USAToday: Some Christians use "Hell Houses" to warn against homosexuality, abortion, drunkenness.

[Bluebear]

"Sometimes we have to use extreme measures to save God's people. After all, if someone were in a burning house, would you quietly say, 'Come out, you will die'? No. You would run in there with your arms waving and screaming to the top of your lungs, grabbing them if need be, to save them from an untimely death."

Cindy Cathcart was angry with God and on the brink of divorce and suicide on Oct. 30, 1998, when her nephew dragged her to "Hell House." Without it, she says now, she's not sure where she would have ended up.

Though raised Lutheran, she had repeatedly refused her sister's invitations to come to church and had no desire for a relationship with God. All of that changed as she walked through Hell House.

Hell Houses are intended to literally scare the hell out of people. Participants walk through several "scenes" depicting the consequences of things like abortion, homosexuality and drunkenness.

...Terry Long, pastor of Calvary Chapel in Salt Lake City, believes the church can turn Halloween into something good. "Instead of cursing the darkness," he said, "just turn on the light."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-10-26-hell-house_N.htm?csp=34&loc=interstitialskip

[fenriswolf]

1. OMG are these people serious?

almost as bad as jesus camp IMHO

[billyoc]

2. That's where they took the suicidal woman?!

:wtf:

[mondo joe]

3. Look at Chubby Jesus. Dude, you're the Messiah - do some crunches!

[Bluebear]

5. And take off your Timex! :)

[mondo joe]

9. Then how's he gonna know when it's time for a break?

[Warren DeMontague]

17. No, no, that's just a sly reference to Stanley Kubrick and "Spartacus".

The guy's a film buff. Really.

[terrya]

37. Someone needs to layoff the carbs!

Yikes!

And needless to say, this whole "Hell House" crap is sick, digusting and bizarre. Hatemongering bigots spewing their crap, as usual. Every single one of these people who feel the need to "scare" people about homosexuality needs therapy.

[tabasco]

4. Just in time for Halloween.

A bunch of psychos, weirdos, and freaks.

[Matariki]

6. The documentary is brilliant

all the girls hoping to get the part of 'the slutty girl' who gets date raped...

edited to add link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0301235/ (worth renting, very entertaining)

[mondo joe]

7. We should do one about the horrors of the fundy lifestyle: closeted husband geting BJs in airport

bathrooms, bitter sexless women, yadda yadda

[Bluebear]

10. ...

:spray:

Call it "Massachusetts House" or something equally horrific to this bunch.

[walldude]

8. Good timing, I just had to explain to my son what a

"Church Haunted House" was. And it wasn't easy, luckily he's a good kid and understood how the real hell of these places is the level of intolerance they display. I really have to thank Coulter for her "perfecting the Jews" comment, she made it easy for all my kids to understand how full of shit organized religion is.

[madrchsod]

11. there was one of these in rockford il that was so graphic

that the city shut them down because of all the complaints from the parents...i think the abortions theme room was a bit over the top for young kids and their parents...

[stop the bleeding]

12. Totally repressed

:crazy:

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

13. I got kicked out of one one those a few years ago,

it was a fucking joke, what the picture doesn't show is that you have to pass through a room of people doing the full body shaking praying to get out.

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. If we had one around here I would

picket it or hand out flyers. This is just crazy.

[TheUniverse]

15. Anybody know of any of these in central Illinois?

I'm a fan of bad horror movies, and I would love to see a live action version of one. This looks like grade A entertainment. :7

[WindRavenX]

16. i'm so glad i live in SLC

:eyes:

[Drunken Irishman]

62. I live there too. Don't worry, it isn't just a Salt Lake thing.

You see it all over. Maybe I'll go visit one, just for kicks.

[sarcasmo]

18. Religion uses fear because it is their only way.

Such BULLSHIT.

[uppityperson]

19. Landover Baptist's take on Hell House... (I love these guys)

This year's Hell House at Landover will prove to be an unparalleled experience of horror. Real Corpses from Turkey's Earthquake that would have been wasted in mass graves, will frozen and delivered to Landover Baptist Church, to be used in the Godly purpose of winning souls! We intend to so traumatize people with images of death and Hell, that they will have no choice by to fall flat on their faces in the conversion tent and repent, get baptized and get their little Devil loving souls into church! Groups of 20-25 people will tour Hell House with their own personal demon acting as their tour guide. The 10 scenes each last 2-3 minutes (with the exception of one scene that now only lasts 30 seconds, in an effort to cut down on all the vomit we had to clean up between groups last year). The following list describes each scene briefly:

Scene 1 is a funeral scene of a teenage homosexual boy who has died of AIDS he caught from the ink on the book report graded by his pedophile homosexual Secular-History teacher. His disease-riddled body will be carried to the lake of fire by the Devil himself. Boils and blisters will pop realistic pus from the plague covered face of the sodomite child, while dysentery takes its horrible toll from his exploding buttocks, as he is placed into the lapping flames of eternal damnation. A band of cherubic angels suspended from the ceiling (provided by the kiddies at Landover Kindergarten) will look on, singing the Lord's praise for the Righteous Hand of Justice.

Scene 2 is a drunk-driving scene where a father realizes he has just killed his family. He will shoot himself in the head, just grazing his skull (splattering bits of bits of bloody skull on the windshield), and continue shooting bullets into his writhing drunk body until finally he lurches towards the on-lookers causing a spray of warm blood to spattered onto the unsaved crowd. Cackles of hellish laughter will be heard as the drunk's body goes limp and falls onto the floor.

Scene 3 will depict the real autopsy of a teen-suicide (We have flown in over 200 real corpses from morgues as far away as Istanbul for this event). The Christian doctor will pull the heart out of a each body and put it in a jar of formaldehyde labeled "Unsaved."

Scene 4 is a pre-teenage drug usage scene where everyone will be surprised who is really in control. The Devil will smoke marijuana with a 11 year old little girl. The girl will instantly become "stoned" and scream for the Devil to impregnate her with his unholy Spawn. Given the power of a gorilla by her evil drug, the little harlot will try to overpower the Beast and rape him, only to become violently ill and die of the all too familiar "marijuana overdose" like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix before her! ...(more@link)

[LeftishBrit]

43. What can I say here but BLOODY HELL!!!

Do these loonies really think you can catch AIDS from the *ink* used by a gay person????

And on a more serious note, I don't think the earthquake victims or their families would have wished to have their bodies used in this way. That is really creepy and unethical.

[uppityperson]

45. Landover Baptist is a satire site. Sort of like

whitehouse.org, The Onion, that sort of stuff.

[LeftishBrit]

48. Thanks; that's a relief!

Quite honestly, some of the real sites are so bizarre that it really is hard to tell satire from reality (the 'ink' should have been a clue, I suppose). I've seen some of the Internet 'Virtual Hell' sites, presumably for those who live too far away to go to the Hell Houses, and some of them.are.weird.

[uppityperson]

49. I had to look and think when I first found them also. Sometimes it is difficult to tell.

Have you seen whitehouse.org? They go a bit overboard at times, I found them when my child found them doing research on the White House. Kid said he thought it was a bit odd so I checked. It was when they were having the Patriotic Tattoo or some such thing featured.

[SidDithers]

52. Betty Bowers is hilarious too...

http://www.bettybowers.com/
I'm not sure who came first, Landover Baptist, or Betty, but they're both very funny.

Sid

[uppityperson]

60. Thanks for the reminder, I always think of them together.

http://www.landoverbaptist.org/
Realize I didn't give link before, or else I just can't see it now.
Edited to add link to Hellhouse page. I think I'm brain dead.
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/hellhouse/thehouse.html

[fishwax]

20. I've always wanted to go to one of those

haven't yet gotten around to it, though ...

[libnnc]

21. Freaks.

Fucking freaks.

I HATE that shit. :nuke:

[Botany]

22. Pic # 4 Jesus needs the "Ab Rocker"

:rofl:

[backscatter712]

23. I've got one of those about a mile away.

The nearby Reverend Wayne's Pearly Gates franchise (aka a megachurch) is putting a Hell House together.

[Jamastiene]

24. Why must we endure them and their crap?

If they want to act stupid, that's their business, but bringing my sexuality into it is uncalled for. Considering the fact that I avoid them at all possible costs, I think they should extend the courtesy in kind and stay the fuck away from me.

We cannot possibly seriously, call ourselves a civilized species as long as that bunch exist with those kinds of unevolved minds. My grandmother had a philosophy about that kind of silly ignorance: It should be educated or eradicated. I agree with my grandma, RIP. She was a dear sweet kind woman who wouldn't harm a hair on anyone's head, but she had a low boiling point when it came to crap like that.

[spoony]

36. "It should be educated or eradicated."

Wait, wait...where have I heard this before?...

[Name removed]

39. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

25. wonder how many commit suicide b/c of the death cult of christianity

not to mention the verbal and emotional abuse of telling you you're worthless just because you're human.
Sick sick sick blood sacrifice cannibalism.

[spoony]

34. Uh huh, but it's not "verbal and emotional abuse" to call people sick cannibals

Right? I wonder how many commit suicide b/c some people are just plain bully assholes.

[Maven]

47. No, it's telling the truth from a rational POV.

Stop trying to present sanity and grotesque semi-psychotic delusion as two different viewpoints which each deserve equal respect.

[spoony]

50. Just to be clear, you are

smearing the entirety of the Christian religion, correct? Because that "sick cannibalism" is a sacred part of our theology. Not that I don't think you know that you're doing that, I just want to make it perfectly clear.

[Maven]

53. I'm describing the particular brand of ritualized grotesquery shown in those pictures.

Just to be clear, are you saying that those pictures represent the Christian religion?

And by the way, there are many aspects of your religion I take issue with, and I have no problem telling you so. However, I doubt that you engage in the kind of twisted psycho-theatre described and shown in the OP. Or do you?

[spoony]

55. No, we aren't talking about pictures, we're talking about a poster

who called Christianity a death cult that was cannabalistic, presumably (it could really only be) referring to communion/eucharist. By denegrating that, or by hopping on that poster's side, you aren't just talking about these dorks who set up "hell houses" with their wayward priorities and skewed theology, you're slamming the heart of most Christian worship. Not fundies, all Christians.

[uppityperson]

61. They don't represent my brand of Christianity.

The one that does good deed, tries to be good, tries to emulate what Jesus was supposed to have done and said to do, rather than worship the man and his death. Yeah, I'm "that" sort of christian. Don't think the poster you're replying to is, though.

[SidDithers]

54. If that's a sacred part of your theology...

then the world might truly be better off without it.

Sid

[spoony]

56. Is the eucharist that dangerous to you?

Would you too like to "eradicate" Christians?

[SidDithers]

58. Hate the belief, not the believers...

now, what does that remind me of?

Sid

[IndianaJones]

26. why is Wade Boggs crucifying Jesus? nt.

[Botany]

32. Snort!

http://graphics.boston.com:80/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2005/12/20/1135097647_8978.jpg

[JBoy]

41. I think that's Yakov Smirnoff playing the abortion doctor

[Golden Raisin]

27. I'm now actually thinking that

these kind of folks need to band together and secede from the Union. They can have their own Taliban-world.

[symbolman]

28. Hell, these have been around a Long Time

Because a lot of my friends looked forward to eating gobs of acid, walking through these and laughing maniacally until they threw us out.. Oops, did I just say "US"? I meant "them" my friends...not me.. I would never consider taking mass quantities of a mind altering drug..

But I specifically remember Jesus arguing with the Romans against using the "cheaper" nails, for fear of blood poisoning..

Damn, that shit's got some Staying power.. Praise the Lord and pass the Acid! :)

[TheMightyFavog]

29. They had one of these near my Alma Mater.

A group of people I knew went to this thing with a three beer buzz and made snarky comments the whole way through it. IIRC, once they got to the end they were asked to leave and never come back.

I figured that it might be fun to have a group of three people dressed as Joel Robinson (or Mike Nelson), Tom Servo, and Crow T. Robot go through one of these things and give it the MST3K treatment it so resoundingly deserves.

The Crucifixion scene is asking for a rousing chorus of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."

[Beerboy]

30. Is there a way this sort of thing could be banned?

This is propaganda bullshit.

[annabanana]

44. BAN it? Are you kidding? ..this is firmly in the "enough rope"

category. I think it ought to be showcased on the evening news.. They are in Fred Phelps territory.

[Evoman]

31. If they want to make a hell house for me, all they would have to do is invite me to their church.

To me, hell IS praying to jesus in the company of boring, frigid lamers.

[John Kerry VonErich]

33. Where I used to live several years ago, they had one.

Here is the funny part. There was an all too real scare when the hellhouse had a fire, and burnt to the ground. Turns out it was arson where accelerant was detected. Can't remember if they caught the guy or not.

[zanne]

35. I'm immunized from ten years of Catholic school.....

Nothing these ignorant, hate-filled people could do to me now would hurt me. It's already been done. The nuns took care of that 30 years ago. Fanaticism never changes, but inoculation against it can be very helpful.

[Toasterlad]

38. Oh, Sweet Jeebus! I Have GOT to Find One of These Houses!

Just from the pictures alone, I can tell it would be the funniest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Anyone know of any in the SE Pennsylvania area? Or are we too far north for such inspired lunacy?

[annabanana]

40. All the forbidden fun of halloween PLUS you can still go to heaven!

This is the soil that the uber-repressed fallen evangelist, toe tapping congressmen come from...

(pretty damn kinky that last pic!)

[SammyWinstonJack]

42. INSANE!

:crazy:

[Maven]

46. These people are ill.

There's no other way to put it.

[undeterred]

51. I guess they don't think living and speaking the gospel is persuasive

enough in itself. :shrug: Apparently they don't actually believe in Jesus, just in Hell.

[Gabi Hayes]

57. you just can't make this stuff up:

http://www.godestiny.org/hell_house/HH_menu.cfm



then there's my favorite standby site:

http://www.yourgoingtohell.com/





interesting links here, including a story on 'hellhouses' in The Economist

http://www.answers.com/topic/hell-house

[Bluebear]

69. "Shake your city......"

Shake your city with the most "in-your-face, high-flyin', no denyin', death-defyin', Satan-be-cryin', keep-ya-from-fryin', theatrical stylin', no holds barred, cutting-edge"
evangelism tool of the new millennium!

http://www.godestiny.org/hell_house/HH_kit.cfm

[knitter4democracy]

59. Here's my question: aren't they worried about what they're doing to their own kids?

Those pictures don't look like the kids are having all that much fun. Yes, it's acting, but that's pretty serious stuff to act night in, night out. Having to stay in the moment for hours, thinking of what a girl going through a botched abortion or someone dying of AIDS is really going through--how could that be a good thing?

I wouldn't let my kids do anything like that. I could see my daughter having nightmares for weeks and my son getting all upset and staying that way. It looks too traumatic.

When I was in youth group, we did mission trips and worked in homeless shelters and did Vacation Bible Schools in urban area to provide free child care. Their youth group puts on Hell Houses?

[Drunken Irishman]

63. Anyone else excited for The Simpsons take on hell houses during their annual Tree House of Horrors?

I can't wait to see what they do!

[JVS]

64. Do they have any footage of a drunk gay abortion?

That would be something

[NMMNG]

65. I have half a mind to do my own version

Show the effects of fundinazis on humanity. It's not pretty.

[Elspeth]

66. It's the War on Halloween. Let's contact the liberal media!!

Wherever they are....

[Twenty3]

67. Nice ensemble

Sword & Birkenstocks FTW :thumbsup:

[Initech]

68. Be afraid. Jesus loves you. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

That's pretty much the message I'm getting here.