Vampires, Scouting and Jewish marriage views

Call it a collection of media short takes."Twilight" is a values movie, one columnist says while another reporter explores Mormon beliefs that some believe are foundations to the tale. A newspaper reports about how Scouts are building interfaith respect and a Jewish leader writes about marriage and his faith.

 "Twilight" as a values movie

Writing on the site for the Knight Chair of Media and Religion Jennifer Hahn, a master's degree candidate at University of Southern California, makes some interesting observations about the religious undertones of "Twilight" and how the media has largely missed its messages of morality. The author of the Twilight-saga books, Stephanie Meyer, is LDS.

"'Twilight' might be this year's most religious film — but you wouldn't know that by reading the reviews. It's no secret that Stephenie Meyer, author of the series of teen vampire romance novels on which the film is based, is a Mormon. Meyer readily admits that her lifelong membership in the Church of Latter Day Saints has had an important influence on her work. "Yet, somehow, critics of the film version of her first book, which debuted to $70 million in ticket sales this past weekend, completely and utterly overlooked the religious themes that make the flick much more than a silly rehearsal of the tired boy-meets-girl teen melodrama,'' Hahn said.

One reporter to address the religious themes was Religious News Service writer Steve Rabey: "On the surface, 'Twilight' is little more than the latest incarnation of vampire legends that have circulated in many cultures for centuries, and which have been popularized in novels like Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (1897) and Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" series (1976-2003). Yet Meyer's religious and moral values clearly shine through, even though Mormonism is never mentioned.

"Heroine Bella Swan has the same insecurities and anxieties as any 17-year-old girl. But when she falls for Edward Cullen, a handsome fellow student who happens to be a vampire, she confronts the kinds of existential questions that religion addresses."

Interfaith hike unites Scouts

The New Orleans Times-Picayune noted how Scouting is helping to build interfaith respect.  It's an idea worth repeating elsewhere. The local LDS Church was the site of a kosher lunch.