Weird Tract Number 55: "The 2 Crosses" by W.G. McCartney

Troy Davis writes:

I previously wrote about the hysteria in fundamentalist and Bircher circles about the supposed Satanic origins of the peace symbol when the anti--Vietnam War movement adopted it in the late 1960s. Tract publishers churned out tracts (and, in Jack Chick's case, comic books) that warned readers that the peace symbol was not a way to show your grooviness but rather part of a dark plot by The Beast itself.

This three-page undated pamphlet was published by Christian Missions Press which is still around (check out their web page that appears to be from 1994).  The author, W.G. McCartney, exhibits some serious paranoia on page two: "The communists have infiltrated the garment industry. The emblem of the "broken cross" is embroidered on many garments and is worn by Americans, some knowingly and some unknowingly. In this subtle way, the communists are making their bid to brainwash and gain the youth of America to believe the lie of the Anti-Christ that will later be revealed in the world as the Bible has prophesied." This line of reasoning was very popular in fundamentalist circles in the 1970s; for instance, in The Late Great Planet Earth, Hal Lindsey gave the popularity of the occult among the counterculture as evidence that Satan was marshaling his forces to battle once The Rapture occurs. I rate this tract F for Funky.

Note: I incorporate the "broken cross" as a satanic symbol in my various Chick tract parodies such as "Donald Trump Is The Antichrist."

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