Can you imagine… I wouldn’t let my three teenagers go see the most recent Batman movie because I’m convinced the spirit of death was/does operate in it. Lead actor Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of sleeping and anxiety meds during the filming of it and confessed the weeks before to struggling with insomnia since the filming began and that the movie “messed with his head.” His friends noted something came on him during the filming because he just looked different, drained.
One of the spiritual gifts listed in the New Testament is the discernment of spirits. If you are wondering how I can conclusively say the spirit of death was operating in the movie Batman all I can tell you is I discerned the spirit and, coupled with my experience in deliverance ministry, coupled with police chaplaincy, my own personal testimony with the occult, and I’m telling you this isn’t the Batman of twenty-five years ago.
Go ahead and chuckle at me – but most of you haven’t been to the number of teen suicides I’ve been to in the last twenty years. I look at what’s on their walls when I walk in to see them hanging by their neck in the doorway. I’m not saying your kid will go kill himself if he sees Batman, I’m saying demonic spirits have full access to our kids today through media and entertainment venues and parents are clueless.
And here, though I’ve not personally seen it, I’m going to urge you to keep your kids away from a hugely popular movie and book series – Twilight. I have only seen the preview and that was enough for me to shut the gate in terms of allowing this teen craze into my household.
My 14 year old daughter reports to me Twilight has fully captivated her high school peers. I got online and watched the trailer and learned it’s an action-packed, modern-day love story between a teenage girl and a vampire (a vampire is a corpse that returns from the grave to terrorize and drink the blood of the living – the idea that there is a good one out there, one who is lovable is dangerous fantasy and deception at its peak).
The Twilight Saga is a Gateway drug - lowering inhibitions and desensitizing. It creates a fantasy world where girls experience Edward’s advances vicariously within their own imaginations – writes a Catholic blogger who has written extensively on this series. The movie and books are targeted to adolescent girls. 350 different fan websites are now on the internet averaging 31 female fans for every male. The demonic is after our daughters. It’s a part of the devil’s ancient war on women.
Parents need to be careful to not expose their daughters to the darkness that strategically emminates from this movie. One parent/Catholic school teacher reacted this way…
I agree, this is a female mass intoxication with disturbing implications. The book, which I finished yesterday, is hypnotic and addictive. The mixture of sexual stimulation and bloodletting/violence is sickening, yet despite having such strong misgivings, I did find myself anxious to read the book again. ..to see what happens.
Take a good look at the picture above and see if you can’t figure out a few reasons why I don’t want my daughter imagining herself in the arms of that spirit. I don’t want my daughter running around joking with guys quoting this movie - bite me, I want you to bite me. Or how about this…
What would you say if your high school aged daughter told you she was dating a vampire who had to fight the urge to kill her and suck her blood every time they were together? And you thought dating a football player was bad enough! If you were a sensible parent you would intervene and end the relationship, fearing that it might end in tragedy. In fact, you would have an obligation to protect your daughter from the danger she was unwilling to recognize. Your love for her would compel you. So, what would you say if I told you your high school age daughter really is dating a vampire, vicariously, by reading The Twilight Saga? Oh come on – you might think – it’s not the same thing at all. The story is just a fantasy. What’s the big deal? Nobody is really getting hurt here. Or are they?
Do you think I’m over-reacting? Here’s the deal, we do deliverance ministry week in and week out here at our church. These seemingly minor things – like movies, books, posters, charms – are welcome mats to the unseen evil world. We have discovered all it takes is one willful glance at soft core porn to release powerful demonic spirits of lust and perversion into seemingly strong men. Within months, good dads start walking around like zombies fully captive and bound to their perversion. Families are destroyed.
I discern the same demonic, blood-drinking spirit in Twilight that I battle against in the abortion industry – a demonic spirit that targets our daughters to drink the fresh blood of the emerging generation that bears the image of God.
Evil has a world-class marketing department and they are masters at packaging stuff to touch deep needs in the human heart. And there is no sector of our society more receptive and vulnerable than adolescent girls. Wake up parents! My wife was a middle school teacher and for years she kept current on the literature marketed to adolescent girls today. She regularly commented to me it’s far worse than parents realize in terms of sexuality and sorcery.
Some will say I’m sheltering my kids too much. Thanks for your concern but my kids have been in public schools and I’m pretty sure they aren’t in for much culture shock when they enter the “real world.” But hello? Isn’t my role inherently a sheltering role? I will continue to stand in prayer and in practice between my daughter and the demonic.
Here is a link to some other critical reviews of Twilight. Though a couple of my favorite Christian and pro-life bloggers are loving the Twilight series I do not share their enthusiasm.
I’ll end on a bright note. Youth today are wide open to the reality of the spiritual world. Between Christmas and New Years again this year our family will head to Kansas City for the annual OneThing Conference. It’s with great joy I report my three can’t wait to dive into the Book of Revelation which is to be the main focus of Biblical exposition this year at OneThing. This same God-given curiousity that the darkside is exploiting in movies like Twilight can been seen at One Thing as 30,000 young people pursue the One who is love and fully supernatural.
43 comments
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December 19, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Chris
demonic spirits have full access to our kids today through media and entertainment venues and parents are clueless.
This is so very sadly true…
Twilight (while we have not seen it either) certainly seems to be one of the many desensitizing tools that the enemy is using to slowly permeate the minds and hearts of the culture – to romanticize evil…
Films have made fictitious that which satan knows to be true.
Vampires – they’re real, but they aren’t what films have illustriously made them to be.
Werewolves…they’re real too – but again, they aren’t the man who turns into a wolf after midnight on a full-moon.
December 19, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Lou Lou
Thank you so much Steve for writing this post. My sister has been captivated the last year with vampire and fantasy books. No matter what my parents did, she insisted there was nothing wrong with them, and would continue reading them.
This post articulates everything I’ve been trying to explain to her, Thank you!
PS: Merry Christmas!
December 19, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Leslie Hanks
I very much appreciate this post!
In my own family we have quite the disagreement
about the Harry Potter series and I’m praying my
grandchildren whose parents approve will be protected
from long term spiritual damage.
So much of our culture is destructive, that we need to be
ever more discerning about avoiding.
Thank you!
December 20, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Carl Thomas
Good Word.
The truth is that if the church does not believe in the power of God then she won’t believe in the power of the devil. Both are deceptions of the enemy.
Good and evil are at work whether we believe it or not. As a father, husband and pastor, I decided long ago that I would not allow those I love to be entertained by the demonic. Seems fairly reasonable to me.
Surprising how much push back I get from folks who should really know better.
December 20, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Bret
I totally agree with your post. But why stop there? There are so many movies that christians, sadly including myself, have gone to that are filled with seduction, murder, killing, lust, etc. etc.
I remember when I first got saved, years ago, my good christian friend and I went to this show called “Weekend at Bernie’s”, after about 15 minutes into it we walked out, we were convicted and repulsed.
There has been such a compromise within the church in regards to movies and even the places of gathering with peers.
Christian have been “seduced” with entertainment. You know we don’t want to be judgemental and pious so we go along with the flow.
As christians we need to ask God to “clean out our closets” or nothing will change.
December 21, 2008 at 6:32 am
Liz
Steve, you are right on. I won’t let me daughter go the vampire movie either, although I found out she was reading the first book in the “Twilight” series months ago. We’re also opting out of the “Batman” movie. There is a spirit of death surrounding that movie. In working with youth these days I see how they struggle enough with keeping pure in mind and body. And the enemy wants to drag them into fantasy and sin. He’ll do it however he can. Trying to teach young people that God doesn’t want to rain on their parade or cramp their lifestyle by teaching them there is life and freedom within the boundaries He has set for them is a battle I’m willing to wage. Our next generation is so worth it.
December 21, 2008 at 6:36 am
Marcee
The demonic is real and active, but the Holy Spirit is even more real and active for those of us, who know Him.
This sounds and looks like a film to avoid. I rarely go to movies. When I was growing up, I loved all of those scary movies, especially the “Halloween” ones. I know those and other stuff opened up the gate for the devil’s influence in my life. I praise God for deliverance ministry so I am set free!
I’ll stick to reading God’s Word. There’s nothing more wholesome and mind influencing than that!
December 22, 2008 at 8:40 am
Ian
The trope of the utterly despicable individual, who demonstrates a deeper level of humanity than those around them is a common one in literature that speaks to something profound in our spiritual life, I think. Or at least it should.
Jesus used the same trope in the Parable of the Samaritan: those who had squandered God’s commission to absorb pagan rites and deities. Jesus specifically identifies his own life and death with the Samaritan (who pays for the victim’s care and promises to return again to settle the entire bill). There are also many other biblical examples of this pattern.
So the statement: “a vampire is a corpse that returns from the grave to terrorize and drink the blood of the living – the idea that there is a good one out there, one who is lovable is dangerous fantasy and deception at its peak” I think shows a serious misunderstanding of the grammar of fiction. That there is a good one is not a subtext for saying that evil is good (anymore than Jesus is saying that the Samaritans are alright with God). But for saying that there is humanity in the most inhuman, that redemption is available to all who turn from their sinful nature, and that ultimately it is the actions of the self-righteous towards those they find repulsive that is the most repulsive of all.
Of course, it is wrapped up in the gothic horror genre, mistakes love for sexuality to convey its intended theme of the redemptive power of love, and perhaps walks on the wrong side of glorifying sexual violence. So clearly lots of reasons not to start showing it in sunday school. And if you have a child who is struggling to differentiate reality from fiction or who is very sensitive, then clearly its better to keep them away from the book.
But to misunderstand the central point of the plot seems a bit lame to me. Particularly as (in common with literally thousands of other works of literature over the last couple of hundred years), the point is that it is those who cast the first stone are more inhuman than the central character.
–
Batman, in his comic-book and newer movie incarnations, is a different trope: namely the person who does good for evil motives. In the TV series they lost this central fact and made him a very dull character. The original Batman concept is also a very interesting spiritual case-study. Batman is hate-filled and revenge-obsessed, but because the target of his wrath are societies evil-doers, he acts in ways that benefit most of society. This is again a question that the gospel speaks to: it is the heart and not the action that makes one good.
December 22, 2008 at 10:33 am
PC
Thanks for speaking out on this Steve. We need Godly spiritual voices to speak on these everyday decisions we make as Christians.
My daughter teaches 6th grade and said many of her students are reading the twilight series. Many at this age are trying to navigate life and find there own way, not their parents way, it’s a rebellious time.
It reminds me, that we as parents need to be plugged into what our kids are doing (ie. reading and watching) at all times.
I want to encourage parents to have an open dialogue with there kids on these books and movies. Don’t just lay down the law, listen first, then explain, maybe refer them to Steve’s post to get a full understanding.
Well done Steve, thanks again.
December 22, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Nikole
Steve, thanks for your thoughts and teachings on this. I have to agree with others that commented … don’t stop there! I would love to hear more messages along this line or see more posts on this.
December 25, 2008 at 4:20 am
dkovaleski
I found this post to be very interesting (especially from the standpoint of a parent like yourself who has kids who want to see the same movies). I think the premise of the post is true, but one that vexes Christians of today because its logical conclusion leads to inconsistency which the watching world then finds unacceptable and I would argue has just as potent affect on the mind. I agree with your argument that movies like Twighlight and the last Batman are portals for demonic entrance, but that argument can be applied to many other movies that may be less subtle in the attempt of dark forces (no pun intended in reference to the Dark Knight) to gain access to the mind. One would avoid movies such as the ones mentioned above, yet find no problem with say, the James Bond line of movies (like Batman, not the same Bond of yesteryear), that contain a hero that fornicates with multiple partners and commits multiple counts of murder throughout the movie, but I would contend that the spiritual price that is paid is just as high, yet conveniently argued away by today’s Christian because it is the genre of movie that they enjoy. Satan employs different tactics to reach different people, yet our discerning spirit may not be as attuned as we believe it is, to all of the enemy’s approaches and the portal is breached just the same. Or, even more dangerous, the Christian viewing their form or participating in their form of sin believes they are not vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy because they feel their spiritual radar is to tuned into the sin that they are able pick and choose their part of the sin out and enjoy the parts that they feel are not particularly bad. The spirit of discernment is a gift that allows us to delineate that which is of God and that which is not, and to run away from the sin or stamp it out, not to use it to justify our sin. The world that is watching (or the teenager at home who is not allowed to see their movie of choice as in our case) Christians at every turn sees this inconsistency and uses it as yet another justification to run in the opposite direction of religion. The world is looking for Christians who are real and consistent, not walking around with the proverbial spiritual broom cleaning their closet out when the closet they should start with is their own. I struggle with this daily, from both the broom wielder vantage point and as one who is watching other Christians for leadership.
December 26, 2008 at 8:59 am
Mama's Not Happy
After we finish discussing which movies are good and bad for our Christian witness and spiritual life, can we talk about music next? The presence of God in our home vanishes the moment my husband turns on his 70’s/80’s rock and heavy metal. We have a deal where the volume is low and it doesn’t come upstairs.
You would have thought I was the wicked witch of the west yesterday for putting my foot down about Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero has no redeeming value for kids as far as I’m concerned. I’m sorry but skimpy girls, the language and the lyrics, and all the underworld crud – if GH isn’t a “portal for demonic entrance” not sure what is. There is a Christian version available now but guess who thought that’d be dorky?
December 26, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Chris
Bret.
Your comments here reminded me of something I wrote a little while ago regarding what we allow and introduce into our childrens’ lives.
Tell me why?
I invite your comments.
December 26, 2008 at 3:58 pm
dkovaleski
I, rather embarrassingly as a musician and as a parent and player of kids with Guitar Hero, agree with Mama’s Not Happy. Just as Christians, we rationalize our movie of choice, while condemning another, music is a whole different can of worms. As someone who loves music, has played in bands for most of my life, it is very difficult to justify some of the music that I listen to. Even in church, there seems to be multiple levels of rationalization. Why is it ok for one person to break into a Doobie Brothers song, even go so far to play it as part of the set, yet from that same person, get admonished for playing Van Halen riffs. Neither are appropriate probably, but we rationalize the behavior we want to partake in, and condemn the other. Our kids see the double standard also, the do as I say, not as I do standard. Telling them they can’t play Guitar Hero, yet jamming to music on our iPod that is inappropriate. We hold ourselves up to the worlds standard and look pretty good, when the standard we should be using is Jesus. Why is it that it seems that the christian artists goal is to be heard on the secular station, or breach the secular world? I certainly don’t believe it is to reach another population, maybe bigger paycheck? Anyway, consistency is what the world is looking for at this time.
December 26, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Teresa
Good post dkovaleski. I agree with what you said. A couple of years ago, during a spiritual renewal in my life, I was so hungry for God I couldn’t tolerate ANYTHING secular-tv, radio, newspaper-etc… Everything in my life was aimed toward pleasing God. While I’ve held mostly to that standard since then, (at least in music, reading material and movies) I’ve discovered how easy it is to backslide, especially where tv is concerned. Even the mostly regarded, innocent programs are inappropriate for viewing-such as “EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND” and “HOME IMPROVEMENT” type shows. They contain sexual innuendo, disrespect for authority, disrespect of elders-I could go on! We’ve lost a lot of invitations from ‘friends’-to parties, neighborhood get togethers, dinners out-because we’ve let it be known we no longer have an interest in most secular entertainment. We’re viewed now, by our old friends, as a little odd and ‘radical’, but we’re okay with that. I enjoyed your post. We too, have noticed the double-standard employed by Christians, (ourselves included), to rationalize, when there is something we want to do, or see, and look for leadership on this matter. Thanks for speaking out, I struggle daily alongside of you! I pray for our consistency, and that we all strive to live to Christ’s standard.
December 26, 2008 at 11:46 pm
carlie
dear steve,
im not going to lie your demonic bits scared the bejezzus outta me!!
i have read the twilight books, and thought they were very good.
but i couldnt read them at night or alone or else i would get freaked out.
only now after reading your article am i curious as to the reason why i was so frightened.
id really appreciatie it if you could comment back to this.
December 27, 2008 at 10:01 am
Tree Hugger
How about Bob and Tom…what a way to start your day. Personally, I can’t do it…but my christian friends ask me if I heard what they had to say this morning. It’s a growth process…garbage in, garbage out. We’re all in a different stage of development.
December 27, 2008 at 7:00 pm
phatcatholic
Thanks for the link to my blog!
Pax Christi,
December 29, 2008 at 1:08 pm
spesunica
Dear Pastor Steve -
I’m very grateful for your coverage of this issue, both as a Pastor and a father. My husband and I read your post together and are not surprised you are engaged in deliverance ministry. As my husband said to me, we are getting to a very clear point of division in our society – those who see that we are engaged in spiritual warfare and those who don’t. This type of fantasy goes hand in hand with addiction, and our children are being preyed upon at younger and younger ages. Twilight both feeds the addictive tendencies and offers girls this superficial high as an alternative to Christ. How much more demonic can we get?
Thank you for your kind links to my attempts to get the word out as well. As a mom of 6 (five of whom are girls) and a coordinator of religious ed. at my Church, I see the urgency here and appreciate your fellowship. God bless.
January 2, 2009 at 11:03 am
wcliff20
That was a very insightful post along with many replies. When my wife and I first got married we agreed to turn of the TV and put it away, so the next 3 years the sewer line was shut off. The first compromise was that we only put the TV away, behind closed doors instead of throwing out the TV. When we first turned it on there were many shows that we refused to watch, but as time went on the compromises kept on going, by now there is on show we wont watch (except for the bad ones). If we look at each individual compromise that we have made they are all very small, but after looking at the big picture, our one compromise has robbed us of so much.
As far as music is concerned the same basic principals apply. When I first got saved is when my no TV and get this no radio rules were first applied. I would listen to some Cd’s and limited radio in the car. I practiced that for a few years. I still enjoy driving without the radio on. I tried explaining that concept to a young self proclaimed musician he could not even begin to understand how I could do that and him being a musician how could he not listen to music. I explained that when I shut of all of the noise I can sort out my thoughts and clear my mind of all the voices that are pulling at me to go here and there and get with God and enjoy his company, when the radio is on it can be much harder to clear your mind. Even with a “worship songs”, familiar thoughts and feelings can creep in and distract from Gods voice.
I hope to get back to the basics of what was once my Christian faith, I pray for strength to undo and over come the compromise in my life.
January 12, 2009 at 6:49 am
Ramona
Thank you for the post. I am a Christian 16 year old girl in my junior year right now and a month before Twilight came out, my friends and seemingly everyone in my school went on a rampage. Twilight t-shirts, twilight cds, all the books, everything! Just walking down the hall you’d hear seemingly everyone talk about it. My friends were a big temptation, “Its SOOOO good, you have to read it”. Eventually, some other friends took me to see the movie and bought me the first two books in the series because my birthday was 6 days after the release of the movie. Then, another friend bought me the third book also for my birthday. TALK ABOUT HARD TO RESIST after all the rave and pumping up of it i had been filled with for the past month.
I read the first one and was pulled in and started the second. But i noticed that i felt strange reading them–guilty. I gave my life to Christ at the age of nine all on my own and I have been filled with the Holy Spirit, but I didn’t feel like a Christian at all and my spirit was weak. My mom told me it was because of the books but I was so curious as to what was going to happen while reading them that I couldn’t seemingly stop and got angry when she confronted me. It was like they had a hold on me, and I didn’t want to let them go–although I knew I HAD to in order to stay right with God.
This morning my mom told me God had told her through prayer that I should not have them–that they were an acursed thing. Even though what I thought was God in my own prayers had been telling me that I didn’t have to, I realized then that I had been deceived by the devil in keeping them so long. THE DEVIL WAS INTERFERING WITH MY PRAYERS!!! The devil wanted me to have them (not God) because he saw that I was already having trouble trying to stay close to HIM and the devil wanted to pull me even further away.
I am ashamed to say that at first i had planned on keeping them, but i think God must have lead me to read this post before I went to school this morning. Reading your post has given me the strength this morning to get rid of them. Thank you once again!
January 12, 2009 at 11:35 pm
Bob Berentz
Pastor Steve;
We threw our T.V. set out of the house six years ago and I can’t imagine any pastor or Christian home .. that hasn’t. We have not been to a movie since Chariots of Fire. We don’t listen to radio but have Rhapsody on the Internet and “build our own” play lists. We do not take the news paper since they backed pornography when we kicked it out of our town. Our Paper ran a big article about sex crimes dropping in Denmark after they legalized everything. I ran a letter to the editor explaining that yes sex crime figures did drop, the police quit keeping records on them .. but they increased dramatically.
Sadly, the only time God gets to talk to most of us is when we are in the shower.
I was on e-Sword.org software and wondered why we must be born of water and the spirit in order to see and enter heaven. I clicked on KJV+ and clilcked on water and the G number said water was water. I ran a search on water in the old testament to bring up H numbers and clicked on that. Again I got water was water but the Holy Spirit said click on the H number above it.
We serve a mighty God .. this number said a more ancient meaning for water .. lifting up as from a well .. I clicked the next etc. .. miracle, sign, banner, ensign, children and mark including tally mark.
The next day my lawn mower wouldn’t work and I took it into this repair shop and I noticed how they were looking at me. I have the mark of Jesus Christ and “they” could see it and were instantly hacked off towards me. I left and they were out of business shortly there after. I could “see” their mark also.
I got a bid on installing a metal chimney for a new fireplace. They wanted $2,400 and couldn’t tell me when they could come out. I called a week later to see when I was on the schedule and they didn’t have my name on the list and I fired them.
The next dealer was $1,800 and I ended up firing him.
I put walkways up in my attic so no one could fall threw my ceiling and did extra where my vaulted ceiling was .. it cost me $200. I had it installed before the first bid.
By the third bid the fellow said I can’t honestly give you a bid until I come out and look at your job. He came out. Saw all the work I had done and gave me a bid of $450 and did the job the next day.
Start looking for open and closed doors in everything you do. I call them “God Bumps” and for every evil there is a “fix.” Our built in radar by which God leads our life.
Make your own prayer shawl .. tie your own Sephartic tzitzit with the blue thread and start praying the sun up and the sun down and at noon as Genesis tells us. You don’t even know what praying is until you go buy your own equipment and make your own prayer shawl and feel the power of praying covered and encourage others to “do it.” God Bless You …
January 22, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Matt
I agree with those who state that ALL of our media intake should be scrutinized, and in large part, eliminated. As Americans, we have a number of huge blind spots, one of which is the right to be entertained. I’ve noticed that even “harmless” or “value neutral” media intake can cater to my flesh and dull my hunger for the things of the Lord. I know as “modern, liberated” Christians we don’t want a bunch of rules and regulations to slow us down, but we use that justification to pardon giving our flesh whatever it wants, as long as it doesn’t have “too much” violence, lust, (insert obvious sin here).
We are fools to think that all of the hours we spend in front of the TV/internet/video games soaking up the values of the world and pandering to our flesh will have no impact on our heart for the kingdom. Yes, avoid the obviously dark type that Twilight represents, but also take a long hard look at the overall impact of all the things we let into our inside world.
I don’t want to say this in the typical critical way, I just want to remind myself and the church (all of us) that we were created for more than this! All of it is extremely seductive and should be regarded as spiritualy toxic–dabble with it at your own peril!
(ok, end of old school holiness rant…) ; )
January 23, 2009 at 12:47 am
Bob Berentz
Thanks Matt, I agree. To me T.V. makes God’s creation seem worthless and our time here on earth not of great value. That is quite the opposite of ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.
I have just read the four books from Steven M. Collins about the Abrahamic Covenant and his very interesting comments on how they have been fulfilled. I don’t think anything has impacted my understanding of the Bible .. like what he has found.
Not only does T.V. dull one’s senses .. but Greco Roman History, evolution and Christopher Columbus are a joke. He has a web site. His name in small letters .com.
January 27, 2009 at 2:46 pm
wcliff20
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/belgium/4344710/Belgian-creche-stabbings-suspect-quoted-Heath-Ledger.html
February 7, 2009 at 5:08 pm
spesunica
Here is more affirmation of your thoughts, Pastor Steve – from an exorcist, Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International:
http://spesunica.wordpress.com/2009/02/07/twilight-deemed-dangerous-by-exorcist/
February 21, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Personal Deist
I strongly dislike all of the teenagers pop culturalists are playing up this movie like it is a work of art. The books, maybe, but the movie is just retarded. I went to catholic school for 18 years of my life and have devoted many hours to speak with god and come to an agreement with our father. You need to realize that you are severely delusional, god’s agreement with me is to enlighten fundamentalists that they will not see the days of heaven if they continue to spew propaganda in the name of the father. You sir, need to realize that the devil and satan and lucifer, are nothing more than challengers, ones who make our lives more difficult by making it seem that god is absent for any set of moments. it is within us to keep our faith, yet a harmless movie will not destroy a child. Maybe you need to go see a movie yourself… just relax, unwind, allow the charred followers of the beast sweep your imagination away into a whimsical world where vampires ACTUALLY EXIST. People like you make me want to turn away from god more than anything, because I don’t want to be like those who consider themselves oh so holy. You are human. Be a human.
February 25, 2009 at 1:50 pm
maryann molina
o shutup im a 13 year old and ive read all of the books like 3 times and seen the movie like 5 times and i am a christian pray every day go to youth and speak to the lord very often this book dose not do anything to me its just a good book
February 25, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Steve Hickey
Maryann – You’ve read all the books three times? How many times have you read the Bible? I bet you haven’t been through it once. Am I right?
I have a problem with a 13 year old telling me to shut up. If you’ll put down the vampire books for an evening and read your Bible you’ll see verses there that clearly say you ought to respect your elders in the Lord – of which I am one. I forgive you and humbly suggest you are just starting out on your Christian journey and you have a lot yet to learn.
March 13, 2009 at 9:04 am
Nancy
Did you see this??
Soldier shot by police idolized ‘The Joker’
NORFOLK – A Fort Eustis soldier who was killed Sunday in a shootout with police was described as idolizing The Joker from “The Dark Knight,” and he painted his face during a failed getaway attempt that took him across the state.
…
However, she said her boyfriend idolized the Joker — the fictional criminal from the Batman film. Separately, investigators also noticed masks and pictures or paintings of the Joker in Lanum’s room, as well as face paint on the hutch and dresser.
She told investigators that her boyfriend “said everything the Joker did he did for a reason, like killing people, and that he agreed with the philosophy of doing things for a reason.”
http://www.wtkr.com/news/dp-local_shootingfollo2_0313mar13,0,4057629.story
March 14, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Chris W
Steve,
I hope that this blog’s intention is to make people aware of the dangers of current films and the beliefs that follow and influence the films. While I agree with the message at the core the application in my mind could use a little perspective. I personally found the blog to be an interesting perspective on media in general. In the blog I saw some pretty unnerving things and very strong and quite honestly very stern language. It felt as if I were in a lecture hall twenty years ago discussing the use of technology in churches. I found the discussion eerily similar to being told that hymns are the only or correct way to worship God. The argument there was if we allow the music of the world to creep in then there will be a larger issue with the purity of our worship. Therefore the worship will be unacceptable to God. While the intention seemed to be a scare tactic for parents and teens the message to me was if you watch unapproved things the devil will take control of you. In working with teens on a daily basis this kind of condemnation makes the prospect of viewing such filth more inviting. Many times our Christian condemnation has the opposite of the intended effect. I don’t know your children but most of the young people I see on a weekly basis if their parents forbade them to do anything that is exactly what they would wind up doing Christian and non-Christian alike. I understand the intention of condemning bad or unholy things. However, we need to meet the teens that are getting sucked in to the vampires and the drugs with the intention to show them a better way to live and a way to become Joy filled and find the love they are desperate for in the pages of those books. After all is that not the fruit or the hook the prospect of love that originally gets the person interested in the book. I have heard so many times you need to read the twilight books because they are all about love the best love story for our generation. In my mind the question of this blog and the church in general in relation to media, should be how do we reach out to teens and families that have gone to things that are not obviously of God?
Steve I have to tell you as one follower to another bad form on the comment on February 25, 2009 at 2:01 pm. I must tell you that I do not agree with the entirety of your blog and I definitely do not agree with the comments you made to the 13 year old girl. If our intention is to lead or get people closer to Christ I find it hard to believe that you would make comments like that when your view is challenged. We should be prepared to give a good answer at all times. I think that cooler heads should prevail and Maryann Molina should be looking for an opportunity to forgive you. I trust that it was a month ago and you made things right with her as a sister in Christ.
CW
March 15, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Bob Berentz
The Book of Enoch and Music – And I heard every song that would ever be played on earth. Enoch was in heaven at the time. Read this book and try and keep your head on straight while doing it. Enoch was seventh from Adam .. but talked about so much .. God’s face looking like hot iron with sparks flying .. the iron age was not supposed to have happened for a huge amount of time .. later .. but here we have Enoch with an intimate knowledge of hot iron.
March 31, 2009 at 9:19 am
lukebandit
dear pastor steve,
i agree to what you said to maryann. a 13 year old talking like that, telling older people to shut up. it is amazing that she has read all the twilight books and watched the movie how many times and how many times has she read the Bible? i am going to pray for you maryanne. i think that Christian parents should organize a boycott of the movie and have a book burning party of the twilight books. i remember when i was saved when i was 12 or 13 i was on fire for Jesus, then i kinda backslid, got married, had 3 boys and fast forward 19 years, my husband left me after i suffered a stroke and coma. i really started listening to worship music, i love Jesus, He calls me friend. im a friend of God, He calls me friend. i love that song. well, i turned the radio station from the worship station to seventies. eric clapton was on and the song was cocaine. i started singing the song. when your daddy has died and you want a ride COCAINE. and i noticed that i was singing it. and i said, what am i singing? i can’t sing the about the virtues of COCAINE! so i turned it back to the worship station. it makes me sick thinking about the songs i use to love. back in black by ac/dc, cocaine, eric clapton, flirting with diaster by molly hatchet, imaginary lover by atlanta rythym section, highway to hell by ac/dc, whiskey bent and hell bound by hank williams, jr., stairway to heaven by led zepplin.
i just went back and read the song titles. scary. now they are replaced by john tesh, mercy me, darlene z., and other Christian artists.
there is a web site of Christian movies that are fabulous. rich and dave Christiano are brothers that have been making Christian movies for years.
my favorites are Unidentified, The Appointment, Pamela’s Prayer, The Daylight Zone, Late One Night, You, me, us Forever, Time Changers, The Perfect Stranger by Jefferson Moore-Kelly Productions, Another Perfect Stranger, The Stranger Series, The Winning Circle.
Behind the Sun is available for free download on the internet, if you Google it. Behind the Sun is a wonderful movie about a muslim who was in college in chicago and graduates and accepts Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He goes back to his muslim country and gets heat for it. amazing movie.
Love for Jesus,
teresa
April 6, 2009 at 10:42 am
Christian Healing
I think we need to be very careful of what we feed our minds on.
I recently watched a movie and the following day scenes from the movie kept popping up in my mind and I realised that those scenes were still there in my memory. Depending on the content of the film, we could be defiling ourselves.
“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.” Philippians 4:8
April 7, 2009 at 10:25 am
rahabsplace
I look at Twilight the same way I looked at Harry Potter. I couldn’t keep my kid from it (her darling father bought her all the books), so I decided to make it a springboard for conversation about witchcraft and why that is bad. Now, my daughter started doing deliverance when she was 5 (that’s what happens when you’re a single mom committed to modeling ministry – kids go with), and really understands this. Of course the fact that she has a guardian angel that she can see has really helped take the attractiveness out of the darkness.
If you can’t protect your kids from the influence because it is too pervasive in the culture, use it to teach your kids. We watched Phantom of the Opera and I told her as the Phantom is dragging Christine off to his cave at the end, “See, this is what happens when you start talking to voices. They take you captive.” She got the message.
I watched the movie and I think my daughter will have the same take on it as I did. It was lame. It was one of the lamest movies I have ever seen.
But then again, when you have seen the King and understand THAT love story, what does a friggin’ vampire have to offer?
April 7, 2009 at 10:51 am
rahabsplace
By the way, one of the things you are looking at in that photo is a demon called inordinate affection. It imposes false, obsessive emotions in people and leads them into destructive, obsessive and inappropriate relationships. Study the term in (it’s a KJV reference). It’s a fascinating study of something that has successfully targeted the church.
April 11, 2009 at 1:10 am
Nathan
I think you have hit spot on. There is a Demonic grip over this movie “Twilight”, and it makes me sick at my stomach when I hear anything about it! Girls of all ages love, and would do anything for these books. You know its not right when all of these people act like zombies, when these movies and books are not even that great. If It didnt have a demonic hand over Twilight. People would not care for it the way they do.
Media is one of the major ways the enemy feeds lies, and deception through this country! My name is Nathan and Im 16. I need God’s warriors to pray that his will for the “pure media movement” will happen and the enemy will be defeated on this battle!
April 11, 2009 at 3:18 am
Nathan
Thank you for your thoughts. I haven’t heard much about the movie Twilight, but I have had serious discernment “red flags” with the movie Batman. I am not perfect, and never will be, but as my wife and I made lifestyle decisions on prayer and purity, it became clear to me how dark my heart and mind really are. Getting rid of our TV, being careful about movies, and inputing other things–lovely, pure, and good things–has been life-changing. I challenge anyone: If the Lord is tugging on your heart, even a little (and I know He is, because I am asking Him to!), go on a media fast. Input the Word!
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23
May 4, 2009 at 1:32 am
B
This post greatly interested me to the point that it is 2:00 AM and I had to write about this…
I definately respect your opinion and feel that Batman and Twilight could be damaging to a child, but only if they are uninformed and unparented. As one of the posts above stated, these things, whether music, movies, or books, can be used as a platform to strike up conversations and teach our children how to make the right choice and how to dicern between reality and fantasy. Sheltering a child from a book or movie will only do so much good for so long Steve. I’m not saying to give your children free reign…it is our duty as parents to protect. It’s natural…It’s God coming out in us. But from my experience at college, the most rebelious student (sex, music, alcohol) were the extremely protected. I went to a local Christian college and this group was the group that needed to rebel because they were restricted. They did not know how to choose…they did not know what was reality and fantasy. It was their understanding that once away from the home their was no consequences. This is no way is meant as a blow to you but there are some parents who need to be punished for the restraint they place on their children. In some cases, they are doing more damage then good by sheltering their children.
And becuase I firmly believe that you need to be informed to speak on a topic; you wrote, “and I’m telling you this isn’t the Batman of twenty-five years ago.” In 1986, DC Comics published a graphic novel series titled, “Batman, The Dark Knight Returns”. The Batman you see on screen today is the same dark, vengeful, and violent vigilante as her was 25 years ago. Batman has always been this way. What I am getting at is that is was always there, just not on the big screen.
And with Twilight…yeah, yeah it has intimate moments and violence…but so does everything out there. Take a look at the last 10 fiction books that you read and you’ll find it. But just to be a devil’s advocate, the book series does have a few redeeming qualities.
These vampires are doing what’s right to protect humans at all costs. Edward even preaches abstinance in this book! No pre-marital sex for this vampire. The teenage girl is the one struggling with that idea. After all…to err is to be human. Thank God for his mercy and unrelenting patience.
June 29, 2009 at 3:44 pm
K
You are very right…..These books are sucking the life out of the Body of Christ…..I have read the books and watched the movie but after that I realized what itwas doing to me…..Just like in the book….the bride of Chrst is anemic….she will not eat she will only drink the blood if you know what I mean….its making the Bride weak…I am a 14 year old and I would not recomend this book to anyone….People get so defensive over this…like ive never seen befor….what if we treated our Bibles like this and got defensive about them when someone preached against it…how would this world be then??Also the Bible speaks against this stuff !!!!
July 2, 2009 at 10:28 am
penultima
One must successfully read between the lines in the following article about Heath Ledger to get a full understanding of what they were really trying to say:
http://www.bamkapow.com/ledger-wanted-out-of-dark-knight–3575-p.html
http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/30/ledger-wanted-out-of-dark-knight-role-source-says/
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/06/why-was-heath-ledger-so.html
November 22, 2009 at 12:23 pm
simdi
thanks, some of these comments have really helped me every one in my secondary school is completely addicted to the twilight saga. and i was completly torn in 2, i didnt know if i should go watch with my friends and say “its only a movie/book’ or wether to stay strong in my faith. but these comments have given me the answer and i would not reccomend it to ANYONE.
November 22, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Jana
Thank you! And Amen…I’m reading comments of CHRISTIANS all over my Facebook who are going in droves to see these movies…even go to Twilight “parties”….When I walked in Books A Million weeks ago with my husband and saw all the Twilight stuff I decided to walk down the teen section and it disturbed me greatly. About 85 to 90% of the books were “dark”, witches, vampires, goblins, fairies”, etc…and I starting to talking to a 17 year old girl who was there looking and I said what is the deal? (knowing the answer) why soooo many dark books you think? she said “probably came from the fact that Twilight is so popular and it opened the door for more like it”…hmmm, she couldn’t be more accurate. Anyway, I agree with you 100% and thank you for posting this!!!!! We have been in deliverance meetings before and this stuff is real.
Thanks again! Oh and agree with you about Batman too…me and my husband perceived the same thing about that too…we gotta have the spirit of discernment in these times