‘Twilight Gospel’ breaks down good, bad of vampire series

  When the “Harry Potter” books became popular there was an outcry that kids shouldn’t be reading about witches and wizards, but the moral lessons that kids learned from the books far outweighed the “bad” influences — and it got kids to read.
  The “Twilight” series also has found success, with the vampire books and movies gaining an almost cultlike following among young (and older) readers. But this particular blood-sucker series has generated a feeling of unease surrounding the more mature, sometimes evil “other-worldly” theme. Vampires and werewolves are not real, yet there are many who believe in them, and the “Twilight” books tend to glorify the culture and encourage that belief.
  How do parents explain the struggle between good and evil that is found in these books? And is there any moral substance to them?
  Author Dave Roberts addresses these questions in his book, “The Twilight Gospel: The Spiritual Roots of Stephenie Meyer’s Vampire Saga,” and his conclusions are somewhat surprising.
  In examining the series, Roberts found that while they do address topics such as the undead, excessive materialism, violence and rampant sexuality, to name a few, the “Twilight” books offer important moral and spiritual lessons.
  “The books are an excellent read,” Roberts says in his concluding chapter “Twilight of the Soul,” “but the flaws are serious and the series should be read with caution and thought.”
  Using examples from each of the books in the series, as well as detailed character studies, Roberts shows that while there are unsavory aspects, there is also quite a lot of good to be found among the pages, including respect, love of family,  and a surprising amount of Biblical references, traits that reflect the author's religious background.
   Written in a clear, entertaining manner for a serious subject, “The Twilight Gospel” encourages adults to interact with teens to help them understand what is good and what is bad in the “Twilight” books.