`Second Coming' Marketing Scheme Prompts Amusement Park Boycott

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--The Stackhouse boys live in a home perched on a hill with a view of the flashing arcades and screaming rides of Playland Amusement Park. But Trevor, 14, Joshua, 11, and Devon, 6, have decided they're not going to buy tickets this year to the Vancouver thrill center, one of the largest in Canada.

They're offended by Playland's "Second Coming" marketing theme, which is trying to entice young customers by toying with symbols reflecting beliefs held dear by many Christians.

Two Playland rides this year are called The Hellevator and Revelation, which is the name of the last book of the New Testament, for example.

A "Second Coming" TV ad campaign features a turnstile clicking sinisterly to "666," which is a symbol in some Christian circles for both Satanic evil and an early Roman emperor who slaughtered Christians.

"We were looking forward to our annual trip to Playland," said John Stackhouse, a noted professor of theology and culture at Regent College on the University of British Columbia campus.

"But one evening, as we ate supper on our deck that overlooks Playland, the boys spoke up and said, `We saw some more of those Playland ads.' Devon said, `I'm not going to Playland because Playland is making fun of God.'

"Even at their age, they know exploitation when they see it. They know the sacred is being profaned. They know the ads are supposed to be nifty and clever, but they also know it's a trivialization of the Bible."

Although some will suggest the Stackhouse family lighten up, John Stackhouse suggests its decision to bypass Playland constitutes a relatively mild reaction to religious offense in this day and age.

After all, Iran's Muslim ayatollahs issued a death sentence against author Salman Rushdie when they felt he satirized the prophet Mohammed in "The Satanic Verses."

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