Jack Chick
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| “ | As I drove home, I reflected on my meeting with the king of Fundamentalist kitsch. He came across as a kind, gentle old man. He was nothing but polite. He smiled. He laughed. Unlike the characters in his comic books, he didn't say 'Haw! Haw!' when he laughed. From meeting him one would never suspect him to be the most infamous broadcaster of hate and paranoia in the Christian comics world. | „ |
| ~ Jimmy Akin describes meeting Jack Chick for the first time. |
Jack Thomas Chick (April 13, 1924 - October 23, 2016) was a controversial cartoonist and publisher known for his Christian Fundamentalist tracts known as Chick Tracts and founder of the hate group Chick Publications. He is known as one of the most hated religious fanatics there is along with Fred Phelps and Becky Fischer.
Biography edit
Jack Chick was born in 1924 in Los Angeles, California. In high school, Chick was part of the school's drama club and was non-religious. After serving in the US Army during World War II, met Lola Lynn Priddle while working on a play at the Pasadena Playhouse. Priddle and her family introduced him to the radio show The Old-Fashioned Revival Hour and Chick became converted to Christianity after hearing it. Chick and Priddle married in 1948 and had a daughter named Carol who later died in 2001. Priddle died in 1998. Chick later remarried.[1]
After becoming a Christian, Chick wanted to convert people to Christianity but did not feel comfortable talking to people. Inspired by the Chinese Communist Party, Chick decided to make Christian tracts in order to convert people to Christianity. His first two tracts were Why No Revival? and A Demon's Nightmare. Chick founded Chick Publications on January 1, 1960.[2]
Chick Tracts edit
Chick Tracts is the name of the tracts collectively. The tracts express many of Jack Chick's religious views on certain topics. Almost all of the tracts feature a protagonist that in a situation that contrasts with Christianity and the protagonist dealing with the situation ether by repenting and becoming Christian or not repenting and going to Hell. Bible verses are shown throughout the tract.[3] Chick Publications is classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Beliefs edit
As expressed in various Chick Tracts, Chick believed that homosexuality and bisexuality is sinful and that heterosexuality is the only real sexuality. Other of his beliefs is that rock music and heavy metal is evil and from the Devil as shown in his tract Angels? Chick also believed that the Harry Potter franchise sends people to hell as shown in his tract The Nervous Witch. Chick has also expressed through his tracts that religions such as Catholicism, Hinduism, and Islam are not real religions and that Satan has used a witch named Semiramis and her husband Nimrod to form a Satanic cult and create a statue of a goddess holding a baby and that the statue evolved into the Madonna and Child.[2][3]
Controversies edit
Chick has been accused by gay rights activists, Catholic Answers, talk.origins, and the Hindu American Foundation that Chick misrepresents Hindus, Catholics, gays, lesbians, and bisexuals.
Death edit
On October 23, 2016, Chick died in his sleep at the age of 92.[4]
References edit
- ↑ Jack Thomas Chick, Chick Publications
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Satan, the pope, and Dungeons & Dragons: how Jack Chick's cartoons informed American fundamentalism, Vox
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Evangelical Cartoonist Jack Chick Was The Dr. Seuss of ‘Hate Lit’, The Daily Beast
- ↑ Jack T. Chick, cartoonist of conspiracy-minded attacks, dies at 92, The Washington Post