I've never been to one. But in my search to do something different this Halloween, I am wondering about all of us checking it out. I have Evan though, he's 10. :?: What have been your experiences? The extent of my knowledge is that they try to scare people about hell so that they will want to repent and give their lives to Christ. I don't know how they really go about this. :|
I've never heard of that, but imho it doesn't sound like a method Jesus would use! Scaring someone into it isn't a true conversion. It's got to be a heart thing!
I knew a girl once that went to a church that had a "haunted" basement. THey turned it into what hell would be like. I never wentto it but she said it was meant to scare you. At the end of it they had preachers that were there for those who wanted to give their lives to christ. I am not sure if it was called the judgement house of not.
I was doing some searching on it, and it looks like they sometimes use some adult-themed sinning, acting out abortion, and the like to illustrate a sinful life. I am thinking this is not appropriate for a child at all...
Wow sounds really scarey!! I wouldn't take my kids to something like that. My dd10 would have nightmares for weeks!
We participate every year in our "Hell House". There is also one in the same city called "Judgement House". Ours under any circumstance does not admit children under 10. I just let my dd11 and ds13 be in it last year, but I did not let her go through it.She was allowed to be an angel in the Resurrection. "Hell" is dark and scary. The "demons" are scary. The "death monitors" are the ones who lead you from room to room - and they are not trying to calm you - they are trying to get your attention. We have at least 2 people praying behind each room, sometimes many more. Most people that go through are unsaved. Each room depicts a different circumstance that could befall you in your life- abortion, molestation, family crisis, a friend's suicide, drunk driving accident. Then you go through a coffin, hell and then on to a depiction of the torture of Jesus and then to the Resurrection. There are always couselors at the end to talk to people who want to talk. My first one I ever went to was the "Judgement House" one and I haven't wanted to go through again. The family crisis room really gets to me because of the arguing and such - because it was part of my past. I would not recommend it for a 10 year old at all. There are many times people come out crying - adults. It is made to be as real as possible. We always have people saved every night and sometimes they are very troubled teens who really needed a "jolt" to "wake them up". Sabrina
Wow, I don't know what to think personally. I have mixed emotions about it. Until reading this, I had never heard of them.
I have been through several. They were a HUGE thing here about 8-10 years ago. My opinion is this: Scaring people into making a decision not the way to go about it. I think these types of things lead to decisions being made out of fear and not real commitments. I'm afraid that many have a false sense of "security", because they were scared into saying a prayer. I think if a church does these programs, there MUST be follow-up discipleship for those who made decisions. I would not recommend these for young children either. I think the ones I went through were for 12 or older. They are typically VERY graphic. Hell is very scary. Heaven on the other hand is beautiful...I didn't want to leave.
I am having these horrible images stuck in my head. How do you act out (or whatever) molestation and other crazy things? That is what I am picturing in my head anyway. Ahh!
I have not heard of these either, but wht you have said makes alot of sense. I don't think we would do this either, based on what I have heard here.
Jen, I certainly hope that no one is acting out molestation!! This is how the ones I've been to work. There is a story line that you follow the entire way thhrough. You begin with being introduced to the characters. This is almost always 3 main characters, one Christian, one who knows about Christ and is on the verge of making a decision, and one who is not at all interested in Christ. The story takes the 3 through a traumatic event (such as a car accident) where all 3 charcters die. You will travel from room to room seeing the families' reactions, hospital scenes, and then on to the judgment. You will stand before Jesus and all names will be read (info gathered before you enter). When the names are finished Jesus will say "Depart from me, I do not know you", and you will then travel to "hell". Different people portray this different ways, but the ones I've been to, had heaters going to make it unbearably hot, the walls were lined w/black plastic, and a voice changing device makes Satan's voice evil. (Personally, I believe that Satan is beautiful, which makes him alluring.) The 2 unsaved characters will join you here as they are thrown into the pits of hell. There will be a battle and screaming/crying/trying to get out. After leaving hell you will go to "heaven" to meet up with the Christian character. It's a beautiful place and angels everywhere, etc. When you are finished with the play portion, the entire group is taken to a counseling room where you are asked fill out information about yourself--Are you a Christain, do you want to make a decision... There are also people on hand to counsel others. That's a quick version, so I hope those of you who weren't familiar understand a little better.
here's link to Religious Tolerance.orgs commentary on it.. They try to be neutral but I often find their bias slipping in... http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_he.htm
I can't imagine churches taking this to the extent that the website said (not saying that it doesn't happen) in the "Hell Houses". WOW!
Note that the site is one for "Religious Tolerance"--a "politically correct" group, I would guess. They seemed to feel more positively about wicca & paganism than about Christianity; so they would probably be offended about many Biblical doctrines, including the doctrine of Hell. Remember that the early Christians were accused of gross things when they met to comemmorate the body & blood of Jesus. While some methods of sharing Truth might be inappropriate for certain audiences, those same methods might be the best way to reach other people. Basically, Truth is offensive to the "world." Our family attended a Judgement House several years ago. It was as tactfully done as possible--a car wreck. Life is not beautiful, many times. It was realistic, though. I can't speak for more than that one experience, but we were glad to see that a neighboring town is planning to take a bus of young people there this year--they will probably see nothing more than many of the kids have already exerienced. The difference is, the drama doesn't sugar-coat sin. I think that's what offends people. Never-the-less, I agree with the other opinions on this hs spot that this type of thing is probably not necessary for your children.
This reminds me of what the highschools out here do to try to keep students from drinking on prom night. They set up a mock crash. Two real cars from real, intense, fiery, crashes are brought in to the parking lot. They set them up so it looks like a head on collison and some volunteers get painted up to look as if they are dead or critically injured. The make-up is so realistic it is shocking. The students are brought out to see it as soon as everything is set up and the fire department pulls up with lights and sirens as though it was a real accident. Bodies are all over the mock street and blood is under their heads. Sometimes bodies are smashed up against the steering wheel. They are extracted like a real accident and pronounced dead like a real accident and put into a body bag like a real accident. They even put them into a coroners van and taken away (around the corner of the school of course). The police are there as well and they are marking the evidence in the scene, or beer bottles that went everywhere when the crash happened. One year my sister was picked to be a dead person. She said this was so scary because when they zipped the bag over hear head she felt like she was going to have a panic attack and felt consumed by the bag. The paramedic left it unzipped just enough and peaked in a few times to make sure she was alright but she said it scared the pants off of her. I have heard of some schools that even bring in Life Flight for dramatics. Every year the school also brings in a car from a previous accident and places it in the quad area with a sign that tells the names of the people who died in it and the age and each time the sign said they were drinking and driving. This came to mind when I read these posts. Thought I would share. Patty
This sounds moronic and holy-rollerish. It sounds like something too disgusting for even an adult to go through. An adult with common sense wouldn't, anyway.
Be gentle. At least one of us is involved with this and I would not call her moronic, disgusting or holy-rollerish. This may not be the first way you would address someone who is lost, but it might be useful in some situations. And those who do put on Hell houses do not do this 365 days a year. It is once yearly, as a different way to get through to people who could perhaps use it. Just as when a child is rebellious you try many things, then you might just let them take a tour of Juvinile Hall, as my dh did. That finally got him to knock off some stupid behaviour that might have ended him up far worse down the road. Jesus showed love, yes, but when people were unwelcoming to his message of repentance, He did not hold back the information that those who reject Him would spend eternity in Hell. As a matter of fact, 13% of Christ's messages in the NT had to do with repentance and Hell. I believe that God uses many ways to reach people. I would not be so quick to condemn it.
