I didn't think her intent was unclear before, and with this new information, it's even more obvious, don't you think?

As for the divorce question, I was just throwing out a ponder. I'm in no way suggesting that if the Mormons have a lower divorce rate, that we should all look to their example. On the contrary, I'm wondering how it must be to live in a culture that deems a divorce not only as the dissolution of a marriage but also as a fall from heaven and salvation itself! I mean, think of the tremendous pressure that must put on people, especially women. Some divorces should happen (and the marriages should have never happened, obviously), so to make a person feel like they've condemned themselves to hell just because they wanted to escape from terrestrial abuse is a further lack of compassion that is shocking to me.

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Mormons are entitled to their beliefs. They have the right to believe others are wrong. They don't have the right to take someone else's name.

One of the standard ways by Mormon missionaries to open people up to the Book of Mormon is by celestial marriage. It is such a warm, comforting thought. Whether or not Twilight is _meant_ to be a way to open people up to Mormonism, it does center around one of their best proselytization tools.

I'll leave speculation on whether this works to prevent divorces to those who are interested enough to search for the facts on the Internet.

Good point about the celestial marriage in the Mormon faith and the underlying motivation in Twilight. You're right. That describes it succinctly.

I hear ya on the Christian label. I get it. I'm sorry; I suppose I shouldn't lump Mormons in with Christians for this blog post, especially in light of the fact of the celestial marriage belief. That belief isn't widely held in mainstream Christian religions as far as I know. The belief in the mainstream is that you choose your spouse but God sanctifies it after your choice is made. This is a distinct difference in the influence of determinism in the Mormon belief system. You are very correct in pointing out that the relationship between Bella and Edward seems predestined throughout all 4 Twilight books. Meyer doesn't spell it all out, but the belief system is painfully obvious nonetheless.

Side note: I guess the divorce rate in the Mormon church hovers around zero? It would be a crime against god and heaven to divorce if one's marriage is predetermined… Not that I'm a big fan of divorce, believe me! I think it's an easy way out and people treat marriage too casually. Anyhoo…

Thanks for the clarification! Awesome catch. It just supports my point that Meyer wrote from her Mormon roots more than she cares to admit. (This is, in itself, not such a bad thing, but I just want people to be aware of it).

-Christine Cavalier

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On the other hand, celestial marriage is Mormon. And, it underlies the relationship in Twilight.

I'm not sure what “but Mormons consider themselves Christians” has to do with whether they are Christians. Yes, all Mormons are beloved children of God–as is everyone else in the world–and should be treated as such. But, if I claimed I was the King of France, would that mean I get to move into the Palace of Versailles?

True, but Mormons consider themselves Christians, though.

-C

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I think the “mormon” angle is WAY overblown. There are elegant echoes, she is Mormon after all, nothing in bad taste or worthy of hiding our daughters. Get a grip.

Exactly. Thanks for commenting! Come back and link me to your post when you are done.

I forgot to add the child-marriage aspect. My friend pointed out that the “imprinting” on babies thing is basically a child-marriage arrangement. We've all seen spin-offs of the Mormon church do this very thing, probably due to a fundamental belief in fate and pre-ordained couplings. With Jacob imprinting on Nessie and his other friend imprinting on the two year old girl, it supports that very fate-controlled life, especially for girls. Yuck.

I totally agree that Bella and Edward are pathetic. It was quite annoying.

-PC

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