From here:
It was not long after sending out the fall issue of its newsletter announcing a Halloween fundraiser that the Western Development Museum in Moose Jaw started receiving complaints; pastors came to the museum in person, emails and phone calls rolled in and concerns from church groups and community members were expressed to politicians saying the planned séance and ghost walk was “inviting evil” into the community….
“The feeling was expressed that by doing an event like this we were inviting evil to our facility and our community,” said Katherine Fitton, manager of the museum.
“That we would be opening Pandora’s Box, so to speak. These folk felt quite strongly that there was no way to avoid evil when engaging in these things, that there was no such thing as being light-hearted about it; that we’re looking for trouble.”….
Hired to host the event was Jeff Richards, a 25-year-old Regina showman inspired by David Copperfield. He said part of the controversy over the show is that it was scheduled in a place that receives public money; but mostly he put it down to a local church group using it as an “opportunity to grandstand.”
“I knew there would be some push-back from the religious community,” Mr. Richards said yesterday of the Moose Jaw booking. “But I’ve never had a mass outcry like this before.”
“I understand people having this fear of things they don’t understand. People have great concern over evil forces being unleashed but that stems from them not understanding what we were doing,” he said.
In our preposterously value-levelled culture where witches routinely demand equal time, it’s not particularly surprising that when Christian pastors act in a way that is consistent with their beliefs, their stand is met with astonishment and condescension.
The pastors’ resistance to holding a séance – mock or not – is not so much an example of “people having this fear of things they don’t understand” but people refusing to countenance things that they understand only too well: if evil forces exist – I don’t see how anyone who is a Christian could think they don’t – why engage in practices that seek to consult them, even if it’s in “fun”?
It’s Jeff Richards who lacks understanding
