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Re: Cullen Beliefs

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 12:13 pm
by AliceLauren
Ha ha. Yeah.

I always thought that the Cullens never like went to church or were particularly strict about their religion, but I think that they actually do believe in something.

I think that, like mentioned, Carlisle used to be really church-ly (if that makes sense) but now that he is a vampire he doesn't really go to church, but he still believes in his religion. I always thought that he was Roman Catholic or something... That sounds like him, but I'm not quite sure.

And I always thought that because Carlisle was like their father, that the rest of the Cullens followed his religion too. I think that they all have their own modified version of Carlisle's religion.

Like Edward, he doesn't really believe in everything that Carlisle believes, but it's all pretty close.

And Rose, and Emmett I think don't really believe anything... they just try to fit in :)

Alice and Jasper? WHo knows. They probably have their own special religion.... Cullenism :D

Haha. Oh, wait. That's us.

Re: Cullen Beliefs

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:31 pm
by xXBeSafeXx
I think Edward was raised Catholic. I mean, in his time period, Catholicism was one of the only religions, and with his strong belief in abstinence until marriage, and as someone else mentioned, he did compare high school to purgatory...It sounds to me that he was Catholic in his human life, but I don't know.

Has Stephenie ever said in an interview or anything?

Re: Cullen Beliefs

Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:36 pm
by debussygirl
xXBeSafeXx wrote:I think Edward was raised Catholic. I mean, in his time period, Catholicism was one of the only religions, and with his strong belief in abstinence until marriage, and as someone else mentioned, he did compare high school to purgatory...It sounds to me that he was Catholic in his human life, but I don't know.

Has Stephenie ever said in an interview or anything?
While I don't think it's impossible for Edward to be Catholic, those points that you bring up pretty much go with any religion. Saving yourself for marriage and the belief in hell go in every Christian belief I know of. And in the early 20th century there were A LOT of other religions, not just Catholic. Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Mormon, and every other kind of Protestant sect. Back then it would probably determine where he lived. I don't know what religion was dominent in Chicago then, though.

Re: Cullen Beliefs

Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 9:54 pm
by skylarblue
^^ I agree totally, Carlisle's religion is the only one actually mentioned. I think that maybe all of the Cullen family had some sort of religious background because you have to remember the time that all of them lived in. Religion was a major part of family life.

I wouldn't try to pin point what religion any of them belonged before joining Carlisle's family but they all believed in his ideal of how they could be different than other vampires.

Re: Cullen Beliefs

Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:27 pm
by xXBeSafeXx
debussygirl wrote:
xXBeSafeXx wrote:I think Edward was raised Catholic. I mean, in his time period, Catholicism was one of the only religions, and with his strong belief in abstinence until marriage, and as someone else mentioned, he did compare high school to purgatory...It sounds to me that he was Catholic in his human life, but I don't know.

Has Stephenie ever said in an interview or anything?
While I don't think it's impossible for Edward to be Catholic, those points that you bring up pretty much go with any religion. Saving yourself for marriage and the belief in hell go in every Christian belief I know of. And in the early 20th century there were A LOT of other religions, not just Catholic. Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Mormon, and every other kind of Protestant sect. Back then it would probably determine where he lived. I don't know what religion was dominent in Chicago then, though.
Yeah, you're right..I was sleepy and gettin my time periods mixed up.. :? Oops.
But purgatory and hell are not the same thing, I think Lutherans might believe in purgatory, but I don't know of any others that do right off...I'm not even sure if Lutherans do.

Re: Cullen Beliefs

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 1:12 pm
by Doodle
^ Purgatory is uniquely Roman Catholic, definately not Lutheran. In general protestants churches do not believe in purgatory. There are a very samll number who believe in a kinda form of it however, but don't call it pergatory.

Re: Cullen Beliefs

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 4:07 pm
by xXBeSafeXx
^^Okay, thanks. I knew Lutherans were probably the most similar religion to Catholicism, but I wasn't sure if they believed in pugatory or not. I knew most protestant religions didn't though. Thanks! :D

Re: Cullen Beliefs

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 4:46 pm
by vampirenerd
It is true, Carlisle's past religion was the only one that is specifically mentioned. But as was mentioned in his backstory he was already beginning to doubt some of his father's teachings before he became a vampire. I really wish i had my books but as I'm at work I'll have to improvise. There is a conversation between Bella and Carlisle when he talks to her about his beliefs. He tells her that he believes in an afterlife for "his kind" and she agress with him. He tells her that that surprises him because none of the others believe the same as he does. Edward believes up to a point (he believes in the sense that there is a God and HUMANS have an afterlife) so he feels a need to live his life virtously. But Carlisle tells Bella that Edward does not believe in an afterlife for vampires. But then when Bella goes to safe Edward from walking out into the sunlight he thinks that she is dead and he is with her. So somewhere in the back of his mind he must believe that Carlisle is right. I do feel that after BD he will become more "religious" because he won't see himself as a monster so much. With his new family he will be able to see more of the human side of himself

goodness I always write too much lol

Re: Cullen Beliefs

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:12 pm
by debussygirl
So what's the difference between hell and purgatory? I always thought that the two were interchangable words (goodness I must have made a fool of myself).

Re: Cullen Beliefs

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:21 pm
by vampirenerd
Well...obviously the way to get to heaven is to be saved (however your religion believes this is accomplished), if you don't get saved you go to hell...some religions believe that even if you repent and are saved if you do not live your life perfectly then you need to "pay for your sins" before you can go on to heaven. Purgatory is where you go to pay for those sins

If you live as you are meant to live and do so joyfully, gratefully, willingly -- i.e. you live as a saint -- at death, you go directly to God. If you are less than a saint -- if you see and believe and act with a mix of truth and delusion -- you have to spend a certain amount of time in Purgatory. You are not the person God intended you to be -- not in your behavior and not in your thinking and speaking. Yet, in Purgatory you can begin to see more clearly and vividly the harm you have caused in full or partial consciousness. So you are ready and willing and eager to atone for what you did -- for however long it takes until it is "enough." [satis-facere] This is Purgatory on the literal level.

hope that helps