Background to the story

Hell's Fire

Religion is certainly a fascinating thing. Perhaps it’s the many forms it takes that interests me so much. In my backpacking days I visited a Catholic church in Mexico and inside it I was astonished to see shamans of the older, local religion, performing exorcisms on villagers. (The priest had to turn a blind eye to keep his congregation.)

There’s no doubt that in this country, as modern society makes people feel ever more disconnected from nature, interest in religions that pre-date Christianity is booming. Such pagan beliefs often seem to go hand-in-hand with tarot, healing crystals, meditation and all sorts of so-called New Age stuff.

Representatives of the church sometimes rail against this, citing the sinister influence of things like Harry Potter or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They fear that, if young minds accept the notion of magic, spells and witchcraft, they become exposed to forces of the occult – and through that the Devil.

Could they be right? There have been cases of teenagers – often into Death Metal music – dabbling with Satanism. Sometimes these people have become very disturbed. In rare cases they’ve even committed murder.

But is the danger from an external force – be it a demon or the Devil? Or should we really be more scared of what human nature is capable of? Because when you add religion to the mix, people are suddenly capable of the most terrifying things.