Chick Cartoons

The world lost a great potential editorial cartoonist, when Jack Chick married a woman from a fundamentalist Christian family from Canada in the sixties. Since that time he has never looked back. Instead of editorial cartoons, this creative cartoon genius has made a name for himself as a Christian pamphleteer. Of course, to my knowledge he was never an editorial cartoonist. Though that is too bad, perhaps it's just as well.

It might seem odd that I enjoy the work of Jack Chick, but I do. I enjoy his art, and even the stories. I don’t agree with them, but oh well, it is what it is.

I recently discovered his website and hunted down this old gem that someone once left in my mailbox, warning about the false teachings of reincarnation. The title of it is The Tycoon. It is rip-roaring hilarious.

Of course, it is supposed to be scary, and in fact, I can see why Chick’s pamphlets are so effective. They scare the hell out of you by simply pointing out the exact words of the Bible. I’m not talking about obscure little passages that are open to interpretation either. No, I am referring to exact passages that are absolutely meant to be taken literally.

Of course, belief in their veracity requires a very big leap of faith that I can’t take. Like, for example, you have to believe the Bible is the literal word of God, you have to believe in that particular God, you have to believe he has always existed (no beginning or no end) and that he created the universe,even though there is absolutely no demonstrable, explainable, or conceivable way any of this could be possible.

Then, you have to take the biggest leap of faith of all, in believing that all human beings are “sinners” and “fallen from grace”. If you can accept that doctrine, then everything else in the Bible becomes logical. If you can’t accept it, well, then Houston, we have a problem.

Nevertheless I still enjoy reading Jack Chick cartoons. Maybe I’m just a masochist.

I doubt the Islamic community would share my amusement at Jack Chick cartoons. At least, not those which are very critical of the Islamic faith and Mohammed.

Out of all the thousands upon thousands of angry, screaming faces shouting “Death To Europe” due to the publication of a cartoon in one newspaper in Denmark (which was then reprinted, however, in several other papers across Europe), finally four have been charged in the controversy.

I strongly urge the distribution of this cartoon by Jack Chick. It’s hilarious, as are many Chick cartoons, in this case mainly due to how easily the Muslim character is converted, after being convinced that Allah is a false idol-a former pagan “moon god”.

The offending European cartoon merely featured a likeness of Allah with the lit fuse of a bomb protruding from the turban on his head.

If this cartoon were ever read, it might well result in the death of western civilization as we know it.

Then again, cartoonist Robert Smigel and Saturday Night Live got away with portraying Mohammed as a member of a superhero team-one lead by Jesus Christ-so maybe not.

Unfortunately, the cartoon in question, from the Saturday TV Fun House series-a semi-regular segment on Saturday Night Live for about ten years now-has vanished from the list on Wikipedia, nor is it to be found on any other list of which I am aware. Almost like it never existed. Very strange.