Why I don't like religious tracts

The BBQ Pit
41

Nobody’s ever been saved by a poorly drawn issue of Spiderman, either.

You do realize, of course, that “tracting” just makes fundies easier to laugh at, right? That’s all people do when they get such a tract. Take it home, show it to their friends, and laugh. Maybe a mocking televangelist voice, and an “I have sinned-a!”

Perhaps, just perhaps, if you people were to STOP this idiotic practice, and just chat intelligently and calmly about comparative religions with someone who might be interested in finding a new religion, you might win a few more converts? By “tracting” with such ridiculous hellfire and damnation stories, you just make yourselves that much easier to ignore.

42

A few comments on the chickesque tracting, if I may.

  1. Trying to get your message out always works better when you don’t lie your ass off about said message. As most, if not all, of the Chick tracts are flat-out lies, they’re counter-productive to spreading truth.

  2. Don’t freaking litter my car with your lies. Whenever I return to my vehicle and there’s some litter on the bloody windshield, I just relocate it to the nearest air away from my vehicle and let gravity do the rest. If some tracter has already put their name and address on the bloody thing (the tract), even better. They can get the freaking ticket. Actually, I usually take the damn thing home and shred it so I don’t have to buy those packing peanuts when I send stuff to family and friends.

  3. Kicking people while they’re down is bad form also. While sending the stuff to the people looking for correspondence is pretty scummy, the worst is sending some tract to someone who’s just experienced a death in the family. Nothing like telling someone their dearly departed just went to Hell for eternity to show how kind and caring you are.

  4. Putting “The Curse of Baphomet” on a vehicle with a masonic symbol? Why not read the tract to the vehicle? After all, you’re just creating an idol right then and there yourself out of the symbol. The Masons don’t do that, nor are they as described in that tract.

  5. On putting a tract on my vehicle: touch my fucking car while you’re within my sight and I’ll beat the living shit out of you until the police stop me. My defense: You were vandalizing/burgling/stealing the vehicle and you wouldn’t stop resisting when I attempted a citizen’s arrest.

43

Yeah, I grew up in Ohio–I guess the midwest isn’t really the place for it. But I’m in Virginia now, which is a much more conservative state. Maybe I just hang out in the wrong places. Oh well, no big loss.

44

In point of fact, I do.

I’m collecting the damned things. They’re…kitch? camp? bizzarre beyond words? Fascinating? I dunno, but at bare minimum they’re good for a laugh. That being said, the idea of giving out Chick tracts to innocent children is a horrible idea. Were my hypothetical kid to get a “Where’s Rabbi Waxman” tract while trick-r-treating, I’d hunt down the person handing them out and have a stern discussion about anti semitism.

Fenris

45

Just thought I’d share our own homegrown Québec fundies with you guys.

On the plus side, they’re an endangered species. I don’t think they have members under 60 years of age. Thank god for the Quiet Revolution !

46

I didn’t say I gave out Chick tracts.
I have some standards, after all.
Though we were accosted 2 weeks ago on our street, on our nightly walk.
2 Witnesses stopped us and asked us about the end of the world.
I todl em I was ready for it, and I didn’t want to talk about it, or read “their” Bible.

47

IMO handing out tracts of any kind to children is just rude as hell. Religious upbringing is up to the parents to decide, not up to you.

48

What kind of tracts were they?
-Ben

49

Ah, but you see, Opal, the Catch-22 of evangelical types is that they disagree.

“We love you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8

A fundamental tenet of their belief system is not just that they must fervently believe themselves, but that they are required by God to convert as many people as possible.

“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:28-29

So not only do they not consider it “rude,” they consider it a requirement of their faith. If they aren’t going out and talki–

“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed. How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard.” Romans 10:14a

Thanks. Like I was saying, if they aren’t actively trying to convert people, they–

“But ye shall receive power,”

–Hey, I’m still talking!–

“…after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Thanks. Anyway, it’s a violation of their beliefs to not–

“Let your light so shine before men,”

–Jesus Christ, just shut up a minute, willya?–

“…that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Quick now: They don’t care what you think; God tells them to–

“But if our gospel be hid,”

…Oh, for the love of…

“…it is hid to them that are lost…For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor.4:3,6

You through?

“Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15

(tapping fingers)

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, [even] unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19-20

(waits)

Done?

Okay. The point is, they don’t care if you think it’s rude. They’re trying to save you from the clutches of SssssssATAN. The harder you fight them, the more they think you need to be saved.

The idea of a religious philosophy that requires its adherents to be aggressively arrogant in their piety is repulsive to me, but there you have it. And wouldn’t you know, there’s even Scripture that explains how much this obnoxious behavior will piss people off, but I’ll save it lest The Voice gets started again.

P.S. You probably already knew all of this, but it’s still helpful to recognize exactly why these types are so insufferable, and that, unfortunately, they can’t help themselves.

50

IANAL, but I believe there are certain rules pertaining to images of money that apply regardless of intended use.

51

I got my first religious pamphlet the other day! Hooray! I think the title was something along the lines of: “What event has the power to SPLIT TIME ITSELF??” (the answer being, of course, Jesus’ birth) :rolleyes: I did what I usually do - lied and said I was Catholic, but my boyfriend said that he had never set foot inside a church and never intended to. After hearing that, the man’s eyes went all bulgy and he looked at me and said “Beware. The Anti-christ lives among us.” I didn’t know whether to be offended or to laugh.

I’ve never understood the purpose of those pamphlets - I don’t know anybody who has ever read one in earnest. We don’t get them that often in Australia (much like telemarketing calls, I suspect) so it’s more of a novelty than anything. I usually just take one to keep the peace and throw it out later or laugh about it with my friends.

One thing I’m confused about is the word “tract”. I’m getting the impression that it’s a religious pamphlet of some sort (similar to the one that I described - full of spelling errors, cheesy drawings and the like) Is that correct? Any help would be gratefully received!

52

Ben, i don’t know who made the tracts.
They were words, not weird comic style stuff.
I may not have made myself clear; I gave some tracts to the adults who were handing out candy to us, not to kids who came to Our house.

53

I must report that of all the church folks I know (roughly 400), I am the only one who takes her child out for Halloween. The others think its satanic.

54

My daughter, who has Cystic Fibrosis, was handed a tract while trick or treating. It had in it the story of a little girl who was dying, and coughed a lot and had to wear oxygen, and just wanted to live long enough to go trick or treating. And how she’d burn in a lake of fire for celebrating Halloween. My daughter brought it home to show it to us.

I really wanted to throw over my hippocratic oath, and all my other beliefs, and go over there and inflict serious physical and mental duress on said individuals, who I believe are lower than those who gain their nourishment from draining anaerobic rectal abscesses with their teeth.

55

I would have AT LEAST gone over there and raised holy old hell!!!

56

I thought about it, Guin, but I live in an area heavy with fundies, and I’ve learned the futility of arguing with people who are convinced that they are right in all things and could not possibly be in error. I was more concerned about my daughter, frankly. And once we worked that out, I didn’t feel it was desirable to confront said individuals. It would not have served to help us.

This is a community where the philosophy “build a man a fire, keep him warm for a few hours, but set a man on fire, and keep him warm for the rest of his life” is well understood.

57

A bit off-topic, but we seem to have some knowledgeable anti-tract fans here… In December of last year, I found an online anti-tract about Christmas. The story line involved a man who was new in town saying that he was going home to “decorate for the holidays”, and the neighbors assumed he meant for Christmas. But in truth he was decorating for a pagan Winter Solstice, and the decorations included a… gulp… large roof-mounted fertility god with rather awe-inspiring proportions :eek: Anyone know which one I’m talking about? Is it still online anywhere? I need to know I’m not hallucinating…

58

I believe so…the one with the little old lady?

I like the one where Jack Chick dies and God has him reincarnated as a Hispanic Catholic Lesbian.

59

I found this one interesting (from http://www.kynd.net/~grtcmisn/tractips.htm)

WOW, that’s a measly $650 per suck…er…convert based on Chick’s 0.13cUS per tract.

There is this one guy (out of 30 000) at UNSW (I’m also from Australia) who hands out religous comics. Not even the campus christian group sinks that low, although they do have their own brand of annoying behaviour.

60

This thread is very funny, but I am totally appalled at the number of tract people who mention using their children. Great message to give to children: It’s okay to approach and talk to total strangers. I consider this a form of very serious child abuse. You are really setting your child up. Pedophiles must love these people. Unless you watch the child 24 hours a day, you are sending a very dangerous message.

Whenever I’m approached by the Jehovah’s Witnesses around here, I immediately informed them that we are living in a wonderful time, and I love it. One guy started talking about the increase in rape and child molestation, and I pointed out it’s an increase in the reports of such things and that is a wonderful thing. I also wonder why this wordl isn’t enough for them, that they have to create a “better one.” What we have is enough for me. I don’t know how we got here or where we’re going, but I love it here.

There’s also an anti-abortion booklet the JW’s have that uses the offensive and wrong term “pro-abortion,” and shows a “pro-abortion” rally that features a guy holding a sign “Legalize Pot.” D’OH!