Meyer the Moralist

So, I didn't actually think that I would ever get a blog page, because they seem hard to keep up. I'm incredibly lazy, and don't really like to take the time for things like these. However, after viewing a friend's page, I was prompted to voice my own opinion about something he was talking about.
I don't want to add to the millions of reviews on the infamous Twilight series; there are enough people with strong opinions voicing those all over the internet. The series has caused a craze among women that is easy to understand. The books are about a girl who falls in love with an impossibly perfect boy who is not only also hopelessly in love with her, but also happens to be a vampire. Dreamy, right? Well, I'm not going to go on about all the things that I think are wrong with Stephanie Meyer's writing. Again, that is a topic that has been hashed over enough. I have recently learned that, to my dismay, Glenn Beck, who I greatly respect and admire had Stephanie on his show, praising her example of morality for young teenagers in the book. The reason that this is so outrageous to me is not just the obvious sexually explicit garbage permeates them. This is only the most obvious moral problem, but lets not forget the lying, cheating, stealing, etc. that beloved Bella takes part in during her adventures with the Cullen family. I am amazed that Glenn and Stephanie, both of whom are members of a church which has very strong moral ideals, could either "forget" these things, or just ignore them. As I thought about this, I was reminded of a number of quotes given by the General Authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that directly discourage specific things from the books. I will take the quotes just from just one source, the handbook for youth in the Church, to make my point by comparing these to quotes from the books.

S of Y: "Before marriage, do not do anything to arouse the powerful emotions that must be expressed only in marriage. Do not participate in passionate kissing, lie on top of another person... do not arouse those emotions in your own body." “Sexual Purity,” For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God, 26
T: (This takes place as Edward and Bella are lying together in Edward's bed) "He pulled my leg up suddenly, hitching it around his hip...His lips moved in the hollow at the base of my throat... before I could even concentrate enough to make sense of his words, he rolled to the side, pulling me on top of him. He held my face in his hands, angling it up so that his mouth could reach my throat. My breathing was loud... Slowly this time, he rolled till he hovered over me. He held himself carefully so that I felt none of his weight, but I could feel the cool marble of his body press against mine..." Eclipse, 186-187

S of Y: "Be honest with yourself, others, and the Lord. When you are honest in every way, you build strength of character that will allow you to be of great service to God and others. You will be blessed with peace of mind and self-respect. When you are honest, you will be trusted by the Lord and by those around you." “Honesty,” For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God, 31
T: (This is Bella's dad questioning her after she's returned from a 3 day disappearance to Italy where she had to save Edward from murderous vampires)"'Would you like to explain where you've been?' Oh, crap. 'There was... an emergency.' ... He waited with a distrustful expression... I was scrambling frantically to make this work, to keep it as close to the truth as possible so that my inability to lie convincingly would not undermine the excuse..." New Moon, 543-544

S of Y: "Don’t rationalize that wrong is right, even though many people around you may think there is no harm in being dishonest." “Honesty,” For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God, 31
T: (This takes place with Edward and Bella in Bella's room where her dad supposes her to be sleeping) "'Charlie?' I asked. Edward frowned. 'Sleeping. You should probably know that I'm breaking the rules right now. Well, not technically, since he said I was never to walk through his door again, and I came in the window...'" New Moon, 503

S of Y: "Do not have any sexual relations before marriage, and be completely faithful to your spouse after marriage. Satan may tempt you to rationalize that sexual intimacy before marriage is acceptable when two people are in love. That is not true."
T: (This takes place in Edward's room, when Bella is supposed to be having a sleep-over with his sister, Alice.) "'Look Edward... I said I would marry you, and I will. I promise... So there's really no reason to wait. We're completely alone- how often does that happen?- and you've provided this very large and comfortable bed....'"

S of Y: "Your body is God’s sacred creation. Respect it as a gift from God, and do not defile it in any way." “Dress and Appearance,” For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God, 14
T: (This is what Bella thinks as she is drowning after stupidly jumping off a cliff just to hear Edward's voice in her head) "I didn't want to fight anymore. And it wasn't the light-headedness, or the cold, or the failure of my arms as the muscles gave out in exhaustion, that made me content to stay where I was. I was almost happy that it was over... I saw him, and I had no will to fight...." New Moon, 361

S of Y: "Even in your most difficult times, you can find much to be grateful for. Doing so will strengthen and bless you." “Gratitude,” For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God, 6
T: (Again, this is when Bella is drowning) "I'd forgotten what real happiness felt like. Happiness. It made the whole dying thing pretty bearable."

This is not to mention all of the crap about soul-mates, and how if we don't find them, we would be better if we had not lived.
"'Soul mates' are fiction and an illusion; and while every young man and young woman will seek with all diligence and prayerfulness to find a mate with whom life can be most compatible and beautiful, yet it is certain that almost any good man and any good woman can have happiness and a successful marriage if both are willing to pay the price." Spencer W. Kimball, “Oneness in Marriage,” Liahona, Oct 2002, 36

Now, I don't want to be hyper-sensitive. There are plenty of other great authors, LDS or otherwise, whose writing is not without blemish of sensitive content, the great Orson Scott Card included. And I LOVE Card, he is one of my all-time favorites. But they aren't out claiming to be moral gurus for today's youth. In essence, this blog is not to rant about how horrible I think the Twilight books are, or even Stephanie herself. I simply want to point out that she is not promoting morality in her books, at least not by the standards set by her own church, and it makes me frustrated to think that the youth of today are looking to her as a mentor. And Glenn, good old Glenn, what were you thinking? Did you even read the books?