Hell House

{{Christianity}}
A '''Hell House''' is an annual [[Halloween]] "attraction" often run by [[Fundamentalism|Fundamentalist]] [[Christian evangelism|Christian Evangelicals]]. Hell Houses have attempted to scare children into becoming [[born again]] with heavily exaggerated scenes of [[Sin|sins]] since 1970, when they were first created by [[Jerry Falwell]].<ref>[http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_he.htm Hell houses, judgment houses, etc. at Halloween] by B.A. Robinson (2009-SEP-01) ''Religious Tolerance.org''</ref>

==The setup==
Inside, actors act out scenes of various [[evil]]s and assorted [[religious right]] bogeymen, such as [[premarital sex]], [[homosexuality]], [[abortion]], belief in [[evolution]], [[Drugs|drug usage]], playing ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'', listening to [[heavy metal]] and [[Punk|punk rock]], watching [[pornography]], and eventually committing [[suicide]] (conveniently ignoring ''actual'' reasons for suicide, such as being relentlessly harassed by bigoted [[Bullying|bullies]]). The visitors are told that these actions are sponsored by [[Satan]], and will result in the participants going to [[Hell]]. Sometimes they are presented with a pledge to [[God]] and invited to accept [[Jesus]] as their [[personal savior]] and become [[born again]], or the church may conclude the tour in a "response room" where the host church requests information regarding first-time or recommitment decisions.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061208172510/http://www.godestiny.org/hell_house/HH_kitStructure.cfm How is The Hell House Outreach structured?] New Destiny Christian Center (archived from December 8, 2006).</ref>

Variations include houses that go on to try to recreate the fundamentalists' image of what Hell is like, complete with fire, sulfur, screaming, [[demons]], and wicked [[sin]]ners being barbecued.

Hell Houses are notorious for disguising themselves as conventional haunted houses to lure people in, with Halloween revelers not knowing that they're going to a fire-and-brimstone sermon until the church has already committed the bait and switch. This makes for a deliciously hypocritical [[irony]], given that the people running the Hell House, of all people, should be conversant with the [[Ten Commandments#Ninth Commandment: Lying|Ninth Commandment]].

==Reactions==
Many mainline, sane Christians feel that Hell Houses, in their quest to convert young people, fail to foster a lasting belief. This assertion agrees with [[logic]] as well, as Hell Houses only work to foster commitment to religious principles by [[Argument from adverse consequences|appealing to fear]], as opposed to laying the groundwork for [[rational]] consideration of the principles' veracity. If fear stops working, then people lose respect for their faith altogether, having never been imbued with the basic principles of their religion.

[[Richard Dawkins]], noted [[atheist]], has condemned Hell Houses, saying that using fear to convert children is [[child abuse]], and that the children only leave with nightmares and soiled underpants.

A "haunted house" sponsored by a fundamentalist church is a possible, though not conclusive, sign that the haunted house in question isn't a fun Halloween event, but rather something with a [[deceit]]ful purpose.

The "Culture in Crisis" room of the [[Creation Museum]] has been described as similar to Hell Houses.<ref>''Righting America at the Creation Museum'' by Susan L. Trollinger & William Vance Trollinger Jr. (2016) Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 1421419513.</ref>{{rp|53-4}}

==See also==
*[[Morris Cerullo]]

==External links==
*[http://www.judgementhouse.org/ Judgment House] &mdash; How to build your own Hell House, as well as locations and times of training conferences
*[http://www.landoverbaptist.org/hellhouse/thehouse.html Landover Baptist Church (Parody)] &mdash; Online Hell House. Interactive!
*[http://somethingpositive.net/sp10042006.shtml Something*Positive] &mdash; A mini-arc in which an old man (and actual Christian) goes to one expecting it to be an actual haunted house. Author R*K*Milholland is just as disturbed by these things being real as the reader is.
*[http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-best-little-hell-house-in-texas America's Evangelical Haunted Houses Are Terrifying] &mdash; An investigator volunteers in a Hell House, sees kids and adults being terrified, believes it can traumatize.
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301235/ ''Hell House''] &mdash; a 2001 documentary on the Cedar Hill, [[Texas]] Hell House

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Anti-intellectualism]]
[[Category:Christian fundamentalism]]
[[Category:Creationism]]
[[Category:Culture wars]]
[[Category:Deceit]] 
[[Category:Homophobia]]
[[Category:Morality]]
[[Category:Moral panics]]
[[Category:Propaganda]]
[[Category:Purity culture]]

Categories: Anti-intellectualism, Christian fundamentalism, Creationism, Culture wars, Deceit, Homophobia, Morality, Moral panics, Propaganda, Purity culture