Stories about love, lust and the undead may not seem like the best vehicle for teaching teens about faith and morality. But for Stephenie Meyer, her best-selling "Twilight" books and upcoming movie contain plenty of teachable moments.
Meyer, a wife and mother of three from Phoenix, who is a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, says she has become accustomed to people asking, "What's a nice Mormon girl like you doing writing about vampires?"
But as she told a Mormon-themed Web site, "Unconsciously, I put a lot of my basic beliefs into the story."
"Twilight," published in 2005, was the debut novel in the series of books that has sold nearly 10 million copies, generating the kind of frenzy among tweens and teens that rivals Harry Potter. The film version opens in theaters nationwide on Friday.
On the surface, "Twilight" is little more than the latest incarnation of vampire legends that have circulated in many cultures for centuries.
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 fellow student who is a vampire, she confronts the kinds of existential questions that religion addresses.
"The most obvious Mormon influences can be seen in the ways that Meyer has her teenage heroine stand up for marriage and, ultimately, motherhood," says Jana Riess, author of "What Would Buffy Do: The Vampire Slayer as Spiritual Guide" and co-author of "Mormonism for Dummies."
"But anyone who is familiar with the Book of Mormon can also discern deeper theological themes, from the Mormon reinterpretation of the 'fall of humankind' —- which inspired the apple on the 'Twilight' book cover —- to the theme of overcoming the natural man, which we can see when Bella wrestles with her desires and decides whether or not to become a vampire."
The concept for the series of books came in a vision, says Meyer, who is 34 and had never published a word before pitching her idea to an agent who got her a $750,000, three-book deal.
Sexual tension in the books is a normal by-product of Meyer's strict Mormon upbringing. Growing up as a good Mormon girl among other good Mormon girls and boys, she met her future husband as a child but they did not associate outside of church activities until they began dating when she was 20. They married nine months later.
Unlike other young-adult novels, there's no sex in "Twilight." The characters don't drink or indulge in profanity, but there's plenty of heavy breathing and sexual tension.
Meyer's treatment of sexuality is a hot topic on Mormon-themed Web sites such as normalmormons.com and motleyvision.org.
A writer on motleyvision.org, which explores Mormon art and culture, says Meyer's books show "how abstinence leads to a heavily charged play of small gestures among Mormon teenagers and young adults."
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