Upon further research on Cullenism, I stumbled upon a post on a Twilight blog called Pillow Biters that discussed Cullenism as an actual religion instead of just a group which discussed religious topics related to Twilight. Apparently, there's a website called Twilight School where Twilight fans have gone as far as to create a religion called "Cullenism" in which "Cullenists" must believe that the characters in Twilight are real, that the series must be worshiped, and that "if you are good in life, you will be bless[ed] with eternity with the Cullens..." Curious to see how dedicated these Cullenists were, I made an account on Twilight School, but all of the forums have been closed and are not visible.
Fortunately, Pillow Biters copied the information on Cullenism directly from Twilight School before it was made private, so I was able to see for myself the extent of the Twilight obsession. I mentioned some of their beliefs above, but you can see the rest here. Pillow Biters also posted an update with even more beliefs, but basically it says that the gods and goddesses of Cullenism are Edward, Bella, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie. Each character (or god/goddess, I should say, as not to offend any Cullenists) represents something. For example, Alice is the god of "fashion, fun, and love."
I find it quite humorous and a little scary that fans took it as far as to make gods out of characters from a book and that they believe the characters are real, but it's also fascinating at the same time that one book can have such a massive effect on a large group of people. In that way, I guess you can say that it is similar to a religion.
Fortunately, Pillow Biters copied the information on Cullenism directly from Twilight School before it was made private, so I was able to see for myself the extent of the Twilight obsession. I mentioned some of their beliefs above, but you can see the rest here. Pillow Biters also posted an update with even more beliefs, but basically it says that the gods and goddesses of Cullenism are Edward, Bella, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie. Each character (or god/goddess, I should say, as not to offend any Cullenists) represents something. For example, Alice is the god of "fashion, fun, and love."
I find it quite humorous and a little scary that fans took it as far as to make gods out of characters from a book and that they believe the characters are real, but it's also fascinating at the same time that one book can have such a massive effect on a large group of people. In that way, I guess you can say that it is similar to a religion.