Judgement House

[BlackCat13]

So, some Christian churches, especially around Halloween, have what they call "Judgement Houses". http://judgmenthouse.info/ There's a link for more info, as it is apparently a centralized idea churches can essentially buy into. Judgement House is a walk-through drama showing the "consequences" of one's actions, be they choosing Jesus, not choosing, or actively rejecting. Some accident happens, and the people end up having to deal with their decision, by either going to Hell or Heaven. Also, not choosing Christ simply equals choosing Satan in this organization's book.

It's a very clever way of converting people who are on the border about being a Christian, and uses great scare tactics. I've been through one before (and honestly, laughed half the time because it is SO over the top). One statement on the website holds that "Judgement House has the unique ability to communicate the Gospel message to a wide variety of audiences. People of different age, race, denomination, and spiritual maturity engage in an experience that forces them to make a decision about Jesus Christ and His sacrificial offer of salvation. Judgement House remains one of the only evangelistic tools to see 10% of its participants make a first time profession of faith."

So, what do you think? Is this ethical?

[JohnPaul]

Its OK as long as it stays in the churches and does not try to infiltrate into the public area disguised as entertainment for kids. If it does, then it is only fair that some very strong anti-church and anti-Christian propaganda entertainment be developed to counter it.

Anyway, it sounds like the people it attracts are not the brightest bulbs on the tree to begin with, and I am sure no respectable church would have anything to do with it.

John

[JoeyKnothead]

From the OP:

"Judgement Houses"

So, what do you think? Is this ethical?

Meh. I notice the link indicates a 10% "conversion rate" (my term) and wonder if these ain't folks who didn't go there hoping to be converted in the first place.

Just another example of Christians / humans appropriating others' traditions to suit their own aims. What I find most amusingly sad about this is that I consider the Christian God to be about the most evil notion I've ever entertained. "Worship me or burn in Hell!" is kinda what most every old lady I ever had, had to allow.

Is it ethical? I propose it is unethical to proclaim as fact that which can't be shown to be fact.

[FinalEnigma]

I think judgement houses are unethical in the extreme, as well as the pushing of the very concept of hell that is rampant throughout much of Christianity.
Judgement houses are trying to lure people in with a bit of Halloween fun in order to deluge all their senses with the most terrible images they can come up with in order to terrify them into conversion.

Most Americans nowadays are jaded to the concept of hell and it doesn't occur to them just how outrageously vile such a concept is, but have you ever burned yourself pulling something from the oven or some such? Even continuous first degree burns on your little finger for eternity would be pretty bad torment, and hell is a great deal more horrific than that - and it lasts for ALL ETERNITY.

As Isaac Asimov said, the only possible justification for infinite punishment wold be infinite evil, and not even the Hitlers of the world are THAT evil.

Even the concept of heaven is terrible. eternal life? that would be the most vile curse you could ever lay upon a person (short of hell). it might be cool for the first million years. you could do everything man has ever devised as a pleasure activity and become a grandmaster of every art, but what about the second million years? and the third?

[McCulloch]

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:

• That abortions kill human persons;
• That sexual orientation is a matter of choice, is changeable, and that God hates same-sex behavior;
• 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;
• That underground Satanic cults engage in widespread sacrifice of humans.

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:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Gays and lesbians being tortured in hell for all eternity because of their same-sex behavior while they were alive on earth.
• The dangers of "dabbling" in the occult and becoming demon possessed.
• Personal tragedies arising from pre-marital sex.
• Disastrous tragedies and loss of life resulting from drunk driving.
• A man having an argument with his wife and is later seduced by his secretary.
• Witches pressuring a depressed teen to murder his fellow students.
• A 9/11 ground zero scene.

Criticisms of the Hell House concept:

• 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.
• 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..."
• 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."
• 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."
• 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."
• 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."

Author's note:

Hell Houses appear to spread misinformation and disinformation about a variety of topics:

• 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.
• The motivation and demeanor of abortion providers.
• The appearance, beliefs and activities of Witches and other Neopagans.
• The Satanic ritual abuse hoax.
• The nature of sexual orientation.

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.

Ultimately, I believe that any Christian church or organization that associates themselves with this practice has irrevocably damaged their reputation for being honest and fair. Those who indulge in this kind of sensationalistic evangelism are not interested in presenting truth or gaining converts who can think.

[Clownboat]

So, some Christian churches, especially around Halloween, have what they call "Judgement Houses". http://judgmenthouse.info/ There's a link for more info, as it is apparently a centralized idea churches can essentially buy into. Judgement House is a walk-through drama showing the "consequences" of one's actions, be they choosing Jesus, not choosing, or actively rejecting. Some accident happens, and the people end up having to deal with their decision, by either going to Hell or Heaven. Also, not choosing Christ simply equals choosing Satan in this organization's book.

It's a very clever way of converting people who are on the border about being a Christian, and uses great scare tactics. I've been through one before (and honestly, laughed half the time because it is SO over the top). One statement on the website holds that "Judgement House has the unique ability to communicate the Gospel message to a wide variety of audiences. People of different age, race, denomination, and spiritual maturity engage in an experience that forces them to make a decision about Jesus Christ and His sacrificial offer of salvation. Judgement House remains one of the only evangelistic tools to see 10% of its participants make a first time profession of faith."

So, what do you think? Is this ethical?

I don't find scare tactics ethical.

I have been to one of these in the past. The presentation (scenes) was put on very well, but holy crap did they hit you up hard to accept Jesus after you exited. (You exited into a tent full of people hammering on you to accept their belief or suffer eternity in hell).

Edited for better exceptance. (Come on, take the bait Mc)

[McCulloch]

I don't find scare tactics ethical.

I have been to one of these in the past. The presentation (scenes) was put on very well, but holy crap did they hit you up hard to except Jesus after you exited. (You exited into a tent full of people hammering on you to except their belief or suffer eternity in hell).

Ha, ha. I think you mean accept not except.

I wonder how they arrive at the 10% number. I wonder even more, how many of those are still in after a year.

[Adurumus]

I wonder how they arrive at the 10% number. I wonder even more, how many of those are still in after a year.

Certainly a strange number, but as Joey put it, they likely wanted a reason to believe going in. And being shown a dramatic version of abortion, demonizing of people and threats of hell... yeah, that'll do it.

[ThatGirlAgain]

I don't find scare tactics ethical.

I have been to one of these in the past. The presentation (scenes) was put on very well, but holy crap did they hit you up hard to except Jesus after you exited. (You exited into a tent full of people hammering on you to except their belief or suffer eternity in hell).

Ha, ha. I think you mean accept not except.

I wonder how they arrive at the 10% number. I wonder even more, how many of those are still in after a year.

I remember a sermon a few years ago when I was still going to Mass with the family. The priest commented that quite a few people who saw The Omen on Saturday night showed up at church the next morning. But not that many of them were there the next Sunday. The sermon was about emphasizing the positive aspects of religion, not the negative.

[postroad]

Good grief. The powers of compartmentalisation of Christians is amazing to me.

For the sake of contemplation, assume that the OT Jewish God actually exists as described.

Do they not perceive the potential risks to their own souls, if by accepting Christ they place themselves into a state of blasphemy against that God?