Chick Crap

[liadnan]

Via Katy, who is frankly far too fascinated by this stuff for her own good, comes the news of two new Jack Chick tracts (1) (2).

Actually, it seems that should be Jack Chick LLC. Fascinating, the man's incorporated himself. One wonders why.

Normally one would sigh and move on but this time he's excelled himself with his opinions on Islam and on the relative merits of Israel and Palestine. With a sideswipe at the Great Whore of Babylon for good measure. As Katy asks, one wonders whether a fatwa is imminent. I'm having moral difficulties with my instinctive response to that.

"And seeing the multitudes he went up into a mountain: and when he was set his disciples came unto him; And he taught them saying...
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew, 5:1,2,9)

Comments

[knell.livejournal.com]

I used to find Chick amusing. These days I just find him vicious, poisonous and sometimes just downright dangerous. Then again, what's probably more dangerous is the fact that plenty of people presumably *buy* his tracts and hand them out to impressionable kids.

Oh, and the Sermon on the Mount appears to be considered some kind of minor Biblical sidebar by these guys. Has been for a while, I think. The meek and the peacemakers = whiny liberal flip-floppers.

[nicnac.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I mailed the link to the "D&D leads to pagan devil worship" strip to a friend the other day, and he replied that they'd never get away with it if they were attacking Muslims. We shall see.

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

I have to confess I have an occasional guilty read through Chick's tracts - they're so impressively full of crap.

He's had a go at Muslims before - in this case, however, I think there's also a very strong implication that the family are terrorists - Mummy is very anxious to get the children to leave, isn't she?

[liadnan]

I wondered about that. And the word airport is... interesting.

[booklectica]

I didn't even think of that. Hmmm.

Yes, I possibly am too interested for my own good, but I don't mind. :)

[gmh.livejournal.com]

The thing that caused minor bemusement to me was the anti-Catholic one claiming that Satan created a) the Catholic Church and b) the Pope.

Now, my Catholic history isn't perfect, but AFAIAA, the idea of a Pope as the head honcho is old - the Church was moving along hierarchical lines as early as 100-150 A.D. - and the emphasis on Peter as a 'special' apostle is certainly in evidence around ~230 A.D.

So, presumably, Jack Chick thinks that the Orthodox Church is the One True Church?

(Or he's an intolerant moron who can't even be bothered to do the most basic bits of fact-checking.)

Gideon.

[etherealfionna.livejournal.com]

Well, that was an eye-opener.

So, if I just chant the spell right I become a Muslim immediately? That's some powerful religion...

I've never heard of Jesus creating the world before - how the hell does that gel with the story in Genesis, and the idea that the Bible is word for word true?

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

I ran this one past a Muslim friend a while back - because we were taught the phrase in RE class (in a convent school!). He said it's the formal statement for conversion - effectively it's the Islamic form of baptism and you say it in front of Muslim witnesses - there have to be at least two (presumably eight women will do just as well!). But just repeating it isn't going to convert you in Islamic eyes (although possibly the Taleban might disagree).

I'm baffled by Jesus creating the world as well - I'm also baffled since Chick absolutely adheres to the King James Bible which apparently is the One True Bible.

[brelson.livejournal.com]

You have to understand the meaning behind the words and mean them fairly sincerely for the conversion statement to take effect in the eyes of most Muslims. Aggressively evangelical Muslims are more likely to accept even an uncomprehending repetition of the phrase as a solid commitment to Allah, however.

It's so funny watching nutcases from the various monotheistic religions laying into each other. The 21st century has taken a while to grow on me (I'm basically an unreformed secularist) but I think I'm getting into the whole "holy war" thing by now, even if only from a bystander's point of view.

[lizw.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of Jesus creating the world before

*puts theologian hat on* Technically, in mainstream Christian thought, all three of the Persons of the Trinity were involved in creation. Since Genesis speaks of "God" and all three Persons are considered to be God, this does not contradict the letter of the Genesis narrative (although it does, of course, contradict the Jewish understanding of that narrative). The Nicene Creed specifically says of Jesus that "through Him all things were made". "Jesus created the world" is therefore a perfectly acceptable simplification for something that seems to be aimed primarily at youngsters.

[etherealfionna.livejournal.com]

I had completely forgotten that bit of the creed, good point. I do think that "God created the world" is a much better simplification than "God told Jesus to create the world".

Interesting that the dinosaurs get a look-in. I wonder what the explanation for them dying out is. The old no-room-on-the-Ark?

[joffstar.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did love the bit where she interrupts them JUST BEFORE THEY SAY THE MAGIC MUSLIM WORDS AND BECOME DAMNED!

I've got this image of God turning them away from Heaven, because they're not on the guest list. "Sorry, you said THE WORDS. No entry." Fitting, especially as Islam allows virtuous heathens into heaven when this kind of Christianity doesn't. On the other hand, it kind of implied that if Allah heard, he'd own them forever. God vs God!

Does Mr Chick do the illustrations too? Because whoever does, they're guilty as all hell too.