Chick Tracts

Personally, I love 'em. There's never been a more abundant source of lulz on teh interwebz. I read them for fun. I even got my current avatar from a Chick Tract. I'm an atheist, and I read Chick Tracts for fun. And when I'm done, I eat them for breakfast.

"GOD WAS INSIDE THE LITTLE BOY."

- Lil' Suzy

Unfortunately, there aren't really many fundamentalists in my area to pass them out. So I have to read them online.

While I've never gotten to see a Chick Tract in person, a Jehovah's Witness did give me a really weird pamphlet one time. I've only ever actually read one Chick Tract before, it was the one on Catholicism and how it's secretly Satan's religion. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

Once at my friend's school, there was this Christian kid passing out Chick Tracts during homeroom. He got caught and his tracts were confiscated, so my friend and his buddies stole some from the office, brought them home, and laughed their asses off at the lulz. Chick Tracts seem to be better arguments for atheism than for Christianity... because God and his angels really come across as total dicks.

Enter the Jabberwock has a bunch of great dissections and riffing on the tracts, although the site's been inactive for a while.

I just read his one on D&D and... ugh. As a D&D player myself, I can tell you I've never once attempted suicide after having one of my characters get killed. And I've had many, many characters of mine die. The "Hard Times" one was pretty disturbing too, but it also comes across as a potentially powerful piece of propaganda. I can't help but kind of like Chick himself; he seems to have our best interests at heart, he just happens to be a victim of very poor execution on his part. That, and some of his views are totally insane.

I actually agree with some (minus the Catholic conspiracy and lack of research on other religions), but I don't like that way he presents them.

I know I've seen Chick Tracts in real life, but I can't remember where.

Anyway, THE GREAT MOTHERFUCKING PUMPKIN.

I actually read a blog by a strong Christian that was roasting him.

Oh, and I may agree with him that Harry Potter causes demon possession. But only because demon possession causes homosexuality.

'Nuff said.

I'm a loose, non-churchgoing "moderate" Christian (Chick probably thinks I'm going to Hell) and I find Chick Tracts a good source of unintentional humor whenever I encounter one - which is people linking online. I did once get a tract (dunno if it was Chick or not) on the evils of Rock N' Roll on my car winsheild in a college parking lot. Cranked up the local Classic Rock station for the drive home.

My only concern happens when I encounter atheists who seem to get their whole impression of Christianity or religion in general soley from Chick Tracts. *Rolls eyes.*

Enter the Jabberwock has a bunch of great dissections and riffing on the tracts, although the site's been inactive for a while.

Enterthejabberwock was one of my first exposures to a Caustic Critic, but in retrospect, he is exactly the kind of atheist strawman that some hardcore Christians believe in. Don't get me wrong, he was perfectly sane and reasonable when he was making fun of a Funny Background Event or mocking the weird illustrations and stilted dialog. Even when he tore into Chick's messed-up conspiracy theories and nonsensical plots he still had the high ground. The real problem came when he extended his usual hyperbole to mainstream religious beliefs, shouting (or as close as text can get to shouting) that Christianity is corrupt to the core. This is a man who will announce that God Is Evil (not just fictional and poorly written) and spoil perfectly logical dissections by sprinkling ad hominem attacks everywhere. Imagine someone with the internet personality of John \Solomon trying to perform a religious debate.

He later changed his focus to become a political blog opposed to George W. Bush, as if he would not be preaching to a choir with his target audience. Then he posted a few things about having trouble maintaining the site, and... abandoned his blog, a monument to wasted potential. If only he could have remained calm and rational, like a wise atheist, then I might have followed him. As of now, I am too apathetic to believe in anything.

He also tried to riff on another infamous comic artist punching bag, but became too disgusted to continue after getting partway through some of said artist's old works. His style there was also far too "angry" and personal- one must be cold and unattached when dissecting poor art, like a surgeon.

edited 5th Nov '10 9:07:41 PM by mrsaturn

did... did I kill the thread with my negativity? I apologize.

I completely agree with you. Being intolerant toward others' views is a surefire way of weakening your argument, regardless of the validity of your points.

Did you just say that Homosexuality is caused by demonic possession? Uh...whut

Poe's Law, brah.

Yeah, but he also said he agreed with some of them. You agree with Mr. Chick, you lose Irony priviliges as far as I can tell.

I will cut some slack for Jabberwocky, he was the man who first got me to realize that the entire concept of Hell is terrible. An infinite amount of punishment for a finite amount of transgressions is wrong, no matter what religion it is in. Chick also specifically said that he does not like the Catholic idea of Purgatory, so he does not even have that fallback.

At least, I assume that Jab was a man. That blurry thumbnail on his profile is him right?

How do they even know what day is Satan's birthday?

^What, you didn't get an invitation?

No courtesy link? Chick Tract by Jack Chick. here Who are the pictured people? Fans? Or is that just advertisement?

edited 9th Nov '10 9:45:47 AM by secretist

That wed page suggests putting Chick Tracts in Thanksgiving food baskets and feeding programs. Yeah, cuz giving people cheaply made comic books about how they're going to Hell is sooooo much better than giving them food!

WHAT!◊ It scares me that people out there actually believe this propaganda. Sure, Chick might be content just writing ridiculous comic strips and uploading them to the internet, but I'm beginning to see why some Christians have actually called for violence. I love Chick's argument that "evolution does away with all morals!" when, in reality, the people who believe in this dehumanizing crap can justify pretty much anything they do, as long as its to someone who isn't a fundie lunatic.

Oh, randomtropeloser, please don't start the "religion is nothing but an inspiration for violence" rant. The fact is that anyone who accepts the notion that the ends justifies the means can justify any kind of horrific act against any target—Fanatical atheists, fanatical devouts, fanatics of politics, anyone. China's one child policy was instituted by atheists and is implemented by very cruel means with strange and disturbing side effects.

Yes, Christians and other religious people (even great thinkers like Augustine) have advocated using physical force for spiritual ends. But we are by no means alone in this.

I suppose you're right, it would have been more appropriate to just say "Jack Chick actually thinks this" than "People are going to murder Atheists because Chick actually thinks this." Case in point, it's really disturbing what some people are willing to believe. That's all I was really getting at. That, and talking smack about religion has kind of been my thing since I de-converted.

Um, I agree that Jesus Christ died for people's sins. And the basic idea of Christianity. I just don't buy into the extremes.

And the Harry Potter thing was a joke. Read the Jack Chick page here.

I'm pretty sure that Jabberwock was, in fact, male. IIRC it was somewhere on the site if you looked hard enough.
And you're right about the {{Don't Shoot The Message}} stuff. Even being not very religious myself, I couldn't help but think some of his critiques of religion in general seemed more than a little unfair. Some of his other stuff was funny, but I've since tired of the whole concept of the Caustic Critic in general and now when I try to read it it just feels slightly painful.

edited 13th Nov '10 11:05:12 PM by Linhasxoc