eyes etc. Maybe her character could, you know, focus on school since that is nominally what people her age do. While I am a good 5 years out of high school, I do seem to remember that there was more to it than mooning over Mr. Perfect and falling down in gym class. Perhaps I’m just having a case of generational disconnect…though I hoped I could avoid that malady until I was at least 30.

1st of all I am a 26 years old single Greek woman who tries to exercise her free will as much as she can. who enjoys reading dark fantasy, fantasy, a bit of romance and almost everything in between and that I try to read the stories not to find ways to make my relationships better or my life like the the heroine’s. Sure, what girl and woman doesn’t dream of that mysterious, strong, dark knight that will protect her and love her and blah blah blah… yes, I do enjoy reading those stories, but I do know how they differ from this reality.

2nd, though I do believe in the greater beneficent power that many see in Jesus and God I am not such a fanatic as to not see the wrongness in some aspects of every church I read or hear about. And I do try to keep an open mind towards other’s religious beliefs (at least to the point where the others don’t try to change my beliefs with their own, If I wish to change religion I’ll search on my own ThankYouVeryMuch.)

3rd and hope, I’ll end it here. I have enjoyed reading the books, no, I didn’t see that end coming but still I read the stories, I didn’t try to decipher the hidden or not hidden meanings of the stories.

I was though feeling quite “incredulous’ (for luck of a better word) to read of adults (well when we are talking about 17-18 year olds who have the ‘traditional’ role of protecting their community against the ‘evil’ of vampires we are talking about young adults) who get ‘betrothed’ to toddlers through a hazy - to me at least - procedure. it really reminded me of the old Kingdoms’ alliances.

Then we get the heroine having unprotected sex - well since her ‘husband’ didn’t have blood but venom in his veins then I would guess that his semen fluids would have venom as well. - but instead of that what do we get? an ultra - short pregnancy that almost kills the mother, that she doesn’t want to end (okay, I can understand that) that even the Doctor abides to her wishes (One thing I do know, when the mother’s life is in danger the doctors vastly prefer to terminate the pregnancy and save the mother’s life) and of course we get a half mortal - half vampire child that in 7 years would reach maturity-
- as if her emotions, psyche, mind, all will be ready in all of 7 years (now isn’t that so conveniently the number of completion in just too many religions?) to take all the burdens of a mature woman of I don’t know, 20 years old?

And what I guess is the tip of the iceberg - Edward - the ‘father’ - trying to understand how Jacob, who is betrothed to Edwards daughter from the day she was born(!) doesn’t consider the possibilities of their relationship in the end of the next 6 1/2 years… even if I got through everything else (which really I didn’t) this really had me rolling my eyes.

To start from the very beginning though, I haven’t read Twilight in a quite long time, it was just a story for me. I guess I didn’t expect it to give me tips on relationships or the norms of a Happily Ever After. It was a story, just like the old fairy tales with the Prince bringing back Snow White. Perhaps it is because I grew up and stopped believing in Prince Charming (not that I ever believed in him…) perhaps it was because I was trying to help a friend with too many abusive relationships and never really being able to help her. But one thing I am sure of is that I didn’t search for those undercurrents, so I didn’t see them in the books. The 1st one yeah, It was a bit “Right! And her dad knows nothing…” the second had me “What the **** is he doing?” the third… oh it did put a new aspect in… the vampire saying “No! I am not changing you, you are going to College and I’m paying it” (That got me on edge…) It wasn’t like she fought too much… she wanted to become a vampire so that she wouldn’t be so ‘fragile’ and accident-prone… and then in 4th well, surprise surprise, once sex comes in… “Ah, yeah, I’ll go to college….” get a life! all it took him to get her to say yes to college was making love? now that’s a really disturbing thought….

well I am not sure how much sense I make here but What I meant to say is, every boy and girl in this world has to decide for their life. Just because some heroine of the 1800s (or Bella of the 21st century) decided to get married and have a child at 18 (because she doesn’t want to be off her teens as her beloved.) and then become a vampire so that she might live in eternal bliss (that is until fate strikes again) that doesn’t mean we all have to do the same…
In this world? she stays home to take care of child or works at the lowest payment, he works where he can and they fight everyday because life is not what they thought… Life is not a romantic fairytale or a convenient story when all end happily for the good guys….

and here I am cutting it because If I keep on…

Oh! and Selene is GLORIOUS!!!!

As someone who had a near miss with an abusive relationship (I almost married the guy straight out of high school!) your description of these books and how they end sends unease crawling along my spine. It also sharpens my resolve to not let my own protagonist walk down that path… I’m glad I’ve written her to bounce back from pushoverville and have some strength, rather than give up her life to a guy.

Though, as much as I dread the thought of getting into Bella’s head, I may have to read these so I can form the basis of a good argument against them. I know my 19 year old cousin has read and loved this series, and this bit of information makes me worry for her.