A concerned resident has told the Advertiser that Charlie Charlie has her grandchildren so petrified that one of them is not eating at all.
The challenge takers place two pencils on a piece of paper in the form of a cross and write “yes” and “no” in the four boxes formed by the cross.
They then ask a spiritual entity called Charlie Charlie to answer their questions.
This resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said her grandson returned from school one day and started acting strangely.
“He didn’t want to eat; he told my eldest granddaughter to play a game but, when he was asked what game it was, he didn’t say a thing,” she added. She is convinced that this game is not good for children and that something needs to be done about it.
Last week, Freeway Park Primary School issued a letter to parents, warning them about a game “taking hold” in the school.
The school said that it operates as a religious ethos and won’t tolerate anything such as Charlie Charlie under any circumstances.
“Whether or not you believe in the supernatural, the psychological implications of such actions on children have serious consequences. There have been reports of suicide as a result of this game,” reads the letter.
The school said it would remove from class any child found participating in the game.
Senior pastor at God’s Way Ministries, John Rushton, said the game is seen as the fun of the party, thus catching the attention of the younger generation.
“It can be likened to people dabbling with a Ouija board in past times, when fun seekers were interested in seeing if they could receive answers to their questions from an unknown source,” he explained.
“The ‘unknown source’ is the same in both instances, and is a gateway to a spirit-world which is all around us.”
Rushton said people need to teach children the dangers of opening themselves up to any unwanted presence, as that entity is seeking any opportunity to gain a foot-hold in their lives.
“The spirit realm is very real and very much alive, and is not something to be messed around with. The Bible warns us that the enemy operating in this spirit-realm comes in to steal, to kill, and to destroy,” he added.
He warned children to not expose themselves to “this enemy”.
Describing how to go about identifying if a child has been affected by the game, Rushton said that if your child becomes depressed, withdrawn, secretive and distant, these are all warning signs that something is not right.
“It is not possible to say definitively what has caused the change in emotional state, but opening themselves up to demonic spirits in the playing of Charlie Charlie could certainly have such an effect on a child.
“The same could be said for them if they are taking drugs, or involved in other such activities which expose them to unsafe spiritual activity,” he added.
