|
Setting aside the debate about whether or not Halloween is Satanic, a Catholic holiday, a night of pagan debauchery or an innocent night for costumes and candy for a moment, I would like to focus on the Halloween mischief conducted by some churches during the month of October.
Since some Christian persuasions believe Halloween to be evil and don’t desire to partake in it, they have chosen to take another tact. It’s essentially a haunted house for churches, only not nearly as much fun and far more frightening than a few ghosts and goblins. Every year, some churches endeavor to – quite literally – scare the hell out of people just before Halloween.
Using names such as “Judgment House,” “Hell House,” “Revelation Walk” and “Tribulation Trail,” these spectacles show those unfortunate enough to have walked in with a ticket what it might be like were they to go to Hell and suffer an eternity of God’s wrath poured out on the wicked. Some of the scenes depicted are often more gruesome than Hollywood’s best shot at violence.
The intent is supposedly to share the Truth of Christ with an unbelieving world. The method is the age-old tactic of scaring people straight. Having attended one of these little damnation walks before, I am convinced that regardless of how effective this might be, it isn’t the best way to introduce people to Jesus. From all I have seen and heard on this journey, I just don’t think scaring people half to death with consequences reflects Christ’s heart.
That should be our concern, shouldn’t it? If we are going to claim Christ’s name, shouldn’t we also make it a top priority to reflect His heart and His actions as much as humanly possible? Jesus didn’t go around frightening people into taking Him seriously. He went around loving outcasts, healing the broken, forgiving sinners and teaching those hungry for His words.
Anyone can manipulate people into coming around to their way of thinking through the use of scare tactics. Judgment Houses are not terribly different from being forced to join the local Rotary club at gunpoint. That’s not what Christianity is all about. It’s not how Jesus would do it. This is about heart change. It is about a person whose heart loves himself coming to a place where his heart longs for God. You can’t force that through fear. Jesus is the patient husband of an unfaithful wife. He is the father of the runaway son. He loves and He forgives, He doesn’t use guilt trips or fear-mongering. We shouldn’t either. Life itself is scary enough without having to resort to such tactics.
|
