Am I the only one who thinks the Twilight series could be a big Mormon evangelism tool? I mean, eternal marriage and all that (sorry if that was a plot spoiler for you). I really enjoyed the series but as soon as I finished it this thought occurred to me. I don't submit this question in an accusatory way. For one thing, if I were a Mormon, I would feel free to evangelize any way I could. For another thing, I don't think it would have to be conscious on the part of the author. It could just be her worldview that is coming through in her writing.
I do, however, think it has strong potential for drawing young people toward Mormonism. After all, it is directed at the youth culture, does a terrific job of selling eternal, blissful marriage and it's written by a Mormon. They are a very evangelistic religion so I don't think this is too far out in left field. In case you have been in a cave recently, teenage girls are going crazy for this book and many of them are passionate about wanting a guy "just like Edward". I wonder if it is designed to cause a young person to long for that, setting them up for the Mormon evangelist to come along and say "we believe in eternal marriage" as part of the pitch.
I talked to my 13 year old daughter about it and her first response was "I think that sounds great!" When I told her that Jesus says that in heaven there will be no marriage or giving in marriage she seemed . . . um . . . disappointed. I think that's a fairly normal reaction for a person her age. I mean, if you find your "soul mate", won't you want it to last forever? Of course, no one but Jesus is perfect for anyone and He will be a great husband! But that's a pretty abstract thought for a teenager and as the child in the sermon illustration says we often want "someone with skin on."
Anyway, I know I lean toward being overly analytical and I may be way off base, but it's just something I wonder about.
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