Mark Driscoll: 'Twilight' Is for Girls What Porn Is to Boys
Author and outspoken pastor Mark Driscoll says he wants to make it clear that movies such as "Twilight," which opened this weekend, are something Christians should not treat as harmless entertainment and, in fact, have inspired some real-life demonic trends.
Subtitled in his blog, "A Father's Fright of Twilight," Driscoll states, "Twilight is for teenage girls what porn is to teenage boys: sick, twisted, evil, dangerous, deceptive, and popular."
While millions of movie-goers attending the final installment of the teen vampire series are expected to bring in high numbers at the box office, he warns that many mothers have joined daughters in their obsession over the dark plot and characters.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"Tragically, many will be driven by their parents, including some cougar moms encouraging and joining their daughters' obsession with handsome young males," Driscoll wrote. "Our family car won't be driving to the theater for Twilight – or over a cliff for that matter.
"I have ranted on this garbage-tastic phenomenon before, and find the whole genre profoundly troubling. The popularity of supernatural soap operas has inspired some real-life demonic trends. Overreaction? Tell that to the kids biting, cutting, drinking blood – sometimes while having sex – and sinking deeper into the occult."
In his blog post, Driscoll listed several news stories about youth acting out vampire-like behavior.
"Teenagers obsessed with the Twilight vampire saga, or those simply fascinated with fangs, reportedly have been biting each other – hard – and then licking or sucking the blood," he quoted NBC News. "'These are kids who think they are real vampires,' said Dr. Orly Avitzur. [. . .] 'Having that thick, warm copper-tasting blood in my mouth is the best thing I can think of!' wrote a teenager identified as 'GothicGirl10' this year. 'Sometimes my boyfriend lets me feed off him. I let him feed off me as well.'"
Driscoll posted part of an ABC News story: "Paola Hernandez, 15, said a boyfriend tried to pressure her to allow herself to be bitten. He said, 'I love you and that's the way I want to show you,' she said. 'I didn't give in because it was kind of idiotic.' She said some of her classmates, mimicking on-screen vampires, even cut their skin so they can taste one another's blood. 'That means you're stuck with them, they have your blood inside of them and you have their blood and so you're closer to each other,' she said."
Although some Christians may be lukewarm to the harm of films such as "Twilight," Driscoll does have support for his disdain over the film genre within the Christian community.
James Christy is a ministry worker for My Broken Palace, a nonprofit group that reaches out to troubled youth dealing with depression, suicide, drugs, alcohol, and cutting (self-mutilation). Christy told The Christian Post that he has seen evidence of a vampire trend in some parts of the youth culture during a nationwide tour by the ministry.
My Broken Palace set up information booths at secular, hard-core punk music festivals during its tour.
"One vampire-related group was at some of the festivals we were at," Christy said. "They have their own religion and their own rules. It's definitely out there. They sell music. They have their own clothing trends."
He added, "If a kid is going to be open to something spiritual I think we should be leading kids to Jesus and God, not saying, 'Oh, that's okay, it's just a movie. It's not harmful.' I truly believe there's a demonic spiritual attack on our kids. Instead of saying 'Twilight' is no big deal we should be having these spiritual discussions."
Driscoll said he finds it devastating that as a father of a teenage girl, there are websites devoted to conversation among teens about vampires.
"There, girls the same age of my 15-year-old daughter are talking about 'awakening,' which is their word for converting to paganism (like the Christian word 'born again'). In a perverted twist on Communion, their sacraments include the giving of your own blood by becoming a 'donor,'" he described. "This is entirely pagan. These storylines offer eternality without God and salvation; in the place of Jesus' shed blood, girls and boys shed their own blood to be awakened to their own salvation of a new spiritual way of life filled with sex and occult behavior."
Driscoll said he was particularly concerned for Christian parents "who are naively allowing this filth into their children's lives, buying these books and driving kids to see these movies."
He stated, "To such parents, 'It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God' (Phil. 1:9–11)."
