Aubrey Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Maybe it's not a good idea or not possible to keep polite...if that's the case, we can revert to kilts. (I guess the bean dip is passe!) :lol: They've been mentioned a few times lately, so I googled last night, & found that I was very familiar w/ these. In fact, I'm not sure I've seen anything else. They were prolific at most of the churches I've ever been to, esp the Churches of Christ in which I grew up. So I clicked through a few of them last night, & I haven't been able to sleep since. When I was a kid, this was because I was SO scared of being sent to Hell if my mother wouldn't hurry up & let me get baptized, because these tracts indicate that the issue is VERY b&w. I no longer believe the vast majority of what's printed in those tracts--maybe any of it, really, since the stuff that seems to coincide w/ my beliefs is coming from such a different world view--it hardly seems fair to them or to me to call any of our beliefs the same. Last night, then, what kept me up was...the brainwashing of it all. The Westboroness of it. Those things are chock full of logical fallacies, outright lies, & Scripture abuse. Part of me, out of morbid curiosity, wonders if this guy has his theology run by anyone--not that there aren't people who believe these things. I'm just wondering if he's a layman writing theology on his own or if he's got any...credentials or people w/ credentials...around him. And then there's this: there's no nice way to put it, so I'll just say it (since dh isn't here to buffer; perhaps I will need to use the delete button): the tracts I read last night looked like soft-core p@rn. They illustrated child incest, complete w/ scared toddler eyes & a big hairy man & a talking bubble that implied that the situation was ongoing. In a tract about homeosexuality? That is focusing on the story of Sodom & Gomorrah? There were several other very explicit references that I will not list. I can't believe...well, I just can't believe it. I'm speechless. And really, really nauseous. How can these things be available to children, promoted by so many churches, *popular*? I feel violated & *incredibly* sad. Most of my theology as a child came from these tracts, & now my adult eyes see that they're nothing but religious terrorism written entirely for soap-opera style shock value. Doesn't anyone realize that people read these things & BELIEVE them? Shoot. It's going to be hard to shake this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 The only one I've ever read was http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP It's about Dungeons and Dragons and I about laughed my head off. It's a joke, right? Well, no, the person who wrote it is serious. I'm still caught between laughing my head off, being confused as to how people can take this seriously, and being sad because people do take that seriously. Yikes, looking through their site, their tracts are like... horror movies on paper. *shudder* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 They used to give these to us constantly when I was a child and in Missionettes. I remember being terrified of them at the time, but now I love getting them, because they make me laugh. Hysterically. I know people who collect them. I have no idea if this is even remotely true or not, but I read awhile back that the guy who now runs the company that makes these things isn't actually a Christian, but keeps the company going because people buy them as jokes. And because they make Christians look really, really bad. (Sorry, but it's true.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 (edited) I have had these tracts stuffed into my young child's Halloween bag, into my takeout bag at Arby's, in library books, left on gas pumps/in public restrooms/on tables at McDonald's by the kids' area/under my windshield wipers, etc. They are everywhere around here (though it does seem that it goes in waves--haven't seen many this year). We belong to a Unitarian Universalist church (pretty much 180 degrees theologically from Jack Chick) and rent our space out during the week to various groups. Once I picked up a quiet bag (canvas bag of small items to keep young kids occupied during service) and found one stuffed in there. Luckily I was the first one there that day and was able to pull them out of the rest of the bags. The part of this all that really gets me is that people will covertly and knowingly give them to children without their parents' permission. I absolutely deplore "sneak attacks" like this aimed at kids. The same groups are often the ones who promote or run the "summer camps" that are really attempts to covertly proselytize children. We get these cropping up most summers. Edited May 27, 2011 by KarenNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 The only one I've ever read was http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP It's about Dungeons and Dragons and I about laughed my head off. It's a joke, right? Well, no, the person who wrote it is serious. I'm still caught between laughing my head off, being confused as to how people can take this seriously, and being sad because people do take that seriously. Yikes, looking through their site, their tracts are like... horror movies on paper. *shudder* And we were up at the church at least twice a week, plus time for Mom to prep her SS lessons or VBS stuff. During services or while you were waiting on your mom, you read your Bible or these tracts. (Unless other kids were there & you could get away w/ Hide & Go Seek, which is best played in a dark, sprawling church building, lol.) So I've spent chunks of my life reading these things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoforjoy Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 The only one I've ever read was http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP It's about Dungeons and Dragons and I about laughed my head off. It's a joke, right? Well, no, the person who wrote it is serious. I'm still caught between laughing my head off, being confused as to how people can take this seriously, and being sad because people do take that seriously. It took quite a bit to convince me that they were real and not a joke. I've never seen one in real life, just online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I had no idea who he is until the other day when I looked him up in Wiki. Apparently he is a convert to Christianity. He is a recluse and frankly, IMO, a bit of a bigot. From what the website said he doesn't like quite a few groups of people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 They used to give these to us constantly when I was a child and in Missionettes. I remember being terrified of them at the time, but now I love getting them, because they make me laugh. Hysterically. I know people who collect them. I have no idea if this is even remotely true or not, but I read awhile back that the guy who now runs the company that makes these things isn't actually a Christian, but keeps the company going because people buy them as jokes. And because they make Christians look really, really bad. (Sorry, but it's true.) I read Chick's bio on the site last night, & it says he's a Christian & still running the co, BUT the article was written in '98, so who knows. *shudder* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 We used to have our own crazy Chick-like cult leader named Tony Alamo who put out similar tracts. The Pope is Satan was a favorite tract to leave on car windshields. Tony Alamo is currently serving a 175 year sentence in prison for child s@xual abuse. s@xual to avoid Google searches Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I have never heard of them and had to google too. How bizarre! Gosh, this is going to be taken as a knock against religion probably. I don't mean for it to be that way. The tracts just really look weird to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calandalsmom Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 We used to have our own crazy cult leader named Tony Alamo who put out similar tracts. The Pope is Satan was a favorite tract to leave on car windshields. Tony Alamo is currently serving a 175 year sentence in prison for child s@xual abuse. s@xual to avoid Google searches Bill I got one of those on my car recently! Funny, he didn't mention the jail time or the arrest! Wonder why?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funschooler5 Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Are they still giving these out in churches? I remember running across these when I was a little kid (late 70s, early 80s) but for some reason I was under the impression that they weren't doing that anymore. I've never belonged to a church, though. I've only seen them in public places, slipped inside of library books, etc. They really creeped me out. It's scary to think they would actually be distributed in churches in this day and age! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I have never seen one. Is there a link? :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I remember those things scaring me half to death as a kid-they were all over the place. Now, I mostly find them sad and annoying-but I'm doing my best to keep my DD from getting hold of them until she's a little older. I don't know if they were supposed to be serious or a joke or what, but I know that at age 6-7 years old, picking up something that seemed like a comic book and ending up having nightmares about Hell wasn't a good thing for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I have never seen one. Is there a link? :001_smile: Here you go. http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractlist.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 Are they still giving these out in churches? I remember running across these when I was a little kid (late 70s, early 80s) but for some reason I was under the impression that they weren't doing that anymore. I've never belonged to a church, though. I've only seen them in public places, slipped inside of library books, etc. They really creeped me out. It's scary to think they would actually be distributed in churches in this day and age! Well...I haven't spent much time in the type of church that carries these in about 20 years, so maybe they don't. But I also haven't spent much time waiting on Mom to make copies, lately, so I don't know that I would have seen them. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amey311 Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 We get this one at halloween every year: http://www.goodnewstracts.org/product/663575731054 - I tried to check the kids' buckets after each house to see who was giving them out, but they were moving in a herd with the neighbor kids and I stopped bothering after the 10th house. IT's a little friendlier than the Chick ones, but still... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I've never seen those before... the site has a sof, but I guess if you were not a Christian and out to make a buck you wouldn't mind telling that particular lie (regarding Mergath's post that it isn't run by Christians anymore). They're odd and some do seem more like a joke than anything else... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I got one of those on my car recently! Funny, he didn't mention the jail time or the arrest! Wonder why?! Wow! They are still putting out tracts? I remember when he set up here in Los Angeles around '69-70. He world park a van on Hollywood Blvd, and recruit young runaways into his cult. It was well known that the underage girls were, well you know. But he got away with it for many decades (although he was pushed out of LA). Bad guy. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 The only one I've ever read was http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP It's about Dungeons and Dragons and I about laughed my head off. It's a joke, right? Well, no, the person who wrote it is serious. I'm still caught between laughing my head off, being confused as to how people can take this seriously, and being sad because people do take that seriously. Yikes, looking through their site, their tracts are like... horror movies on paper. *shudder* :scared::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Excuse me as I help hubby prepare for our occult-spirit-inducing RPG game tomorrow... and his talk for church the next day.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Aren't those the ones Carrie's psychotic mother used in the Stephen King novel? Maybe they're not but the first time I saw one, that was the association I made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 (edited) http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0001/0001_01.asp. I haven't seen them in years. Some of them, I actually think are worthwhile (like the one linked above and some of the ones described on the website as "basic gospel"). Others, I'm not so sure about. FTR, I am a conservative Christian, and I do not believe that baptism is essential to salvation. I do, however, believe that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is. Edited May 27, 2011 by ereks mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Are they still giving these out in churches? I remember running across these when I was a little kid (late 70s, early 80s) but for some reason I was under the impression that they weren't doing that anymore. I've never belonged to a church, though. I've only seen them in public places, slipped inside of library books, etc. They really creeped me out. It's scary to think they would actually be distributed in churches in this day and age! I've been in church all my life, and never seen one. Mostly Lutheran and Methodist churches, although occasional visits to others for baptisms, weddings and funerals. Okay, that was weird... edited it but it ended up posting a new message... two posts down.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I've never seen those before today...but ICK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Are they still giving these out in churches? I remember running across these when I was a little kid (late 70s, early 80s) but for some reason I was under the impression that they weren't doing that anymore. I've never belonged to a church, though. I've only seen them in public places, slipped inside of library books, etc. They really creeped me out. It's scary to think they would actually be distributed in churches in this day and age! I've been in church all my life, and never seen one. Mostly Lutheran and Methodist churches, although occasional visits to others for baptisms, weddings and funerals. I'm guessing its specific denominations, not churches in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Those rank right up there with the movie 'A Thief in the Night' for some of the scariest things that happened to me in my childhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I once got a Jack Chick tract in my Halloween bag. How perfect is that? :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I have kept a file of Chick tracts collected through the years. To me they are excellent examples of propaganda. In fact, I pulled them out for my son to examine in high school so he could better understand some local homeschoolers who attend a church that distributes these. In fact, my son reported showing his friends at college the Chick website when the students were discussing religious brainwashing. Fortunately the other students had never been exposed to this garbage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Well...I haven't spent much time in the type of church that carries these in about 20 years, so maybe they don't. But I also haven't spent much time waiting on Mom to make copies, lately, so I don't know that I would have seen them. :lol: I've never seen these kind of tracts before, but they don't suprise me. There is a kind of schism that has happened between the churches that use things like this and those that don't. Those that don't are almost always called "liberal" and other nasty names. These people also mark certain songs in church song books with stamps that say "don't sing." I believe this kind of thinking is really in the minority now. There are a few diehards, but they usually find themselves being self righteous all alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0001/0001_01.asp. I haven't seen them in years. Some of them, I actually think are worthwhile (like the one linked above and some of the ones described on the website as "basic gospel"). Others, I'm not so sure about. FTR, I am a conservative Christian, and I do not believe that baptism is essential to salvation. I do, however, believe that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is. Thanks! Look what I have missed all these years. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 :scared::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Excuse me as I help hubby prepare for our occult-spirit-inducing RPG game tomorrow... and his talk for church the next day.... That's okay, just don't take the goat to church and you'll be okay. :lol::lol: I do remember reading some of these as a kid, sadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I believe I'm the one that mentioned them...sorry! :lol: I was raised Catholic, but stopped going as a young adult. However, I really wanted to attend a church. When I met my now-dh, I began going to a small fundamentalist church with his mom (he was also raised Catholic, but his mom had left the Church). One day I went into a nearby Bible bookstore (and this was in a very Catholic area in NJ, not the Bible Belt or anything!) and there was a whole rack of them. I began reading, totally horrified. I had horrible religious education growing up and had little to no understanding of the Catholic faith. I believed the tracts - I mean, why would they be publishing and selling lies in this nice little Christian bookstore??? But then I talked to a member of the fundy church and she warned me that they were not reliable. Yes, these things are still given out and used by missionaries in other countries. I know this for a fact. Some people believe that they are awesome and fabulous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthemLights Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0001/0001_01.asp. I haven't seen them in years. Some of them, I actually think are worthwhile (like the one linked above and some of the ones described on the website as "basic gospel"). Others, I'm not so sure about. FTR, I am a conservative Christian, and I do not believe that baptism is essential to salvation. I do, however, believe that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is. I remember "This was your Life" and that one was one of my favorites as well. :001_smile: Nowadays, I think it is the only one that I would pass out. Like someone already mentioned the artwork was never great and has just gotten worse and worse. (IMO) On second thought, I don't even know if I would want to pass out "This was your life" even though I agree with it theologically. I just wouldn't want the association. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 Those rank right up there with the movie 'A Thief in the Night' for some of the scariest things that happened to me in my childhood. Yup. Saw that growing up, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Wow! Just wow! These things are amazing. My husband grew up in a super fundamental church and he's mentioned in the past how awful these things were that his church really supported and encouraged in back then. I had never seen them in my Southern Baptist teen years. Now to read them, I agree with him. How could someone write or believe this stuff? It's awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 My friends and I used to collect them in high school (they were given out in a lot of spots... one friend of mine worked at a fast food place and people were always giving them to her - she's an atheist and I think they must have sensed it!). Anyway, we would do dramatic recreations of them at lunch for each other's amusement. Because they're so hilariously over the top. I think of them in the same category as I think of things like this rapture that wasn't - it's just stuff that makes Christians and Christianity look bad. I certainly don't take it seriously at all (so I hope no one takes too much offense that my friends and I used to use them as comic relief) - I know much better Christians that the sort who hand these out to kids. But I know that when I was a teenager, they were definitely "fuel for the fire" among my friends who had only negative experiences with Christianity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 It took quite a bit to convince me that they were real and not a joke. I've never seen one in real life, just online. I saw my first one on an atheist forum. Excellent propaganda...For convincing people that Christians are hate-filled wingnuts. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 On second thought, I don't even know if I would want to pass out "This was your life" even though I agree with it theologically. I just wouldn't want the association. I think even one good tract wouldn't save the whole. So many are just so nasty and hateful. Jack Chick tracts are held in the same contempt as the Westboro Baptist church in many circles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Ugh! I was told I didn't really want people to come to Christ if I didn't hand these things out. :thumbdown: I remember them vividly, unfortunately. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Someone used to leave the abortion one in the diaper station of the Starbucks where I worked. I always thought that was a less effective place to leave abortion tracts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieM Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 The only one I've ever read was http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP It's about Dungeons and Dragons and I about laughed my head off. It's a joke, right? Well, no, the person who wrote it is serious. I'm still caught between laughing my head off, being confused as to how people can take this seriously, and being sad because people do take that seriously. Yikes, looking through their site, their tracts are like... horror movies on paper. *shudder* Oh, that's funny. :lol: :lol: I bet if there's a how-to guide for turning people away from Christianity, distributing these things is right at the top of the to-do list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 These people also mark certain songs in church song books with stamps that say "don't sing." :confused: I've never heard of this before. Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Yikes! I've been in Baptist churches my whole life and I have never seen these. I certainly have not ever been to church with someone who promoted them. I did see some awful tract one time that had been left at the library. I was working there and we just threw them away. It was probably one of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 When I worked as a waitress during college, I occasionally got tracts instead of tips. One woman told me outright that I was going to hell because I was working on a Sunday. Alrighty, then! My favorite is the one where some guy is doomed because he "thinks lustfully" about a woman he sees on the street; the lustful thought consists of, "Mmmm. Nice." I saw that one 20 years ago and my husband and I still laugh about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Oh yuck! I read one on Mormonism a while back and it made me want to throw up. There's just enough truth in there to make the lies sound plausible, especially to someone who doesn't know much aobut what we really believe. And what's really disgusting to me is that the writer clearly did enough research to know that what he was forking out was untrue, and must have misrepresented our beliefs intentionally. I certainly wouldn't belive what the man wrote about anything else after that! Sickening. Oh ick! I hadn't thought about that in a long time. I think I need to go get my brain dry-cleaned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 When I worked as a waitress during college, I occasionally got tracts instead of tips. One woman told me outright that I was going to hell because I was working on a Sunday. Alrighty, then! And she said this from her seat in the restaurant, right? Thereby requiring many people to work on Sunday to serve her? Hmmmmmm......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 28, 2011 Author Share Posted May 28, 2011 Ugh! I was told I didn't really want people to come to Christ if I didn't hand these things out. :thumbdown: I remember them vividly, unfortunately. Dawn It's like old-school apps: they've got a track for that. Little Susie finds out she wasn't a REAL friend to Little Betty after Little Betty dies a horrific death & goes to hell because Little Susie failed to "share Jesus" with her friend. You know the Hunchback of Notre Dame? We saw that in 1st grade, & the only part I understood or remembered was the guy trying to wash the blood off his hands, but it wouldn't go away. That's how not "sharing Jesus" with every. person. you. see. was presented to me. The other guy doing his morning jog, the gas station attendant. Every. body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrogMom5 Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 We found something similar on our windshield after attending a Greek Festival. They were on every car in the parking lot. We threw ours away. I don't want to see one again. Denise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 28, 2011 Author Share Posted May 28, 2011 :confused: I've never heard of this before. Why? My great-grandmother wouldn't sing the one about walking & talking with Jesus in the garden, because the Bible is the *only* way Jesus talks to us & he *doesn't* walk with us. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 When I worked as a waitress during college, I occasionally got tracts instead of tips. One woman told me outright that I was going to hell because I was working on a Sunday. Alrighty, then! But if she cooked on Sundays instead of being lazy then people wouldn't work on Sundays Duh. :lol: I don't have anything nice to say about those tracts, just imagine me using lots of inflammatory language and name calling. I am too tired from doing so much grocery shopping due to memorial day sales and trying to fill my freezer to get up the gumption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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