LDS Sparkledammerung

Huhh. So I guess there *is* Mormon stuff in Twilight.

Interesting stuff, although I wish it had been presented in a more mature and elegant fashion. But then, not everyone can be Slactivist...

I have to say though, I think the comments are way too vicious (and I need to stop myself from reading comments in the future because they always, always, inevitable descend into someone going way too far with the hyperbole or contain at least one person who doesn't understand the difference between legitimate criticism and bashing). Especially when it comes to the comments from other people going “I know nothing about Mormons but you’re SO RIGHT.”

Because first of all, there are things that members and ex members of a group are allowed to say that people outside it are not. Second, non Mormons are always scarily quick to assume the worst of the LDS because they know zip about the denomination and have had an irrational hatred for them since Joseph Smith first walked out of the woods looking all starry eyed. So whatever bad things you tell people about Mormons, you will be believed, with no effort on the part of anyone else to check to see if your story is true. It doesn't matter if it is true or not, you won't have to put forth any effort to convince them that it is. They can’t prove you wrong and you know what? They won’t even try. A Mormon or ex Mormon will never truly shock a non Mormon with “secrets” they reveal, because chances are the non Mormon was thinking something just as bad if not worse. Personally, if I was a Mormon, even an ex Mormon with a big chip on my shoulder about the whole thing, I'd be kind of bothered by that. Because people may agree that there's something wrong with the LDS church but not for the same reasons you *know* there's something wrong-they believe so because that's what they've been taught their entire lives by people who know nothing about the LDS other than that they *must* be doing something wrong because...because...well, because. Because if they weren't up to something nefarious they'd go to a normal church, right?

"The LDS church is structured so that whatever the leadership tells their people to believe is covered by a veneer of plausible deniability."

"Oh, thank goodness, I thought you were going to confirm that the thing with the alien spaceships, the secret underground bases in Iraq and the goat sacrifices was true."

"The LDS is using those geneology websites to gather lists of names for potential post humous baptisms into Mormonism."

"Actually, everyone else thought you wanted our DNA for creepy genetic experiments."

And that’s disconcerting, IMO. I mean, I grew up conservative evangelical, and that means I was pretty much raised to see Mormons as a heretical nut job non Christian cult*. In the spirit of education and tolerance you try not to think that way, and then you've got someone going "Oh no, you were right before, they really are a heretical nut job non Christian cult"...it gets pretty confusing.

The lack of general knowledge among non LDS of LDS beliefs and culture means it makes a lot more sense that people don’t pick up on it in the books. Rather than certain other popular series that contain allegories about much more mainstream religious beliefs. I would never have known it otherwise, and I *always* pick up on the symbolism when it’s just regular Christianity.

Although the fact that Twilight has a ton of Mormon symbolism in it does not mean it has an intentional religious message or intentional allegory, the author is just so steeped in her culture that she put stuff in without noticing. The books are still painfully shallow and totally lacking in any deep or meaningful philosophy (even one I don’t want to agree with).
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mormon+themes+in+twilight&aq=0&oq=Mormon+themes+in

The author of that post is writing a book on Mormons, an expose of sorts. It struck me as kind of weird that their attitude in their own private journal is different from their attitude in the sample introduction to their book. None of my business but they need to remember that both are public and both are easily found and compared. When you’re going to write a book about something this delicate and controversial, it’s even more important that you appear as unbiased as possible.

Because that’s another thing. When you’re writing on a topic like this, you *must* sound as unbiased as possible or it will never work. No matter how angry you are or how important you think it is, you must never ever give the impression that it's personal. In your blog, sure, but not in anything intended for actual publication. Not unless it's supposed to be satire and nothing more. You can't say the things you're saying and then turn around and say "but some of my best friends are Mormons and they're wonderful people. Nothing is meant to be offensive and I'm not trying to bring down the church" and then spew some pretty hateful stuff in other places and then say "I didn't mean to offend anyone" and...I fell asleep in the middle of this sentence. Literally. Because it just isn't worth the effort.

But how do you tell someone you don’t even know that their book needs a serious change in tone if they want it taken seriously by everyone else?

**yes, yes, I know...