What Shall We Say About Vampires?

76, 900,000! That's how many sites popped up as soon as I did a Google search on moon vampire! Wild! And weird. Girls can go to YouTube and see a demonstration on how to do makeup to look like
new moon vampire Jane. Everyone is invited to play Play Full Moon Vampire a Free Game at Fupa Games. Vampires ruled the night at the MTV Movie Awards. And on and on and on. 

What's this all about? Why the popularity and fascination with vampires and the moon?  Vampires are evil and evil fascinates. And these poor vampires need normal people. Even though they have their own doubts about killing and drinking blood, they still need us. They are lonely.

The exciting thing, especially for youth, is that they challenge established ways of thinking, organized religion, racial and class prejudices. They seem so wise and above the adults with their narrow ways. Vampires are beyond all that. They have no restrictions about monogamy or sexuality. Anything goes. They are the dark and powerful beings of the night.

What's more, vampires defy death; they are eternal and forever young. And so they attract youth who want to believe they too will or can, somehow, live forever.

Wikipedia says this of vampires,

Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person/being. Although vampiric entities have been recorded in many cultures, and may go back to "prehistoric times", the term vampire was not popularized until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into Western Europe from areas where vampire legends were frequent, such as the Balkans and Eastern Europe,[8]although local variants were also known by different names, such as vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi inRomania. This increased level of vampire superstition in Europe led to mass hysteria and in some cases resulted in corpses actually being staked and people being accused of vampirism. . . 

With the arrival of Christianity in Greece, and other parts of Europe, the vampire "began to take on decidedly Christian characteristics." As various regions of the continent converted to Christianity, the vampire was viewed as "a dead person who retained a semblance of life and could leave its grave-much in the same way that Jesus had risen after his death and burial and appeared before his followers." In the Middle Ages, the Christian Church reinterpreted vampires from their previous folk existence into minions of Satan, and used an allegory to communicate a doctrine to Christians: "Just as a vampire takes a sinner's very spirit into itself by drinking his blood, so also can a righteous Christian by drinking Christ's blood take the divine spirit into himself." The interpretation of vampires under the Christian Church established connotations that are still associated in the vampire genre today.[9]For example, the "ability of the cross to hurt and ward off vampires is distinctly due to its Christian association.

What does all this have to do with the Christian family that looks to the Bible for guidance and counsel? For the youth, grounded and secure in God's love and in the love of their parents, interest in such fantasy fiction as the Twilight series of books and movies may be harmless. They are able to sort out fantasy from reality. However, all preteens and teens are dealing with issues of identity, meaning, self-esteem and purpose in their lives. And they do not all come from healthy, spiritually mature families. Such kids are at great risk for developing unhealthy interests in the occult. Listen to what the Apostles say about Satan's use of such things and about the importance of filling our minds with God's word:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. - 1Pe 5:8 ESV

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. -
Phl 4:8-9 ESV

Parents are well advised to take an active interest in their children's attraction to vampires and all the literature and movies related to the same. Read the books. Learn about them and the movies. Discuss what you learn with your kids and help them to see the problems and dangers. Above all, let them know that you care about them and want them to grow and develop in God pleasing ways.

More about this in my next post.

Once In A Blue Moon

Some of us attending a birthday party recently got into a discussion about the Blue Moon. Katy said that August, 2012 was one of those months to have two full moons and so that meant the second full moon was a Blue Moon. But, wondered another woman, why is it called a Blue Moon? No one seemed to know. Would the moon actually be blue? I had no answers. I only knew of the expression "once in a Blue Moon". I had never thought about what a Blue Moon is. So I did a little research.

The next Blue Moon is August 31, 2012 : August, 2012 is a month with two full moons. And, by popular acclaim, that means it’s a Blue Moon month—but it’s blue in name only. That’s because a Blue Moon is sometimes defined as the second full moon in a calendar month. The first full moon is August 1. The second full moon is August 31, 2012. There are two more definitions for Blue Moon. It can be the third of four full moons in a single season. Or, someday you might see an actual blue-colored moon. For details check the link.

But what has that to do with anything? The Bible often refers to the moon. From the beginning we read,

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. - Genesis 1:14-15 ESV

And God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, - Genesis 1:14-17 ESV

What does it mean to rule the night? The Psalmist urges us to thank the LORD for the moon. The rule of the moon is part of the steadfast love of the Lord of lords.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; ... the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever; - Psalm 136:3, 9 ESV

For a detailed study of the moon's importance check out The moon: the light that rules the night by Dr Jonathan D. Sarfati. He reminds us that the moon is critical to life here on the earth. It is over a quarter of the Earth's diameter. If it were smaller it wouldn't have enough gravity to maintain its spherical shape. It orbits the earth about once a month in regular cycles of 29½ days. This fact made calendars possible and helped people to plant their crops at the best time of the year. The entire Biblical calendar is based upon these phases of the moon. 

The moon also controls the tides. As the moon orbits the spinning earth it causes a cycle of two high and two low tides about every 25 hours. Tides are vital to life here. They cleanse the ocean's shorelines, keep ocean currents circulating and prevent the ocean from stagnating. Our shipping channels and sewage discharges are scoured out. It some places people exploit the enormous tidal energy to generate electricity.

Ethan the Ezrahite sings about the steadfast love of the LORD for His people, comparing that love to the ongoing rule of the moon.

Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies." Selah - Psalm 89:37 ESV

All this is part of God's good and wondrous creation. We recognize it as we gaze upon the moon, but there is a dark side of the moon. By this I do not refer to the fact that the moon does not rotate like the earth. I refer to the worship of the moon as the Queen of heaven, as well as the idea that the moon causes lunacy and is related to ancient and current views about werewolves and vampires.

More on this next time.