These Hell House experiences are common
here in the South, as is live crucifixions acted out at Easter on the main roads
through town. What a world. If there is any harm done to children
for enjoying Halloween, it is done by Fundamentalist, literalist loons that
pretend to know who and what God, Jesus and the real way to be are. They
are god-haunted 24/7 and 365 days a year. They cause more harm than good
and, while sincere, produce more screwed up kids than any balanced, let's have
some fun, what do you want to dress up as, parent could ever cause on
Halloween.
Here is a bit about what Hell House is all
about. It is common here in the South and have never seen it done in more
progressive areas of the country. They would not allow it and Social Services
might do well to pay attention.
Hell Houses:
A Hell House consists of a group of horrific scenes within a type of
haunted house. The customer walks through a sequence of tableaus designed to
create terror and revulsion. The last scene is different; it is typically a
portrayal of heaven. The visitors are then asked to accept
salvation by repenting
of their sins and trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Hell Houses are a relatively new evangelistic technique used by
many hundreds of fundamentalist and other evangelical churches in North America.
One intent is to proselytize the unsaved public. Another is to promote certain
conservative Christian beliefs, such as:
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That abortions kill
human persons;
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That sexual
orientation is a matter of choice, is changeable, and that God hates
same-sex behavior;
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That everyone who is not saved will go to
Hell when they
die. They will then be eternally
tortured without any hope of mercy or
release;
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That underground Satanic cults engage in widespread sacrifice of
humans.
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Some hell houses are disguised to resemble conventional secular
haunted houses. The customer only realizes that they have a religious theme
after they have bought their ticket and gone part of the way through the
scenes.
Typical scenes are:
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A phoney reenactment of the murder of
Cassie Bernall, a teenager victim at the Columbine High School in
1999-APR. She was allegedly asked whether she believed in God, answered
yes, and was murdered on the spot. The incident
never happened. But the story has taken on a life of its own. She is
frequently referred to in conservative Christian magazines, books, and
radio programs as a Christian martyr.
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A person being sacrificed
during a Satanic ritual. The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) web
site warned of Wiccan rituals and stated "... evidence persists that some
Satanists and voodoo groups offer sacrifices -- usual animals, but,
possibly, human babies" at this time. Satanic Ritual Abuse was a
widespread hoax that was commonly believed during the 1980s and early
1990s. 1
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Women undergoing very bloody late-term abortions,
complete with screaming, lots of blood, and particularly insensitive,
uncaring health providers. Some of these scenes have been partly abandoned
in recent years in favor of a portrayal of guilt and depression arising
from Post Abortion
Syndrome.
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Gays and lesbians
being tortured in hell for all eternity because of their same-sex
behavior
while they were alive on earth.
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The dangers of "dabbling" in the occult and
becoming demon
possessed.
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Personal tragedies arising from pre-marital
sex.
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Disastrous tragedies and loss of life
resulting from drunk driving.
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A man having an argument with his wife and is
later seduced by his secretary.
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Witches
pressuring a depressed teen to murder his fellow students.
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A 9/11 ground zero
scene. |
History of Hell Houses:
The earliest hell house may have been created by Trinity Assembly of
God in Dallas TX. It was popularized by Rev. Jerry Falwell in the late
1970's. The concept was picked up in 1992 by Keenan Roberts. His first Hell
House was in Roswell, NM. Since then, he has become a pastor of the Abundant
Life Church in Arvada, CO. He sells "Hell House Outreach" kits to
other churches. Included is a 263 page manual which covers "everything from
media publicity to casting and costume." 2 A few excerpts
from the The 1997 Hell House Outreach Manual are:
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"Pieces of meat placed in a glass bowl to look
like pieces of a baby... purchase a meat product that closely resembles
pieces of a baby."
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"Theatrical Blood. Because a large amount of
blood is used in this scene and in others, someone should be responsible
for mixing a vat of it each evening..."
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"Chrissy [the woman having an abortion] starts
crying. She is extremely distraught...the medical staff is cold, uncaring,
abrupt, and completely insensitive..."
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Included in the kit is a video of the previous year's Arvida Hell
House and a special effects CD.
3 According to Roberts'
literature, the CD includes "the voice of suicide, the voice of God, and the
bone-chilling demon declaration of 'HELL HOUSE' in the opening
scene..."
The 1999 price of the kit was $199 U.S. It later went up to
$208.80. He commented to National Public Radio: "We're not doing this to win
a popularity contest. We're saying look, sin is hurting our nation and Jesus
Christ is the answer to what you're going through."
Roberts has received international attention through an appearance
on the Phil Donahue Show, and reports in the London Times, MS Magazine, New York
Times, Newsweek, etc. He told the Denver Post that the exhibit was
designed to "show young people that they can go to hell for abortion,
adultery, homosexuality, drinking and other things unless they repent and end
the behavior." 4
In his first three years of business, Roberts sold 300 kits, and
had 20,000 guests. His own Hell House reports about 7,000 or 35% Christian
conversions (instances of personal salvation). Admission is $7.00 U.S. or $6.00
if you have brought canned goods for the needy. Bill Geerhart has recorded a
somewhat unsympathetic blow-by-blow account of his passage through the Arvada
Hell House. 5
Roberts will not have a display in 2004. He told the Associated
Press: "It's not gone away; we're just taking a year off." He said that
his Hell House idea is now used by more than 500 churches in 14 countries.
6
The American Atheists website stated in 1998:
"Another example of a 'Hell House' extravaganza is in Kingsport,
Tennessee where the Higher Ground Baptist Church estimates it will
attract nearly 9,000 visitors to its gallery of horrors. Dubbed 'Judgment
House,' the tour includes nine scenes and a cast of 200 actors. The themes
mimic previous shows which stretch back to 1993 -- drunk driving, suicide and
teen rebellion. This year, one exhibit will attempt to portray a teenage girls
who dies after having an abortion. The minister in charge of the 'Judgment
House' presentation told reporters, 'We have all kinds coming... Devil
worshippers, Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Catholics, everyone'."
1
Criticisms of the Hell House concept:
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The Colorado Council of Churches,
criticized the scare tactics used in the Arvada Hell House. They were also
critical of the literal demonization of homosexuals and abortion
providers.
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Rev. J.T. Tucker, director of youth ministries
at Northway Christian
Church in Dallas, TX suggests that any
shock value wears off quickly in a society saturated with violent images.
He commented: "I detest those things...Trying to scare people into a
decision [for Jesus] is very wrong...If you consider all the money, along
with ministry hours...if they would refocus those areas on missions in
urban Dallas, I think they would have a lot bigger
return..."
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The Human Rights Campaign is a group
which promotes equal rights for gays and lesbians. They note that
homosexuals are frequently demonized in Hell Houses. The reality of sexual
orientation is also distorted. A Florida house features a "demon"
who dances around the coffin of an AIDS victim, overjoyed that the dead
man is now suffering in hell. He declares "I tricked him into believing
he was born gay! Have you ever heard something so silly?"
HRC spokesperson Wayne Besen calls such displays "pornography for the
soul...It's poising the minds of people...It's especially hurting gay and
lesbian youth who are already under pressure."
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The Rev. Ballard's "Hell House" in
Warren County OH was criticized by Doreen Cudnik, executive director of
Stonewall Cincinnati. She said that the display "is out of touch with
AIDS in the year 2000. To say gay equals AIDS equals burning in hell has
the dangerous potential to lead to hate crimes against the gay
community."
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The Merced, CA Sun-Star newspaper criticized
the New Beginning Christian Center for what the paper called an
"unnecessarily brutal and insensitive" event. The church's pastor,
Mike Duckworth, said: "We're going to scare the hell out of people and,
at the end, show them there's a way out--Jesus Christ. We're bringing
controversial issues to the forefront and then giving an
antidote." 6
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A Christian radio station in Fairfield, OH
terminated ads which promoted Kings Point Church of God's Hell
House because the ads invited listeners to "come see the funeral of a
homosexual AIDS patient." The Cincinnati Enquirer said that the ads
were "blatant gay bashing."
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Author's note:
Hell Houses appear to spread misinformation and disinformation
about a variety of topics:
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The nature of abortion: 90% of all abortions
are performed in the first trimester. The percentage of third-trimester
abortions -- as portrayed in the play -- is less than 1%) and are often
performed because of a major genetic abnormality in the
fetus.
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The motivation and demeanor of abortion
providers.
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The appearance, beliefs and activities of Witches and
other Neopagans.
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The Satanic ritual abuse
hoax.
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The nature of sexual
orientation.
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We feel that their
credibility will eventually suffer in the eyes of the public. Their Hell Houses
may do more harm than good to the cause of their sponsors.
References:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- "At the cusp of Halloween, a nod to religious origins," American Atheists,
1998-OCT-29, at: http://www.atheists.org/
- "Hell House," Abundant Life Christian Center, at: http://www.alccdenver.com/
- Conrad Goeringer, "Church groups operating Halloween hell hoaxes,"
AANEWS, American Atheists, 1999-OCT-24. To subscribe, send a blank message to
aanews-on@atheists.org
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Andy Butcher, "Halloween 'Hell Houses' Come Under Fire.
Christian 'shock evangelism' program criticized for insensitivity,"
Charisma News Service, at: http://beliefnet.com/.
