“Christian” Haunted House Includes Depictions Of Pulse Massacre

[lilwriter85]

The event got banned more details in link.

http://www.newnownext.com/halloween-pulse-nightclub/10/2016/
 

Snippet from article

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A Chicago haunted house is being criticized for including depictions of the June massacre at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, where 49 LGBT people and allies were brutally murdered.

“The Room: A Journey to Hell” is being billed as a “Christian interactive experience,” with 12 rooms of “action-packed, real and jaw-dropping” terror.

Hell houses are popular with evangelical Christians during Halloween—spooky attractions filled with the “horrors” of modern life—teen sex, drinking, homosexuality—and their infernal consequences.

Tyrone Tappler Productions, which organized “The Room, put out a call on Facebook earlier this year for volunteers willing to recreate the Pulse shooting.

 

 

[formergothardite]

I'm not sure why this shocks me, but it does. What is wrong with people?!

[lilwriter85]

1 minute ago, formergothardite said:

I'm not sure why this shocks me, but it does. What is wrong with people?!

I've heard about Hell Houses and similar events before and I recall a Hell House somewhere years ago depicted the Columbine shooters. For some reason, when read about depicting the Pulse shootings I felt very sad. I wouldn't be surprised if PP comments on this in a sermon. The picture used for the posters for event looks Rihanna. Rihanna slammed an anti-gay law last year in Indiana. I hope she threatens legal action for using her likeness. I don't know if she would have a case.

[formergothardite]

I've read about them, but I didn't realize they would do something like use a real event. I thought it was generic "people at party getting drunk, drive home and then die in car accident" sort of things. 

[choralcrusader8613]

A church in my area did things like this when I was a kid. One of the rooms was "this is what God does to you if you have an abortion", another was "this is what happens when you reject the Lord", etc. At the end, there was an altar call, and my friends always wanted me to go because apparently my Lutheran butt needed to get saved.

[fundiefan]

This is why I have no faith in humanity.

[ViolaSebastian]

I mean seriously, what kind of messed up group think or lack of logic led someone to okay this sort of thing? I ask myself this question a lot on this site. 

[polecat]

They were apparently also going to do the South Carolina church shooting. Since when is it okay to reenact real, actual tragedies for cheap thrills and scares? This pisses me off. I'm glad they were cancelled. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/768898903242544/

[Terrie]

After hearing that at least one has included the World Trade Center collapse in the past, I am not even surprised. They don't give a shit about actual people, just winning points with their God.

[December]

3 hours ago, choralcrusader8613 said:

A church in my area did things like this when I was a kid. One of the rooms was "this is what God does to you if you have an abortion", another was "this is what happens when you reject the Lord", etc. At the end, there was an altar call, and my friends always wanted me to go because apparently my Lutheran butt needed to get saved.

I have to ask... did you know what you were going to before you went? Or did they just spring it on you? 

I've heard of the Hell Houses before but I only knew of ones preaching against generalized "sin" situations like premarital sex. Depicting actual crimes is on a whole other level of tastelessness. 

[Four is Enough]

This is reprehensible. Do they really think stuff like that brings people to God?

[Mercer]

1 hour ago, Four is Enough said:

Do they really think stuff like that brings people to God?

This is exactly what I've always wondered about this type of display. Because the message seems to be "Christians are sadistic folk who laugh at other people's tragedies." Not sure why they would imagine that would make their version of God appeal to anyone or convince anybody they should join. Is it just a lack of empathy? Are they assuming that they're only preaching to the choir anyway and just appealing to their own people's tastes? I don't get it.

[Chocolatedefrauded]

What is the point of including it? Besides being incredibly crass, what is the lesson? That it is ok to kill LGBTQ people? That if you are not straight, this can happen to you? The idea is beyond the pale & I'm glad it got stopped. What assholes....

[Anonymousguest]

Hell houses are popular with evangelical Christians during Halloween—spooky attractions filled with the “horrors” of modern life—teen sex, drinking, homosexuality—and their infernal consequences.

 

 Really? I've never heard of this, and I've been in evangelical churches in different parts of the country for most of my life. Reformation and harvest parties, sure. Hell houses? Never heard of it!

[THERetroGamerNY]

10 hours ago, formergothardite said:

I've read about them, but I didn't realize they would do something like use a real event. I thought it was generic "people at party getting drunk, drive home and then die in car accident" sort of things. 

I too have only heard of these fabled fundie "houses of horror"... And then they do something like this?!?! This is just utterly reprehensible!

Just when you think you've seen it all in Fundieland (tm) they do this.

[Mercer]

45 minutes ago, Anonymousguest said:

Really? I've never heard of this, and I've been in evangelical churches in different parts of the country for most of my life. Reformation and harvest parties, sure. Hell houses? Never heard of it!

I think that "are popular" may be a bit of an exaggeration. They do exist, but there's never been one anywhere I've lived, and I've lived a number of different places. I did see video footage from one, and it was very over the top offensive.

[bertnee]

I think the primary audience is members of their own religion who have "backslid" and teenage children of the devout who are being tempted by the devil... Aka sass their parents. While the groups who put these... "experiences" on really believe they will convert heathen sinners who have never heard the word of God, in reality it usually just reignited the fear of straying off the narrow way in those who had already drunk some of the kool-aid. My church did something like this, it was called Trip to Hell. There was an abortion room but that's all I really remember about the scenes.

[choralcrusader8613]

20 hours ago, December said:

I have to ask... did you know what you were going to before you went? Or did they just spring it on you? 

I've heard of the Hell Houses before but I only knew of ones preaching against generalized "sin" situations like premarital sex. Depicting actual crimes is on a whole other level of tastelessness. 

They told me what was in it, and acted like that was so awesome, y'all! Why wouldn't you want to go to a place where a woman is tortured for premarital sex and abortion?

My mom didn't let me go, because, in her words, "That's not what God sent Jesus to do. God is a God of love." Told my friends that, and predictably, pissed them off. But I didn't really care. I can't deal with anything scarier than Universal Horror, so even if I agreed with the theology, I wouldn't give myself anxiety flare-ups for that crap.

[Mecca]

Many, many, many years ago I was suckered into going to one of these houses. It was advertised as a Halloween experience, but it was actually ran by a local Christian university off their campus. They rented an old building in the downtown area to put on this craptastic production. That university is no longer. Gee, wonder why? 

Basically it was a story of two different individuals. One girl was super good and pure while the other girl had premarital sex and drank with her friends. They both died in different accidents. There is a judgement scene and the good girl enters heaven lead by some angles dressed in white gowns while the bad girl is dragged to hell by some demons wearing black leather jackets. The heaven and hell rooms where "WTF?" worthy. It would take me awhile to describe, but they were nuts. The last room you entered was trying to save those in attendance. They made you sit in chairs and had a preacher scream at you about your salvation for 15 minutes or so. He then did an altar call. They also wanted your personal information and a donation before you left the room. Nope. Not happening. 

I love Halloween and always attend haunted houses every year. This was probably the scariest house I ever attended during the Halloween season only because these people truly believe this nonsense and had to basically trick people into attendance. That last room made me feel like I was being held hostage. 

[paganbaby]

I saw this story on another site yesterday and wanted to check Snopes. I read the article to my husband, who kept saying, "Wait, what?" It defies belief that someone would think this is appropriate anywhere,  much less in an elementary school.

[bertnee]

Also I'm sure this has come on FJ before but I wanted to recommend the documentary Hell House about a group putting on one of these things. It was on Netflix a couple years ago, which is where I saw it. 

[seattlechic]

I watched a little bit of the documentary. These people are fucked up, big time. The girls preparing for auditioning as teenage pregnant abortees... you would think it was a spot in an Oliver Stone movie. The excitement and the auditions themselves were freaking me out. 

[Rachel333]

Some of the reddit comments on this story made me laugh, albeit often out of horror.

I've never been to one of those myself but I've definitely heard of them. I think my cousins acted in their church's "Hell House" for a few years.