Vampirism and Vampire Cults

Vampirism is someone who holds superstitious belief in vampires; the practices of vampires in folklore (i.e. bloodsucking); or the act of preying ruthlessly on other people. Vampire lifestyle is a term for a contemporary subculture of people, largely within the Goth subculture, who consume the blood of others as a pastime; drawing from the rich recent history of popular culture related to cult symbolism, horror films, the fiction of Anne Rice, and the styles of Victorian England. Active vampirism within the vampire subculture includes both blood-related vampirism, and or supposed feeding from life energy. Most are in their teens or 20s and are "recreational vampires". There is a small fringe that crosses the line to dangerous "cult." A social work professor at UBC states that "It's very unusual, but not unheard of." He worked with some teenagers who were involved in a vampire cult where the members consumed their own blood. Police in Canada have come across the rare case of obsessive people who indulge in rituals of drinking cow's blood, swallowing human blood they draw from one another, torturing animals and even murder.


"The popularity of the teen romance novels in the Twilight series has given rise to a renewed interest in vampires. The vampire is a mythological being who is said to exist by drinking the blood of other people, usually by biting their necks, after which the victim also becomes a vampire who seeks new victims. The vampire legend can be traced back to medieval and later Eastern European folklore, but variations of tales of vampire-like creatures also exist in Africa, Asia and the Americas. .....

..... "While fantasy fiction such as Twilight is probably for the most part harmless, any obsessive interest in vampires—or for that matter witches, ghosts, and other occultic figures—can be unhealthy at best and dangerous at worst. It depends on the spiritual state of the person whose interest is piqued by such subjects. A weak, emotionally fragile young girl, for example, whose life is characterized by family stress, self-esteem issues, and a lack of strong role models, could be at risk for developing an unhealthy interest in the occult. Such an interest can be an open door for demons to infiltrate her mind and spirit. Satan, as we know, is the enemy of our souls, who "prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). This is why God, in His wisdom, forbids occultic practices, describing them as an "abomination" and "detestable" (Deuteronomy 18:9-12). .....

...... "How is the Christian to think about vampires and vampire fiction? We are reminded in Philippians 4:8 to fill our minds with "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy." ......

..... "So does this mean that Christians should avoid vampire fiction altogether? For some families, the answer is yes. For others, the answer is no. Parents whose teen or preteen daughter is interested in the series would do well to read it for themselves, discuss it with their girls, and perhaps point out the ways in which it contradicts God's Word. Such an analytical discussion can do much to dispel the mystique that surrounds the vampire myth. Ultimately, the decision regarding any reading material for Christian children and teens is the responsibility of parents."

Source:
Summarized from the Apologetics Index entry on "Vampirism, Vampyrism and Vampire Cults;" © Copyright 1996-2010 Apologetics Index. Used with permission.

Summarized from the Got Questions entry on "What does the Bible say about vampires?" © Copyright 2002-2010 Got Questions Ministries