I quit!!!

[CacklestheClown]

I am quitting my job at Nightmare's Haunted House! Why? Because I have just come back from a week at Church Camp, and I felt God telling me to give up my addiction to all things dark and scary, including my job. I don't want to do this, in fact, if there was any possible way I could not do this, I would. But, in the end, I have to do what God says. But that doesn't mean that I'm done scaring! I fell as if God wants me to keep using this talent, for his own use. I am looking into the judgement houses, revelation houses, and all other manors of christian haunted houses. I have even convinced my youth leader to try and convince the other church leaders to turn our own church into one this Halloween! I. Am. Stoked!!!

[Smiley]

Um, Cackles? What assortment of scenes are you planning to show within this church haunt?

[CacklestheClown]

Actually, it's not up to me. It's up to the pastors. But the theme of it will be that you are dead, sent to Heaven, rejected, and sent to Hell. It will probably mostly consist of people in demon costumes. The entire set will, most likely, be Hell, except for the beginning, which will be Heaven. The point is to show people how terrible Hell is, and convince them to accept Jesus into their hearts, therebye insuring that they will never have to go through that for real. If you ask me, I don't think it should be something they'll enjoy, or they'll get the wrong idea. It needs to scare the crap out of them so that they'll do what I mentioned earlier!

[Smiley]

I dunno, Cackles. Hell Houses are quite controversial. The use of fear to try and persuade people to follow a belief, it...I think it's just wrong. I know intentions are good; you want to help people. But that sort of thing should be done with compassion, not threats of Hell. And saying things like...

It needs to scare the crap out of them so that they'll do what I mentioned earlier!

...doesn't reflect the Christian community in a positive light. I hate use the phrase "a form of intimidation", but that's what it comes off as. Yeah...like I said, controversial. I may not be Christian, but I do have Christian friends that share the same views on the subject as I do. They say that God should be about love, not fear. Which I wholeheartedly agree.

[Dr. Giggles]

I agree with Smiley.
I honestly can't say much else at risk of offending someone or another. So ima stay out of this one, best of luck to ya cackles.

[BarbieHaunt]

I felt God telling me to give up my addiction to all things dark and scary, including my job.

I'm honestly trying to understand, but you're saying that God told you to give up your "addiction to all things dark and scary" and yet somehow it's OK to keep that addiction if it stays within the church to "convert others" or "help them see their evil ways so that they will stay on the right path."

Those last two quotes are my take on what you are saying, but I'm honestly trying to make sense of this. Is that what you are saying?

If you are participating in a depiction of Hell with demons that "scares the crap out of" people, isn't that perpetuating your "addiction to all things dark and scary"? I believe in God and go to church, so my post is not about that. It's about trying to help you see the contradiction you are presenting.

I wish you only the best.

[Allen H]

Wow,
Im surprised your missing the ministry you were already giving at Nightmares. Why you do what you do at the haunted house is up to you. The haunt owners only care that you do your job. Some actors do it for the thrill of scaring, others for the power rush that comes from controlling others, I have several actors who do it as a kind of ministry. Every time they jump out and someone yells "Jesus Christ" or "Oh my God" it is a prayer for god to save them, then the monster retreats and that actor feels he has reaffirmed their faith in god as if the prayer was a protection. We all inspire prayer in our haunts.
A very good friend of mine enjoyed making heros, thats why he was a haunt actor. His biggest thrills came when he threatened a young one or a girlfriend and the parent or Boyfriend pulled them from the clutches of a monster to safety, he was making heros!
This is my opinion but I think Hell/salvation houses are the worst of both churches and haunted houses, they give each a bad name and are not a great example of either a Church or a haunt.
I would highly recommend sticking with nightmares for one more season and try to find your ministry in it. Look at your work with new eyes as opposed to looking for new work.
Churches and haunted houses are strange bedfellows but they can coexist with out ramming either down someones throat or by dressing up one like the other,
Just my thoughts,
Allen H
Feel free to PM me if you (or anyone ) wants to discuss this further.

[BruiseMuse]

If you've ever seen the documentary "Hell House," it shows how one ministry creates an annual hell house. It amazed me the controversial things that they put into that haunt, that most "normal" haunts wouldn't even touch.

[CacklestheClown]

Okay, I'm not saying anyone here is right or wrong, but this is my view: we should get people to accept Christ any way we possibly can. I believe fear of Hell is one of God's strongest tools for getting them to do just that. I understand what you're all saying, but that is what I think.

Anyway, I think God told me to go to Nightmares for one year for a very specific reason. There were two teenagers working there (whose names I will withold) who needed to go to church very badly. I befriended them, and they started coming to church with me. Mission accomplished.

Another reason that I feel called to quit is because it was taking over my entire life. As I have said in other threads, all I ever want to do is look up costumes, then look up even better costumes, think of how I can come up with the money to buy said costumes, practice my act, come up with new lines, and watch the video footage from last year. I even convinced my two closest friends to join the team this year! It felt like it was coming between me and my relationship with God. If there is any better reason to quit than that, I can't think of it!

My addiction was also spreading to other things as well. I was listening to darker and darker music, (ie MeatLoaf, Midnight Syndicate, Nox Arcana) watching darker movies, and reading darker books. One day, when I was listening to Meatloaf's song "Seize the Night", I became disturbed by how into the song I was getting. I actually [I]wanted[I] to succum (is that spelled right?) to the darkness. That is most definately somewhere I didn't want to go.

I appreciate all your feedback, but I have made my decision.

[Greg Chrise]

Midnight Syndicate and Nox Arcana are fine but, if you have been listening to Meatloaf for some kind of spiritual inspiration, you are pretty much tainted and will not be going to heaven no matter how many brownie points you stack up the rest of your life.

What are you going to replace this music in your life with? Christian Rock that reminds you there was a guy on a cross 2,000 years ago, as a reminder 45 times in each song, 100 similar songs per day for a total reinforcement of 4500 reminders per day? Every day? Other musicians telling you what they think you need to know? Only about 2 total concepts you need to know to have a balanced life? That's Great.

Any haunted house even seasonally is a reminder of mortality, people's wondering about their own personal feelings of mortality or an after life. One is subtle and presented in humor and fantasy and is engaged as entertainment. The other showing drug abuse, car wrecks, abortion and such for a sermon and donation are a little brash. And it has that quality of someone else demanding you do things their way.

There is nothing wrong with halloween style haunts or horror movies. Just the fact that it is impossible to make it completely a real situation makes it entertainment. Most of the purveyors of these kinds of attractions are channels for a whole lot of good. Just the social aspect of bringing all kinds of people together as a community, as a whole is better than seperating the masses into 5 or more different religious beliefs that aren't supposed to comingle.

Even pagans worry about how they will be remembered. Did they die having helped a bunch of people or because they were stealing copper wire that happened to be hooked up to electricity? Everything is about doing the right thing. It doesn't have to be some evil mantra or some heavenly witness over and over. You can mix a lot of things and achieve lots of goals, help lots of people just by giving them a place to come together and escape the reality or failures of every day. Perhaps even this forum is God's work? God made Larry pay the bandwidth bill!

Don't take one addiction and replace it with another. That's just being a simple minded dumb ass. It's a really big planet with lots of people and lots of things to know. Everything is more complicated and more wonderous that there being only 2 ways to be. Try going out doors to see all the things growing and living. Don't just be either inside a black plywood habitrail or inside stained glassed windows only.

Take a boating course, get a bicycle, draw something, learn other languages, learn to cook, learn to make money, learn to spend money. The only way to let the demons placed in you head by Meatloaf since he is such a poweful entity (listed with other one hit wonders) is certainly drilling a hole in you skull to let the demons out. What will you use to plug the hole after? A big screw? 5minute epoxy? A crystal gemstone from Arkansas?

Sounds to me like you just haven't had any laughs lately, perhaps you could read the "Inflatable Turd Post" here on Hauntworld. Lots of people have pictures of Jesus on their walls, the roman era romantic artistic version of Jesus and no picture of Meatloaf because he is not really that good looking and usually sweaty. You are simply confused by mass marketing campaigns. Look into all the unadvertised experiences of the world so when you die you can say you did something. Hopefully it was abundant, good and helped lots of others.

That big game show at the pearly gates should take a while not just heaven or hell. That makes you as well rounded as Homer Simpson.