General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEver been to a fundie haunted house?
like a "Judgement House"
http://judgementhouse.org/
regnaD kciN
(26,044 posts)...but I do remember the Hell House phenomenon of a few decades back, with scenes of homosexuals, drug addicts, and women-who-aborted-their-unborn-babies all burning in the fires of the damned (probably a few liberal politicians thrown in as well). Hadnt heard they were still around, but Im honestly not surprised.
peekaloo
(22,977 posts)Big attraction for the stoner kids.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Lots of fundies around here in Georgia. They are really very simple minded in their views. Forget 40 shades of gray, 5 clearly differentiated might be the max, among the wiser that is. They seem to understand maybe what a typical ten-year-old might (am I insulting typical 10-year-olds?), but that other realities and further complexities exist beyond, which must be learned about in order to understand, no.
It is a form of extremism. We see the same thing in those prone to political extremism, left and right, as they discard and/or never recognize in the first place everything that doesn't fit the simple pictures they commit to. Democrats are corporatists. Democrats are commies. Hillary gave talks to Goldman Sachs so is owned by Wall Street. Hillary's a commie determined to destroy capitalism. Simple mindedness with the inevitable bizarre twists to fill in the holes in understanding.
peekaloo
(22,977 posts)and yes you insulted typical ten year olds.
I noticed the local 'Word of Gawd' isn't doing Hell House this year. It seems too many of the "young adults", it's an 18+ admittance, were taking selfies with Satan last year.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)young "sinners" for the wrong reasons. Laugh all they want, I expect most take some new understanding away from this exposure to fundie thinking, though again not what's intended.
Btw, I know I insulted our grandsons at 10, but they're all exceptionally bright.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)world.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)the answer, Blue. More, repeat education since universal's been the norm for generations now.
But turns out it's above all personality. Look at all the adequately educated, and even smart, people who are soaking up Trump's lies in order to support what he's doing. When Lincoln spoke of those people who can be fooled all the time, he wasn't talking about ignorance, the way I once assumed, but about the kind who insist on lies that support what they want to believe, including lies that provide justification for their support of bad leaders and evil deeds.
And, of course, the fundies. It really is like living in a different world, isn't it? One where the Enlightenment and Age of Science never happened. Something I'm very aware of whenever someone's happily thanked god for giving her the winning door prize ticket or dinner table decoration (actually has happened a number of times). My garden club meetings don't have gods who cheat on behalf of favorites or demons hoping to employ lust for a new daylily to steal someone's soul.
vlyons
(10,252 posts)Well that's pretty scarey. Not the scenes in the judgement house, but that there are demented individuals, who put this crap in the minds of others. Bad enough that their own minds are filled with that shit. Any wonder where so much hatefulness comes from? Evangelicals don't practice the teachings of Jesus about peace, love, tolerance, forgiveness. Evangelicals are a degenerate cult.
May the dark ignorance of sentient beings be dispelled.
May all beings enjoy profound, brilliant glory.
gay texan
(2,453 posts)I know a bunch of atheist groups go to them every year
Control-Z
(15,682 posts)Why? To make fun?
They were based out of Irving if i remember correctly. The would throw in some one liners that were truly funny
TlalocW
(15,383 posts)"My group" being the random people I went in with. Also I'm a part time magician. This will be important.
So... There's a church in Tulsa where I lived for a while called GUTS Church (It takes guts to love God), and they put on a Hell House (probably don't call it that) every year, and I decided to go one year just because their budget for it is insane. I don't remember too much about it except for drunk driving section and the room where a woman killed herself because she couldn't handle the guilt from getting an abortion. But the last room... It was a rave (probably the only time those kids get to dance), and there was a long hall on one wall that entered the room. At the end was a man in a suit (the PA is playing both rave music and the normal stuff about becoming a Christian). The lights go off and come back on, and he's a little closer. Lights on and off again, and he's pretty close to entering the room, but he stands there, and his face slowly morphs into Satan's, and I yelled louder than anything in the room, "OH, MY GOD! YOU'RE DOING THE GIRL TO GORILLA ILLUSION! THAT'S FANTASTIC!" Everyone turned to look at me (lot of dirty looks from the ravers), and one of them came over and asked me to follow him, and he led me out of the "house." I was still in the building, just not in the attraction. I waited because I knew what was coming next and did not want to be the only "target." Rest of my group exited, and I re-joined them as we left the building. We stepped outside, and we're immediately under a giant tent where various counselors are waiting to talk to us about giving our lives to Jesus. One teen girl was freaking out, and four of them surrounded her. The two behind her both put a sympathetic hand on her shoulders but then looked at each other with expressions that said, "We got one." A young hipster couple came up to me, but before they could say anything I said to the guy (who was in the lead), "If you can look me in the eyes like an honorable man and tell me you think that the Jesus you believe in would be fine with what you're doing, I'll listen to your spiel. Otherwise, I'm going to go get a hotdog." He dropped his eyes and looked at his shoes and wished me a good night.
Then I went to their concession stand and had two of the best hot dogs I've ever had. Really. They were freakin' awesome.
For those who have never been to one, the Bible Reloaded (or they're now just known as Hugo and Jake), two YouTube atheists, reviewed a movie called, "Hell House," that was a documentary on a church (I think in Dallas) that puts on a big one each year. It will give you an idea what they're like without paying to go to one.
TlalocW
Docreed2003
(16,861 posts)erpowers
(9,350 posts)The most recent episode of Young Sheldon had a storyline about judgement houses. It ended with a teenage girl getting saved. When viewers are first introduced to the girl she seems to be a promiscuous airhead. Sheldon's older brother is hanging out with and is given the chance to have sex with her. As they walk to her house they come across a judgement house, which is being put on by the church Sheldon and his family attend. Sheldon's mom is in charge of the house and is waiting at the end of the tour to counsel people who are trying to get saved. After walking into a room that talked about what happened to a woman after she contracted a sexually transmitted disease, the girl breaks down in tears and runs to the room where Sheldon's mom is waiting and announces that she wants to get saved. As you have probably figured out, Sheldon's brother does not get to have sex with the girl.
Maybe one of the show creators, or one of the show producers experienced something similar in their youth. Young Sheldon is based in Texas and Jim Parson is from Spring, TX. Parson is one of the Executive Producers of the show.
TlalocW
(15,383 posts)I went alone to the Hell House so just entered with whatever other people were the right number to go through at a time, but she just seemed like a normal kid. I think just the threat of Hell made to come to life for her freaked her out. That's what they're supposed to do. I'm sure Hell Houses are more common in the south. I just did a search for Hell/Judgment Houses in KC and didn't come up with any results that a cursory look would indicate was about one.
There are a couple other bits of media related to Hell Houses that take place in Texas - an early, "King of the Hill," episode had an evangelist woman get Halloween canceled until Hank took a stand. Mike Judge, the creator, is from Texas, and King took place there. And then cartoonist of the online cartoon, "Something Positive," is from Texas as well and did a Hell House arc in his comic several years ago (link to the start of it below). It's a good read where you don't really need to know anything about the characters to enjoy. The character, Fred, is the father of the main character.
Another memory of that time in Tulsa is that I worked at one of the magic-costume shops in town during October to help out the owner. He both loved and hated Halloween - loved it because it was his best month of course and hated it because of the stress it brought, including people from GUTS Church always coming in and trying to get a discount on things because they were a church. Along with being a magician, I'm more often hired as a balloon twister, and I ran into that attitude year 'round when churches called to hire me so I came up with a "script" of telling them that my special price for churches was $X per hour where $X was my normal rate. It seemed to mollify them into thinking they were getting a good deal.
https://www.somethingpositive.net/sp10042006.shtml
TlalocW
NBachers
(17,117 posts)msongs
(67,413 posts)John1956PA
(2,654 posts)My advice, stay away.
Docreed2003
(16,861 posts)sinkingfeeling
(51,457 posts)erpowers
(9,350 posts)The CBS sitcom Young Sheldon just did an episode on judgement houses.
nolabear
(41,984 posts)Loved the adulterous scenario. They were enjoying it WAY too much!
demtenjeep
(31,997 posts)a few years ago, I was an actor. I was a mother to a shooter.
I think it is powerful and I believe it does more good than bad