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A warning has been issued about the spiritual dangers of the social media phenomenon “Charlie Charlie Challenge” in which young people invoke a demon.
The challenge, which has been trending on Twitter, is seen as a poor man’s Ouija board.
In a demonstration of the increasing power of social media, in slightly more than two days, an estimated 2 million people have used the hashtag #CharlieCharlieChallenge.
The game requires a handful of pencils and supposedly summons a Mexican demon named Charlie.
Players draw a cross on a piece of paper and write a “yes” in two opposing sections and a “no” in the other two.
Then two pencils are placed in the middle of the drawing in a plus sign formation while the participants ask aloud: “Charlie, Charlie, are you there?” or “Charlie, Charlie can we play?”.
The top pencil is likely to move because of its position – leading some to believe the demon is making its presence felt.
Pennsylvania school chaplain Fr Stephen McCarthy wrote an open letter to students warning of the dangers of the game.
The letter was linked to a student’s Twitter feed.
“I want to remind you all there is no such thing as ‘innocently playing with demons’,” Fr McCarthy told the students.
“The problem with opening yourself up to demonic activity is that it opens a window of possibilities which is not easily closed.”
Fr McCarthy suggested the Rosary and the Mass for students wanting to encounter the spiritual.
“I think you’ll find these far safer and more rewarding alternatives in the long run.”
He asked students to encourage others to avoid participation in the Charlie challenge.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church directs the faithful to place their cares and anxieties in the hands of God, and avoid any practices designed to access information, guidance and help from other powers. (CCC #2115).
Sources
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News category: World.
