PEOPLE are not taking seriously the forces of darkness around us says Methodist Church communications secretary Reverend James Bhagwan.
He was responding to reports of an alleged witchcraft challenge which local children were indulging in, especially in schools.
The “Charlie Charlie challenge” which has gone viral on the internet is claimed to be a game where demons are summoned to answer to questions of a Yes and No nature.
“These are issues that we not only deal with spiritually but also it’s an issue of national security,” Mr Bhagwan said.
He said the Methodist Church was concerned because the “game” confronted vulnerable children who did not understand the consequences of their actions.
“For the church, we believe the devil is real. While we acknowledge the presence of God in this world, there are also demonic forces and darkness around us. Our concern is that people have started to take these things very lightly.
“They don’t take seriously the presence of darkness. Our other concern is that children are playing this game without realising its darker aspects. We have to ask the question as to where these game ideas are coming from.
“With the modern era and the technological forces, our children are exposed to the social media, movies and other avenues. Police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro said parents and guardians played a pivotal role in supervising their children’s use of social media.
“Curiosity will get the better of children and this is anticipated when they see something being done or talked about especially on social media,” she said.
“However, the onus is on them to talk about the hidden dangers of social media at all times and not only when something becomes an issue. Access to social media by children as stressed so many times by police needs to be closely monitored by parents and guardians.
“Social media can be positive but considering the fact that not everything watched or read can be taken as the truth, this is why awareness should firstly start from home.”
There was no response from Education Minister Dr Mahendra Reddy when emails and phone calls were made to him yesterday.
A teenager of a Suva school admitted to playing the challenge last week and suffered unexplained scratch marks to her body the following two days after the incident.
In an interview at the girl’s home on Friday, her mother said she noticed that her daughter wasn’t her usual self and that she seemed very slow and heavy the next morning.
“When she came to get dressed, I noticed the marks on her body. I was shocked at what I saw and asked her if she’d been beaten up at school or had fallen but she insisted nothing happened to her. She said she was in pain, especially where the marks were. When we touched the marks, the pain got worse.”
The woman said her daughter did not suffer from allergies and had never experienced such a breakout until last week.
“A neighbour later told me that my daughter had been playing the Charlie Charlie challenge and we believe the marks had something to do with it. My aunt and I decided to pray over her and we noticed that she did not want us to hold her hand or even touch her as we prayed,” she said.
The woman said they decided to seek divine intervention ahead of medical advice.
When contacted for an update yesterday, the mother said her daughter had recovered, attributing this to the power of prayer and faith.
