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Welcome to the Museum's Memory Lane! (Wing #3) A collection of correspondence on Chick tracts. (New letters added as they come in.) To view older letters & memories, click here. [Please Note: Curator's remarks are in bold type.] Remarks from early to mid 2001 * * * * *
I think I have found the youngest Chick fan. I leave my book of Chick tracts on a chair next to my computer. My 11 month old daughter loves to flip through it and look at all the different colors. If I try to put the book up she gets highly upset. She might not understand them but the Catholic Church says, "Give us your children for the first seven years and they will never leave us." Maybe the same goes with Chick? -John Great story John. I wonder if anyone thought of hiding Chick tracts in those hollow plastic Easter eggs? I bet kids would love to find both comics & candy during their egg hunt. Heard on All Things Considered : Dutch Parliament voted to legalize Euthanasia, the first modern government to officially do so. Ironically, the reporter of the piece sounded like her name was Laura Comatose. Also overheard on the radio (as a sound bite sample in Rave music): "The goal of the artist is to make the audience view life from his perspective, not their own." Chick accomplishes this but with a twist-- he wants to make the audience view the after life from his perspective as well. * * * * * Hey you guys, I was scrolling down your headings and reading the info in them, and laughed out loud so much. Although there's nothing by any means funny about hell, your answers to the 'burning question' was humorous. Who's seen fang etc. gave me quite a chuckle. It pays to have a sense of humor. Keep up the good work, and tell Jack I'm praying for him. God Bless and keep you all. A Chick Reader (And a few minutes later...) Hey you guys, Earlier I sent you an e-mail telling you, I thought some of the things I read under your headings were funny, however, I cannot understand why you would link to parodies of Chick tracts. I read a few and I agree that they are lewd, and offensive. It makes no sense to me. What is the purpose for this??? -A Chick Reader Dear Reader, We're not Chick Publications, so we can't relay your message to Jack. But we are fans of his work. Despite our obvious enjoyment of his tracts, we still link to sites that are hostile to his work because otherwise our links list would be barren. The other reason for including the critical comments and parodies is more philosophical: This site is all about Jack Chick, and since we don't support censoring him, we shouldn't censor his critics either. Besides, one cannot make a real choice if they don't know both sides of the debate. Let's hope that after hearing both Chick and his critics, most readers will make the right decision.
I would just like to thank Jack T. Chick for the success of my band Doom Town, named after his wonderful tract. He is a brilliant cartoonist, and without his inspiring words, we would be nothing. We named our band after the "Doom Town" tract in which all the gay people of the world are burned by God's eternal love. From this, we learned that the only way to not be tortured by fire is to turn to Jesus. Thank you oh so much, Mr. Chick. (Link to our site listed below.) -Javier http://www.geocities.com/doomtownandtheunkutwhiskers/doom.html
Thanks Javier. We hope the Faceless God appreciates your sarcastic sense of humor as much as we do. (We can be pretty sarcastic ourselves.) Just remember, he who laughs last, laughs best. Haw-haw-haw! In the meantime, do you play requests? I wanna hear "Rock with the Rock".
Here's a news story I thought you would be interested in. Thanks, SAMSON Report: Priests, Missionaries Sexually Abuse Nuns http://www.monsterwax.com/nunabuse.html Thanks Samson, I archived it (in April 2002) since Reuters dropped it after a year. It took $300 million dollars worth of lawyers and law suits to get the media to focus on the priests/ child molestation story. Yet this story of Nun's being raped by Priests (one even dying as a result) remains basically buried. Like they say, open exposure is the best disinfectant.
Great site! I heard a rumor that Jack backed down from only one enemy and that was the Church of Scientology! Is that true? I would be disappointed if it was. Is the great man still alive? Is he in hiding from Vatican agents? I just came across this site this evening, so you will excuse me if my answers are all ready fully documented on your site. -George Dear George, There's no way I can say this with certainty, but I doubt very much that Chick would back down from the Scientologists. What threat could they make that the Jesuits, Jehovah's Witnesses and Muslims haven't already made? That being said, it is unusual that Chick hasn't done a tract on Scientologists. Chick's very much alive however, and still working hard at Chick Publications. So it wouldn't surprise me if just such a tract is forthcoming.
I just received my order from Chick Publications, I am so happy, I just got my first tracts. :) I even had to leave one in a local bookstore, following my own idea and leaving a copy of "Dark Dungeons" in a gaming book. (Yes, I love Dark Dungeons the most, yet I'm an unrepentent Role Player. Anyway, I know not to burn my gaming stuff like Chick suggests, since the painted pewter miniatures would give off too many toxic fumes). Anyway, I spotted a couple things in that tract. 1) Ever notice that Ms. Frost, the DM, has on a bunch of tacky rings in almost every scene, and she smokes? Is Mr. Chick against tacky jewelry and/or smoking? 2) I took a real close look at the brand of soda that Marcie starts to spill on page two, where her D&D character dies from the poison trap. It's "Joke Cola". Makes me wonder if Jack took a contraction of "Jolt" and "Coke" to make a pun. (Or perhaps he just really likes Pepsi more?). 3) Marcie has some really neat figures in her collection, based on the scene where poor Debbie finds her hanging from the ceiling. The really big dragon is very nice. I wonder if that is a lead figure or something like a plastic toy? If it's metal, it must have cost her a fortune... I guess Marcie didn't need Ms. Frost's witchcraft tutoring to get her $200 of D&D figures. I wonder if Marcie's family will have an estate sale? 4) Is it me, or does the guest speaker at the end of the tract (the one who used to be into witchcraft) look like Tom Selleck with David Hasselhoff's hair? 5) The pentagram in the tract, the one used by Ms. Frost's coven, is HUGE. Assuming that each person is roughly 6' tall on that page (except Debbie), that thing looks to be 30 or 40 feet in diameter. Where do they worship, a gymnasium? My garage is only 24 feet wide if memory serves, and it's on the small end of a two car garage. I must say, I enjoy Mr. Chick's work, partially for the artwork, partially for his viewpoints, both to critique them in a sarcastic way. Although I don't agree with many of his beliefs, he stands VERY firm behind what he believes in, and is sincere. The writing is witty in a simple way. I also appricate little finds like the "Joke Cola" (if my eyes didn't trick me) along with other finds like Fang the dog, or spotting places where "Rock for the Rock" is used as a song other then Angels, (on page 11 of Why No Revival?). One could critique Chick and say he's closed minded, but I think he has a strong conviction and faith in what he believes and feels is moral. I wish we had more people who had such strong convictions out there, both whom I'd come closer to agreeing with morally, and otherwise. I can respect the man, I may be sarcastic about his work, but I respect him, and mean no attempt to insult him by doing so. -Evan Dear Evan, That's the thing about Jack: Whether you love him or hate him, you still gotta love him.
I found a Chick tract (This Was Your Life ) in a parking lot when I was a little girl of about 9. It was my first exposure to a "personal" relationship with God. While I did not accept the Lord at that time, the tract seemed nearly sacred to me. I took it with me every time we moved. I just could not bring myself to get rid of it. I finally lost track of it many years later...but I did receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was 17. I never forgot that tract, and was THRILLED to find a Christian bookstore that sold tracts. I nearly leapt for joy when I found they sold This Was Your Life. I bought a pack of them on the spot, and have been distributing Chick tracts ever since (20+ years now.) It's a small but real way to reach many more people than I could otherwise, and I know my Lord Jesus will make them fruitful for His purposes. Love your website. I just read last year's Contest winner. That was terrific! You've inspired me to come up with something really BIG. Dewy
Dear Dewy, Thank you for your note and contest entry. I don't know many ladies who are as bold as you were delivering controversial tracts like those. Most gals (like my oldest sister) have fallen for the PC line, "as long as they believe in a God, it's all the same...." (Is it really possible we share the same genes? I blame the milkman for this discrepancy.) Then again, my OTHER sister is a Catholic, so some of my DNA is destained for a long vacation at THE LAKE. Rest assured that come Christmas, both their stockings will be filled with plenty of Chick tracts!
I used to collect secular comics, primarily those from DC and its various projects, but got fed up with their increasingly liberal direction, which even included advocacy of various fag groups and Handgun Control Inc., not to mention unreserved support of infanticide (abortion) in even the Superman comics. Almost every comic creator I contacted in protest was rather fanatical in his or her liberalism and refused to acknowledge any reasonable opposition, and that simply reinforced my perception of DC comics, which aren't too dissimilar to other mainstream and even independent publishers, as no more than propaganda promulgators. That DC is owned by Time-Warner-AOL is no insignificant matter in gauging its political predilection, either. It was in 1998, after I discovered Chick tracts, that I abandoned secular comic collecting, and am a full-time Chick tract/comic collector now. I've seen other attempts at Christian comics, but they all, with the possible exception of those old Archie issues, fall way short of Chick's standard of quality. Chick's "extreme" fundamentalism is thus even more bold should it manifest at a comics convention dominated by extreme leftists who spend a lot of their companies' proceeds to promote sodomy, abortion, and gun-grabbing. -Ramon What can I say? Super hero comics are getting so politically correct, it won't be long before the Ambiguously Gay Dynamic Duo is no longer a Saturday Night Live comedy routine, but a Saturday morning cartoon. Holy Homosexuals!
Dear Curator of the Jack T. Chick Museum, I have a suggestion for anyone wishing to place a Chick
Track. Order 25 or so issues of Dark Dungeons and try to convince your local
gaming store to use them as bookmarks! Maybe placing one in a RPG manual
like a bookmark, with at least part of it showing, and then buying said
book would work. Many game stores that also sell CCG (Collectable Card Games)
sell individual cards, asking to see a box of commons and slipping a few
into the common box might be a good way to go. Another idea, if one is playing
a RPG based on modern times would be generating a character who's major
hobby is giving out Chick Tracks. Perhaps the character could take that
game systems equivalent of a Slight of Hand skill JUST for the purpose of
sneaking Chick tracks onto unsuspecting people. Of course, as a player one
would want a small box or basket full of Chick tracks to hand out, I know
I occasionally use real life props when I role play! (Ask me about the can
of Alpo I bought just to play a Vargr, a canine alien race in the RPG "Traveler"...and
yes, I did stop short of actually eating the dog food). Or for an interesting
twist, put a stack of Chick tracks on a back shelf next to an RPG, maybe
one that has a lot of supplements covering all genres like GURPS, and then
take one to the counter and attempt to buy it, pointing to the area where
you "found" the tracks! (An ambitious person could actually put
price tags on them, assuming they have access to price tag stickers). Make
sure you sound convincing when you tell the store clerk that you honestly
thought that they were a new supplement, and that you didn't put them there. Dear Arvig, Most D&D players would love to have the Dark Dungeons tract. You'd be doing them a favor providing it. The Soul Salvation is just an added plus. I have a couple more questions if you don't mind indulging me. 1) Has Mr. Chick ever been handed one of his own tracts? Imagine, that would be a wonderful tract distribution story. For that matter, has he ever autographed any of his tracts or illustrations? I don't know if he has been handed one or signed any, but I do know that he distributes tracts on a routine basis. He leaves them with the tip when he eats at restaurants (e.g., Western Sizzler), and according to his recent open letter, he passed them out to two separate workers who came to his home (a plumber and a carpenter). Both claimed they had already been saved by them! 2) Is Mr. Chick a licensed minister, or does he hold any other religious title? Although such is not necessary to write and illustrate his tracts and other works, I could see him becoming such. He has never been formally trained as a minister to my knowledge, but he did receive an honorary title from one Church. He became angry with some gossip between the church leaders and his secretary however, so he returned the certificate.... In several dozen tiny pieces!
Chick tracts are a recent discovery for me, in fact I don't own any, I've only seen them on the internet. Anyway, I was just reading "Doom Town" for the first time, the copy presently on Mr. Chick's website, and I noticed something. In one of the panels, panel 8 I do believe, there is an image of an idol. The idol is an almost exact copy of the demon idol statue in the opening of the Exorcist...there is a scene in the film where the older priest is in I believe Iran or Iraq, alone at an archeological dig, in the centre of a ruined town is this idol, presumably in what was the town square. The wind kicks up, the priest feels an evil presence, cut to Washington D.C. Later, during the exorcism, a figure that looks like the same idol is briefly seen, mostly in silhouette behind the little girl being exorcised. I wonder, do you think that Jack did this intentionally? Then again, if one looks at the copyright dates, the original publication does proceed the film "The Exorcist", if memory serves the film came out in 1973 or 1974, perhaps they copied from Jack? -Evan 3/24/01 Jack keeps copies of many horror films in his office library. It's clear THE EXORCIST not only influenced a panel in DOOM TOWN, but the entire story of THE THING. However, the idol in THE EXORCIST movie came first. Although the original DOOM TOWN has an old copyright date, the idol you refer to didn't pop up until a 1991 variation. Versions as late as 1989 featured an idol that looked more like a ferry with Ram's horns! (A horny ferry? Is that a jab at homos or what?!) Chick tracts often change over time. Check our Variations Wing for details.
SUBJECT: "Fang" (the dog). You probably found
him already in the Sin City tract. In case you haven't, he is on
the poster on the telephone pole on page two. This is the first time that
I have found a Fang that wasn't listed on the website. It's a nice feeling.
I also found him on page two of In The Beginning (on the side of
the desk) and on page three of It's Coming!(on the vase) -John Actually, you were the first to announce these sitings. We'll add them to the Fang page. Thanks!
Chick's been very busy these days, and it shows! I must say that the quality of his recent string of tracts hasn't suffered despite Jack's increasing post-stroke venerability, and Sin City is just as hard-hitting as, if not stronger than, any of the other Chick tracts (The Gay Blade and Doom Town are the only ones I've seen) that focus on homosexuals. This newest tract almost nullifies my disappointment over not owning a copy of The Wounded Children. Now we've one additional topical tract to plant in quantity in areas that the sodomites frequent, from seedy alleys and condom vending machines to glory holes and the gerbil section of pet stores. Haw haw haw! I'm not really qualified to write an official review (I'll leave that to your capable hands); I just wanted to convey to you and to the club my high regard for the newest Chick tract, which I heard about through Jack Chick's own electronic mailing list. Make no mistake: while I'm also a hobbyist of a few pastimes that Chick obviously loathes (heavy metal music and role-playing games come immediately to mind), that doesn't change my unreserved praise for Jack Chick's unreserved honesty and frankness. Jack Chick is cool, as is any other pop culture icon who's infuriated so many angry and mouth-frothing liberals into erecting smear websites loaded with leftist and humanist propaganda. Speaking of which, I've a few more links of such caliber for you. (Click here to view them.) -Ramon Thanks Ramon. Some great Chick rants are included in those links. Almost all of them are negative, but what do you expect from a Brave New World? The Sin City tract is vintage Chick through and through. Jack's recurring character, "Bob", makes another appearance (much to the dismay of atheists). Who else can convert gay ministers is just four panels? Then send them to their knees-- to pray instead of pervert! Go Jack Go!
I was so glad to discover your web site. I was in a discussion room where people were severely bashing Jack as a bigot, hate monger, etc. I have met Jack personally, although it was some years ago. We worked very close with him for a few years and he wrote "Going Home" especially for the work our ministry was doing in Africa. It was at my encouraging that Jack re-issued "The Great Escape", but in my opinion, the original was better. Thank you in advance and God Bless. Evangelist Stephen M. 2/28/01 That's an interesting story Steve. GOING HOME is a pretty hard hitting AIDS expose. I'm curious how much of it was based on "real life" and how much was made up. For instance, was their really a white Christian doctor who contracted AIDS while helping the African natives? It's a depressing yet inspirational tale. Regarding critics who label Jack a bigot and hate monger, most of the people doing the bashing are the real hate mongers. It's only their lack of fame and published work outlining their own beliefs that conceals the degree of their hatred. We've recently examined the writings of a well known and "respected" Chick critic, and found that he openly defends the execution of non-Catholics! You can read about it in our new section called Chick Denouncers. [Stephen's Response] I was blessed to get your Email. And to answer the question, no, the tract wasn't based on a true story. It was because of the AIDS epidemic that we were constantly having to deal with, that Jack (and I think Randy Chapman of Chick Publications too,) came up with the tract. And yes, I agree, those that accuse Jack of being hate monger, bigot, etc. are usually those that; 1), have never read his materials, or 2), are part of the groups that the Lord has used Jack to reveal the truth about. They don't see how much of a heart for the lost Jack really has. But if I could just convey the impact that "This Was Your Life", the catholic tracts or the Muslim tracts and Crusaders had in Africa for the 10 plus years that we were sending them in, it would blow you away. Literally, we figured (based on reports) that every tract we sent into Africa was read by 100 different people. And we sent many 10's of thousands of them there. Many times Jack gave them to us at cost, or even out right free. Are you familer with Chaplin Dan, the true man of God from "Reverend Wonderful"? Many times Dan would go through the trash at Chick, pick out the the "less than sale quality" tracts that were rejected, and mail them to us so we could send them to Africa. -Evangelist Stephen M. That's a great scoop Steve. Most American's take Chicks for granted, so we have a difficult time imagining how starved Africa is to read them. During his last visit there, Clinton committed the US to providing remote African villages free Internet access. Maybe when they asked for "free Chicks", he assumed they meant the type he downloads. That's also a great tale of Chaplin Dan. I've heard of dumpster diving for a lot of different things, but never before Chicks!
This is from The Usual Suspects, written (or at least published) in 2000 by Catholic conspirator Karl Keating, author of many books including Catholicism and Fundamentalism. That latter title had many paragraphs, perhaps even a whole chapter, filled with Chick references, but he seems to have wised up in this follow-up and pared all of them down to one brief mention in one paragraph on page 20 of a book that's 187 pages long. I guess all that rabble-rousing only helped Chick get more exposure and possibly even more converts to Protestantism. Haw haw haw! The techniques ["un-poping," or converting Catholics to Protestantism] vary widely. Jack Chick, one of those curiosities for which Southern California is famous, distributes in large quantities comic books depicting Romish intrigues as revealed by a man [Alberto Rivera] who claims to have been a Jesuit assigned to subvert Protestantism. These comics have received a lot of play in the Catholic press, but they are far less influential than other anti-Catholic material. They are so grotesque in thier charges that even other opponents of the Church have written against their use. It's a pity that Keating stumbled across that epiphany, especially after lavishing so much attention upon Mr. Chick, despite trying to reassure his sycophants into believing that Jack Chick wasn't nearly as influential as more mainstream (and less offensive) anti-Catholicists like Jimmy Swaggart or James White. Chick can use the publicity, no matter how saddled in popish propaganda it appears. -Ramon 2/25/01 Thanks Ramon, I'm told there is also a full page article on Chick tracts in the the March 2001 edition of FHM (For Him) Magazine. It's a men's magazine in the style of Esquire. To read more rants by Karl Keating on Jack Chick, go here his for book references, and here for his fund raising pitch.
The web page music is really really annoying! Please get rid of the soundtrack :) -Jack 2/20/01 Dear Jack, If your last name is "Chick", I will certainly honor your request. But since I can't be sure about that, I'll post your remarks and see what sort of response it generates. I'll let the majority opinion rule. (Readers, e-mail me your vote!)
While I like the Halloween MIDI you've got on your title page, it does tend to make AOL crash sometimes when Internet traffic is high, as well as make the page load much more slowly than it should if you want maximum exposure and high user-friendliness. Count my vote as one for dropping the MIDI. -Ramon Let's try this: I've created a new Main Page (with a much quicker download). New visitors will get the music, old visitors can skip past it by clicking the DEATH COOKIE graphic and jumping straight to the Museum (Tracts) page. I've distributed Chick tracks, though not recently. I was led to the Lord by an Evangelical Lutheran in the 1970s. A few years later I joined a Fundamentalist Baptist Church, who helped me widen my spiritual eyes to the scriptures. I came across some early samples of Chick's material and was sold on it. I can't say whether I agree on the teachings in all of Chick's material, especially from the 80s, but I feel overall that many have been saved through his ministry. You have an interesting site. -CARL 2/11/01 Thanks Carl, We can always find something to disagree on with anyone if we look hard enough. Chick's more obvious about it since he publishes all his views, even the controversial ones. That's one of the things that makes Chick both admirable and amusing. (Not to mention, fun to collect).
Greetings. You have been a bit critical of the creationist perspective promoted in Chick's last two tracts, so I'm briefly responding to your criticism, particularly concerning the most recent tract, where you point out the omission of explanations behind extinct ark descendants and what happened to all of Noah's unpreserved brethren. Dinosaurs are assumed to have been taken on the ark, along with representatives of all the other land animals, though the more hostile environment they were introduced to after the waters receded did not ensure their kind's survival. A few are suspected of still living today in very remote regions, but for the most part they've been branded extinct, just as many other animals and other organisms have or are in danger of becoming, hence the various endangered species lists and efforts to protect them. See the following links: Were dinosaurs taken aboard the ark? Noah's Ark [The Great Dinosaur Mystery] Did Dinosaurs Survive The Flood? As for human fossils, it seems to me that the humans of Noah's time would have scrambled to higher ground and boarded driftwood or rafts to prolong their lives as much as possible, though their efforts were inevitably in vain. If they died later than most other creatures, that might explain why you rarely see human fossils around, as they weren't buried as rapidly as the slower and more dumb animals, although there still are several thousand such fossils on record. Besides, enter any nursing home and you'll find plenty of human fossils for liberals and other social engineers to gleefully euthanize. Again, see the following links: Where are the Human Fossils, eh? Why Don't We Find More Human Fossils? Where are all the human fossils? -Ramon 2/8/01 Thanks Ramon. I'll post your letter and links. I doubt 40 days difference in the drowning of people vs. animals would account for dinosaur and human fossils being discovered at vastly different stratum. But as I watch the Kent Hovind video you sent (review forthcoming), I have been impressed with many other challenges he's made to conventional scientific theory. He hasn't converted me to his literal belief of Genesis, but he raises significant doubts about fossil dating, ancient pre-history and the origin of life. Scientists do not have and will never have irrefutable proof about how the universe or life came into being. To pretend that the Big Bang and Evolution theories answer these questions "beyond reasonable doubt" is laughable. They are merely the best secular theories based on inconclusive evidence. The public should realize that neither science nor the Bible can "prove" their statements about early creation. Both versions have unanswered questions and require a certain amount of faith. (At least the theologians are more intellectually honest by admitting this.) [Ramon's Response includes more links] RECENT HEADLINES: Speak of the Devil! The pro-evolution crowd ridiculed Kansas to the point that it recently ousted enough school board members to reverse its decision not to promote Macro-evolution in public school. Here's the article. Expect Chick to address this in his next Battlecry!
I read one of Jack's tracts that basically bashed the Catholic church. I wish I could engage him directly at least on line and pick apart his tract piece by piece giving the Bilical evidence to show all his mistakes. He keeps pointing to the Bible. Well so does the church, but remember, if it wasn't for the Catholic church, you wouldn't know what writings were inspired by god, (since) it was the Catholic church at the council of HIPPO in 440 ad that decided what words were inspired by god. 1 timothy 3:15 says the pillar and stronghold of truth is the church, it says nothing about jack chick. The bible also says 2Peter 1:20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation. Hmmm, didn't see that verse in there either. Well then, who can interpret it back to 1 Timothy 3:15 the pillar and safeguard of truth the church? The Roman Catholic church alone can claim to be instituted by christ himself. Oh-- by the way, he said the Bible Alone is the authority. I defy you to show me were in the bible does it say "The bible ALONE IS OUR AUTHORITY". It does say the bible is a authority but it also says TRADITION is also a authority. 2Th 2:15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by 'word of mouth or by letter' from us. BEFORE YOU START ATTACKING SOMTHING UNDERSTAND IT YOURSELF FIRST. BE VERY CAREFUL JACK, YOUR VERY SOUL IS AT STAKE, MAY GOD FORGIVE YOU! IN CHRIST -knight I. p.s. please write back jack unless you are afraid to face the truth! Okay, I'll bite. But you also included additional scripture references which are too long to print or respond to in this section. Keep in mind we're just fans, and we're not affiliated with Jack Chick officially. That being said, I'll attempt to explain Jack's opinions based on my own Catholic education, Protestant upbringing, and extensive reading of Chick Tracts in general. Go here for response.
I happened to find the new Swedish-language version of "How to Get Rich" on Chick Publications' homepage, which was kind of fun - but I found the translation almost unbelievably bad, full of unidiomatic direct translations and laughable Anglicisms. The other Swedish tracts on the homepage - a half-dozen or so - featured average to decent translations, though they were generally very sloppy, with several typos. In "The Contract", all the allegorical names of the characters were literally translated, which made for a pretty weird effect with all the characters having Swedish adjectives or nouns for surnames, while the whole background remains obviously American. Apparently the Swedish translations have gone downhill, since "How to Get Rich", the newest one, is by far the worst. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), I have no experience whatever of the IRL existence of Swedish-language Chick tracts. In fact I've never seen a physical JTC tract in my life - I've only been able to read them on the web. I do recall reading, in a book on various Scandinavian extremist churches and sects from the mid-80s, that one of these - i think it was Livets Ord ("The Word of Life"), an infamous Charismatic/success-theology group - had put out a Swedish translation of "The Next Step". The book I read reprinted a few pages on Satan. By then I didn't know about Chick, but I remember the pictures and captions and it's got to be the same. I'd like to hear from others with knowledge or experience of foreign translation of Chick tracts. Are they generally as awful as the Swedish "How to Get Rich", or did we Swedes just get unlucky? Best wishes, Theo, Sweden Dear Theo, I posted your letter and email address for public response.
You might get some interesting replies. It's possible
Chick was the victim of a translator's joke. I remember when Hollywood was
making lots of Westerns back in the 1960s, the Indian actors routinely used
vulgar translations and called management all sorts of bad names. No one
but other Indians ever got the joke. Haw-haw-haw!
Hoo-Boy, this is the most fun reading I've had in a while! Makes me want to take better care of all the Chick tracks I have laying around the house! You didn't mention the "Titanic"chick tract in your list. It seems to have appeared around the same time as that movie did. I sent a copy out to a friend. I sort of wish I kept one for myself. 30 years ago I read a Chick tract for the first time, it was the old reliable"This Was Your Life" one. As a drug taking hippy who never read the Bible before, the idea of a "final Judgment" and your life being reviewed by God and everyone else, seemed like a big joke. I laughed at the tract. 3 months later I became one of those "Jesus Freaks" myself, after being scared into God's kingdom by a very bad LSD trip (whatever works I guess). Then that tract I laughed at made more sense. I'm glad to have found this website. Now where did I stash those Chick booklets I had? See you, Martha 1/27/01 Dear Martha, Titanic is listed alright. It came out in 1983 and features great artwork by Fred Carter. It's been rereleased to capitalize on the recent blockbuster movie, so you can still get a replacement from Chick Publications for cheap. (www.chick.com). While you're at it, I suggest getting "Bewitched" too. It seems to have been loosely based on your experience!
I found your site today and really enjoyed it. I have added your banner with link. I'm glad to see others find them as hilarious as I do. -Fran 1/22/01 Thanks Fran, We certainly appreciate any help getting the word out on Chicks. (And the Chick Tract Club, for that matter.) These are cheap thrills that most people only regret not finding out about sooner.
Jack T. Chick is a man so full of hate for Catholics he will lie and say whatever he wishes to further the hate. I am Catholic and I am Christian. Jesus said a kingdom divided against itself will not stand. It is also said in the new testament the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church. But it's ok. I forgive you and will pray for your soul, and guess who I will be praying to? Yeah, you're right, Jesus Christ. He is the only way to the Father. You know very little about the catholic church. I do read the bible and I know what it says. I am also encourage to read the Bible by the Catholic Church. Oops, you didn't know that, well now you do. I will pray for all of your souls that God will release you from the judgement you give others. Truly in Christ, -Dan 1/13/00 Lighten up Dan. We're not all out to "get" you. These are CHICK tracts. They've been around for 40 years and I don't see anyone rounding up the Catholics in response. (It anything, the American catholic movement has flourished in that time.) Now that we've (hopefully) calmed down a bit, let's consider Chick's viewpoint a little more carefully. He maintains that the Catholic church places "middle men" between the sinner and Jesus. (They encourage prayer to Mary & saints, instead of a personal relationship with Christ.) Chick also believes having people kneel before church statues is basically idol worship. He doesn't like the fact that the Catholic church forbid anyone from translating the Bible from Latin for most of its history, keeping people like you in the dark for centuries. And he's very critical of the Vatican's role in the inquisition. All of these seem to be valid points of theological debate. The part that gets the blood pumping is his belief that the Vatican is evil. That would offend me too. But Chick can't get over the fact that various popes ordered the murder of 68 million (his figure) protestants, Jews, and other so-called "heretics"-- all in the name of the church. Most Jews think Hitler was evil for killing 6 million of their comrades and still believe that a powerful Germany is dangerous. Does this mean Jews are hate mongers? Of course not. It makes them emotional human beings who fear history could repeat itself and they might become victims again. Chick is same way. When it comes to discussing a "one true church" capable of conducting another inquisition, his response is "never forget!"
I just read your SECRET OF PRAYER write up. Haw haw haw! I love your reviews. I also love that classic story of Chick's friend who loaned the $3,000. Is that twisted cause and effect or what???? It's the Christian's fault! "After criticizing Chick tracts, a writer lost control of his bike and plowed into..." that is too funny! During one of my visits to Chick Publications (back in the late 1980s), Jack asked me "Did I ever tell you about the time I ate a $3,000 sandwich?" He said he once met a Christian who was nice enough to share his peanut butter sandwich with Jack when he was hungry. Jack hired him and paid the fellow $3,000 to sell books but he didn't sell any. So Jack eventually had to let him go. Then the guy threatened to sue Chick publications! I wonder if THAT guy plunged through ice and drowned while ice skating? -Richard 1/10/01 That's a great story, Richard. I'll definitely post it. How odd that it involved the exact same amount. ($3,000.) There must be something special about that number. Hmmmm... If you multiply it by .666 (the sign of The Beast) it equals 1998. That was the year a Vatican priest (Jesuit?) served the catholic Death Cookie to protestant President Bill Clinton (see May '98 Battlecry). Clinton ate it with the same mouth he used to kiss Monica LEWinsky. "Lew" is short for Lucifer. Satanists worship Lucifer by praying to an upside down cross. If you turn 1998 upside down, you get 8991. Jesus warned us how close the end was in Luke 9:27. If you subtract 927 from 8991 you get 7734. If you view 7734 upside down on a calculator, it reads "hELL". I'm not sure what all this means, but after reading that tract, I'd feel nervous owing someone $3.00, let alone $3,000!
When I got saved, a pastor of mine gave me some of his tracts. That was 4 years ago I have been giving them out ever since. One day in our park there were about 8 catholic college students going through the park and they came to our door. My mom listened to them but didn't really say much to them. I could hear the Lord saying to me that I had to go out there. I said "Lord, this is like David and Goliath! Here I am, a 5 foot 2 inch female and there are about 8 of them!" Well, I looked down at my basket of tracts and what do you think was sitting there? Are Roman Catholics Christians? So, needless to say, there I went little me. They surrounded me and were actually pretty angry at first. By this time my step father (who is an ex-catholic) came out and we witnessed to them for about a half hour. They did not want to believe us, but God's word never returns void. And it was just from me handing them a Chick tract and walking away and they followed me back across the street to talk about it. Thank you for listening to our Lord. Jack, don't water it down, tell it like Jesus would!!!!!!!! -Tract lady 1/10/01 Dear Tract Lady, Thank's for your story. That's pretty coincidental that the tract you had in your basket was the very one you needed for the occasion. (Assuming it was "just a coincidence".) I've included your other (Crime blotter) story in our contest section.
I grew up catholic, almost became Xavierian brother.... Life got bad, was going to kill my self, cried out... (peace beyond compare)... on side of road; not in a "church" I thank God! Weeks months followed... UNREAL HIS presence... Bible FINALLY began to come alive... made sense!!! But I didn't "Wait" on God... I wanted more... Statue, Tears, Vision....."Trust me... always with you" Questioned/Crowley/Majick/ on and on.... Mormans... witches... grotto... on and on. Music today and media in general... their pushing "Imagination and Fantasy" Psycho-manipulation... Solomon... Mary's NOT Mary ...can you relate? -Tim 1/08/02 Actually Tim, I can't relate. (You're way over my head.) But I'll post your comments in case someone else can. Remind me again what this has to do with Chick? The keywords are all there, but I'm having trouble connecting the dots...
What a great site! I have been an avid Chick collector for many years now. I had surfed the web for Chick-related information quite some time ago but I only stumbled on your site this weekend. Your viewpoint and attitude are both refreshing and unique. I like you! I have never been a collecting-type person, never into coins or stamps or autographs. But there's something about Jack that just makes me want to gobble up everything he produces. My favorite thing to do is share my collection with people who have never heard of Jack Chick. I keep a big stack of my favorite tracts on my desk at work and the best part of all is the variety of reactions of the people who stop by and spot them. From "Wow! Cool! I LOVE those!" and enthusiastic requests to borrow them to enjoy (which I always grant), to the odd, sideways look, followed by a cool "no thanks" when I offer to loan them out. I'm sure you know where I'm coming from. I know how much effort it takes to maintain a quality web site such as yours. I commend you on your dedication and effort. God Bless and keep up the good works. Very sincerely, Alvin 1/08/01 Thanks Alvin, I always appreciate more "like" mail than "hate" mail. But don't get me wrong, the hate mail is fun too! Especially the ones that go on and on about how terrible Chick is (and me for liking him). It's amusing to see Chick get under so many people's skin. Of course, we all know that's not why Chick does it. But in a PC world, rocking the boat and daring to challenge the status quo is both innocent and admirable. It's kind of like the story of the Emperors New Clothes, only the protagonists is an old man instead of a young kid. (Although he still uses child-like comics to speak up and state the truth as he sees it.) There's also something brave and heroic about it. Remember that line from the first Star Wars? I believe it was Leia to Governor Tarken (Peter Cushing) who said, "The tighter your squeeze your grasp, the more grains of sand will slip through your fingers." (Or something like that.) Chick is a rebel fighter, and he's certainly unafraid of any mortal consequences. I've posted your Chick tract distribution story on our Contest page. You're our first entry for 2001. Others are also encouraged to share their distribution tales as well. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners receive... what else? Chick tracts!
Dear JTCM, Found your site through MSN..... Your site has stickiness!!!!! I've read it all.... 3 hours straight!!!!! Its better than the X-Files... -Jason 1/2/01 Dear Jason, You mean to tell me that a year's work invested in this
site only took three hours to plow through? I sure hope you're a fast reader.
But I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. Since I'm also a big X-Files fan, I'm
flattered by the comparison. (Though I'm not sure Chick would be.)
Hey. I'm a rabid chick tract fan as well. I have a couple assortment packages and I also special ordered all the ones that you don't have to order a million to get. I also have all the comics and a lot of the books offered on Jack's site. Have you read the ones by Bill Schoebelen, the ex-witch satanist freemason vampire Mormon? definitely cool. I also love to draw Chick tracks... I hope I'm not violating any laws but no one sees them except for me and my girlfriend. The reason I'm writing is PLEASE put me on your mailing list!! (For any jack news etc.) And also, where do you go to find those oversized tracts I keep hearing about on your site? Also, what about the book "History of the World according to Jack chick", where does one find that? I plan to join the club as soon as payday rolls around. In fact, I may send the $ snailmail later today. Oh yeah, and where would you go to find those tracts you don't have? I usually use my search engine and I find the usual tracks about jack but nothing I haven't seen before (the usual snide PC sh*t). In fact, collecting free tracts has kind of become an obsession. They're not near as good as jacks though.... Look for my app to your club soon.... peace, Dave 1/2/01 Dear Dave, Thanks for joining the Chick Tract Club. You'll get an exclusive copy of The Wicked Magistrate, and after seeing what some of these tracts sell for in auction, I imagine that's worth price of membership alone! No, I haven't read Bill Schoebelen's stuff yet, but I plan too. I'm afraid I can't hook you up with any oversized tracts. They don't turn up often and I don't know of any regular source. (Check those flea markets and older Christian bookstores!) You can find the address to order a copy of World According to Jack Chick at the bottom of our Tracts page, and I'll also put you on our free Chick News emailing list.
I'm glad to get your message and I'm glad I found your site. I have had a couple of days off from work and I spent most of it reading your site. What a lot of great stuff! So cool. However I was a little angered and saddened when I took a long trip via search engine looking for more Chick sites and stuff... They say Jack is hateful and mean spirited, but they should take a look at themselves. Since when is believing in Jesus hateful? Granted, some of Jack's views on Catholics may be a bit out there, but like many have said, a lot of what he says is historically accurate. Oh, how terrible it is to commit a thought crime such as criticizing the prevailing views. I can kind of imagine how poor Winston Smith must have felt. Maybe someday I will love big brother but I doubt it. Oh well, what can ya do, except buy more chick tracts. I think I will start ordering more sample packs to give to friends. I don't have the money to buy in enough bulk to leave them around indiscriminately but I wish I could. A Chick memory... I remember when I was still drinking, I was hanging around the bus station just killing time, trying to walk off yet another hangover. I walked inside the terminal to get warm and have a smoke (this is when you could still smoke indoors in most places). On the chair next to me was, I am almost certain, was the "This is your life" tract. I read it. At first it didn't much register but I stuck it in my pocket. Later that night as I was laying in my loser basement apt drinking some vodka and Hawaiian punch, I read it again. As the vodka went down the story began to take on more and more meaning. Made me think. Not right away but about a week later I went to a prayer service at the salvation army (run by two Jesus bikers) and wish I could say I got saved right away, but I guess life isn't that simple. However I did start going to AA meetings at the sally and eventually sobered up. So in an indirect way Jack probably led me to sobriety. The lord works in mysterious ways.... anyway that was my first contact with Jack's great comics. I remember seeing them around but not often. I recall I read one of the Halloween ones at a laundromat. I took your advice and bought protective covers for my tracts. I just need some covers for my crusaders comics now. peace- dave 1/3/00 Thanks Dave, It's always fun to hear another Chick Memory, and your right: Sometimes those Chicks take time to "sink in". If you and Jason have read the entire website and want to avoid rereading the same material twice, may I suggest that you periodically check in on the Chick News wing. It offers links to any new reviews and updated stuff (so you won't have to sift through old areas). It's updated regularly and you can see the latest revision date at the bottom left corner. And of course, you may want to check any additions to the Chick Memories section. The newest letters are always posted at the very top of the last wing. Thanks also for your review of A Demon's Nightmare.
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