Weird Tract Number 128: "LONG HAIR: Did Jesus Wear It?" by Dr. Hal Webb

Troy Davis writes:

I have only possessed this tract for a few hours and it has grabbed my heart and my funny bone.  I realize if you are a nerdlinger (see photo below) and graduate of Bob Jones University like Hal Webb, the 60s counterculture was a major freakout.  Like other out-of-touch fundies (notable examples Vic Lockman and DeVore Walterman, Hal Webb (circa 1926 - 2011). does a unintentionally hilarious take on the long hair craze of the 60s. Webb is the epitome of Susan Sontag's concept of naive camp. Webb thought long hair was part of a Soviet plot to sissify American men.

 A revised version of the tract is printed here.

Webb's pic reminds me of the wedding photo of a dweeby Mike Warnke that was instrumental in exposing the self-proclaimed former Satanic priest as a fabulist (see below and more on Warnke here). 

The Museum of Weird and Demented Religious Tracts is a project of Les Zazous Postmodern Art Galley of Bellaire, Ohio. Read the Welcome Statement of The Museum here.

For more on the gallery, check out the web site here and the gallery's Twitter handle is @ZazousLes.  The Twitter handle for the museum is @WeirdTracts

The index of tracts for the museum's website is here. 

Contributions of weird tracts to the museum can be made by mail: send your weird tracts to Les Zazous Postmodern Art Gallery 3475 Guernsey Street, Bellaire, Ohio 43906.

 

Weird Tract Number 127: "Talking to Himself in Hell" by D.M. Fletcher

 Troy Davis writes:

This old-timey double-sized circular written by D.M. Fletcher is rather unimaginative. It gives the testimony of a wretched soul who was sent to the "everlasting fire, prepare for the devil and his angels." It's not pretty. The only thing cool about this tract is the funky art. 

The Museum of Weird and Demented Religious Tracts is a project of Les Zazous Postmodern Art Galley of Bellaire, Ohio. Read the Welcome Statement of The Museum here.

For more on the gallery, check out the web site here and the gallery's Twitter handle is @ZazousLes.  The Twitter handle for the museum is @WeirdTracts

The index of tracts for the museum's website is here. 

Contributions of weird tracts to the museum can be made by mail: send your weird tracts to Les Zazous Postmodern Art Gallery 3475 Guernsey Street, Bellaire, Ohio 43906.

Weird Tract Number 126: "Christmas/Xmas" by Hubert Hotchkiss

 Troy Davis writes:

This old-timey 4-paged pamphlet by Hubert Hotchkiss is one of many bemoaning the removal of "Christ" from "Christmas" and creating the supposed secular holiday Xmas. To Hotchkiss, Satan himself is behind it: "Satan's work is obvious as we notice the change from "Christmas" to Xmas. Satan has effectively hoodwinked many followers of Christ."

The Museum of Weird and Demented Religious Tracts is a project of Les Zazous Postmodern Art Galley of Bellaire, Ohio. Read the Welcome Statement of The Museum here.

For more on the gallery, check out the web site here and the gallery's Twitter handle is @ZazousLes.  The Twitter handle for the museum is @WeirdTracts

The index of tracts for the museum's website is here. 

Contributions of weird tracts to the museum can be made by mail: send your weird tracts to Les Zazous Postmodern Art Gallery 3475 Guernsey Street, Bellaire, Ohio 43906.

Museum Artifact: Mormon Temple Garments

 Troy Davis writes:

One of the latest additions to the museum's collection is a pair of men's Mormon Temple Garments (holy underwear). I got them on eBay from a guy who bought them at an estate sale. I love them.  Below is a small tag that reads "Authorized Pattern with a tiny illustration of the main Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City. This is a one-piece design and has a buttoned "crap flap" in back.

Wikipedia's entry on temple garments is comprehensive.

The Museum of Weird and Demented Religious Tracts is a project of Les Zazous Postmodern Art Galley of Bellaire, Ohio. Read the Welcome Statement of The Museum here.

For more on the gallery, check out the web site here and the gallery's Twitter handle is @ZazousLes.  The Twitter handle for the museum is @WeirdTracts

The index of tracts for the museum's website is here. 

Contributions of weird tracts to the museum can be made by mail: send your weird tracts to Les Zazous Postmodern Art Gallery 3475 Guernsey Street, Bellaire, Ohio 43906.

 

 

Museum Artifact: 1983 Moral Majority Coin Set in a Velvet Box

Troy Davis writes:

The museum has many things related to Jerry Falwell (1933-2007) such as a 1996-97 Liberty University application package and a Moral Majority paperweight.  This is a really cool item that financial contributors to to the then-powerful, now-defunct pressure group of Reaganism, the Moral Majority. The group fit into Falwell's view of a macho Prince of Peace ("Jesus," Falwell told his flock, "wasn't a sissy"). The coins come in a cheap but showy velvet case.  Below is the cover of a Chick tract parody of Falwell I'm working on.

 

The Museum of Weird and Demented Religious Tracts is a project of Les Zazous Postmodern Art Galley of Bellaire, Ohio. Read the Welcome Statement of The Museum here.

For more on the gallery, check out the web site here and the gallery's Twitter handle is @ZazousLes.  The Twitter handle for the museum is @WeirdTracts

The index of tracts for the museum's website is here. 

Contributions of weird tracts to the museum can be made by mail: send your weird tracts to Les Zazous Postmodern Art Gallery 3475 Guernsey Street, Bellaire, Ohio 43906.

 

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Weird Tract Number 125: "Liquor Is The Enemy of Body and Soul" by Cyrus Osterhus

 Troy Davis writes:

Osterhus Publishing House has been around since the turn of the 20th century. Cyrus (who died in 1967) took over the publishing house when his father, the founder, died in 1931.  This undated but old-timey tract discusses the evils of drinking alcohol; the on-the-nose illustration of the drinkers flying too close to the flame makes this tract goofy enough for inclusion to our collection. I previously featured an Osterhus publication on the evils of brew: "Rats in the Beer Vats" that gives some gross-out details of  alleged brewery practices in the early 20th century.

The Museum of Weird and Demented Religious Tracts is a project of Les Zazous Postmodern Art Galley of Bellaire, Ohio. Read the Welcome Statement of The Museum here.

For more on the gallery, check out the web site here and the gallery's Twitter handle is @ZazousLes.  The Twitter handle for the museum is @WeirdTracts

The index of tracts for the museum's website is here. 

Contributions of weird tracts to the museum can be made by mail: send your weird tracts to Les Zazous Postmodern Art Gallery 3475 Guernsey Street, Bellaire, Ohio 43906.

Weird Tract Number 124: "Closet Witches" by Jack T. Chick (Interview with Defrocked Physician Rebecca Brown and "Elaine")

 Troy Davis writes:

Jack Chick (1924-2016) embraced and stood by some pretty sketchy characters such as John Todd and Alberto Rivera, but Dr. Rebecca Brown was a rising star in the Chick Publications stable of authors who fell out of favor with the Chickster after a brief alliance in the 1980s. Chick never publicly gave his reasons for his break with Brown; David Daniels didn't mention Brown in his official biography of Chick. 

During her brief tenure as a Chick Publications author, Brown wrote two books (whose covers feature kickass Frazetta-esque artwork by Fred Carter): He Came to Set The Captives Free and Prepare for War.  He Came to Set The Captives Free is the story of "Elaine," a alleged captive of Satanism who allegedly was the bride of the Devil. The book also tells of Brown's struggles with satanism at the hospital that employed her (Brown, born Ruth Bailey, lost her medical license for, among other things, of diagnosing patients, including Elaine, of being possessed by demons and for administering dangerous dosages of drugs such as Demerol). I remember seeing Brown interviewed on a TBN program and I concluded she was batshit crazy. Prepare for War discusses various practices that open up a person to demonic possession (I includes some of those Brown listed such as vegetarianism and astral-projection in my satirical list of "doorways to demonic possession" panel that I use in my Chick tract parodies (see below; for more on how this list became a viral meme, read this article).

Closet Witches consists of two audio-cassettes in which Chick interviews Brown and Elaine. It's basically a rehash of the claims made in He Came to Set The Captives Free. One new revelation made by Elaine was that Satan was personally targeting Chick for destruction. It's a surreal listening experience; it's too bad the audio isn't available on The Internet. 

One final note on Brown: She and her husband Daniel Yoder are still around. I previously noted that she sold $46 vials of anointing oil. 

UPDATE: Several years ago, Brown's website announced that Elaine had passed on. Rebecca Brown died June 23, 2020. Here is her obituary. 

NOTES ON JACK CHICK: In my introductory post, I listed just a few of the many rare and valuable objects from The Museum's extensive Chick-related collection . . . The role of Ralph Rushtoi in the publishing careers of both Jack Chick and another comics-based tract writer Vic Lockman. . . I discuss the role of Bill Bright's prolific tract The Four Spiritual Laws in leading to a format change in Chick tracts that was a key reason why they have become much more popular since the late 1960s . . . My thoughts on Jack Chick's spreading of the peace symbol/broken cross mythology . . .  Jack Chick's retro-futuristic car in the scarce 48-page version of "The Beast" . . . Chick tract parody "Constitutional Rites" . . .Jack Chick's cold war tract "Ivan The Terrible" . . . Article on Chick by fellow Catholic-baiting Bob Jones University magazine . . .Catholic-bashing tract by Chick's protege Alberto Rivera . . . Knock-off of a Chick tract by James Lloyd:"Left Behind" . . . Chick tract parody "Donald Trump Is The Antichrist; Prepare for the Rapture!" . . . The extremely rare 1970 Chick tract "Operation Somebody Cares" . . .The rare Chick Publications comic book "Jonah" by Chick and Fred Carter . . . The museum's prized cultural artifact, original art by Jack Chick . . .  The museum's collection of Jack Chick's high school yearbooks . . . An appreciation of the deranged nature of the original 1972 version of the Chick tract "The Last Generation"  . . The museum has a rare copy of the oversized 1964 Version of "This Was Your Life" by Jack Chick (Distributed by Rushtoi Publications) 

The Museum of Weird and Demented Religious Tracts is a project of Les Zazous Postmodern Art Galley of Bellaire, Ohio. Read the Welcome Statement of The Museum here.

For more on the gallery, check out the web site here and the gallery's Twitter handle is @ZazousLes.  The Twitter handle for the museum is @WeirdTracts

The index of tracts for the museum's website is here. 

Contributions of weird tracts to the museum can be made by mail: send your weird tracts to Les Zazous Postmodern Art Gallery 3475 Guernsey Street, Bellaire, Ohio 43906.

 

Weird Tract Number 123: "Act Now To Stop Obama's Nazi Health Plan!" by the Lyndon LaRouche PAC

 Troy Davis writes:

This isn't a religious tract; the Lyndon LaRouche movement is a secular political cult but it contains elements of a quasi-religion. Lyndon LaRouche (1922-2019) was a Marxist-turned-reactionary who became best known as a perennial presidential candidate. This 16-page magazine from 2009 has an inflammatory message about then-President Obama's plans for national health care. 

I received this tract from a Larouche zombie outide Sean Hannity's August 2009 Freedom Concert in San Diego. At the concert, I was seated directed behind Hannity's wife and kids. It was a surreal event.

I always enjoyed mocking Larouchies when I was an employee at USC and they would set up tables on the sidewalks adjacent to campus. LaRouchies swear to a vow of chastity so they were notoriously humorless when I mocked them. Typical condescending remark made to a LaRouchie: "Do your parents know you're doing this?" 

The Museum of Weird and Demented Religious Tracts is a project of Les Zazous Postmodern Art Galley of Bellaire, Ohio. Read the Welcome Statement of The Museum here.

For more on the gallery, check out the web site here and the gallery's Twitter handle is @ZazousLes.  The Twitter handle for the museum is @WeirdTracts

The index of tracts for the museum's website is here. 

Contributions of weird tracts to the museum can be made by mail: send your weird tracts to Les Zazous Postmodern Art Gallery 3475 Guernsey Street, Bellaire, Ohio 43906.

Weird Tract Number 122: "Teenagers Talk . . . Wild Oats and Harvest" by Haun Publishing Company

 Troy Davis writes:

I hate this four-page booklet published by Haun Publishing Company of Pasadena,Texas. It's the story of a young woman who suddenly discovers that she is dead and is waiting in line for judgement. She is surrounded by her family and ancestors who witness a giant screen in which her earthly thoughts, not actions, but thoughts are projected. Apparently, she had unclean thoughts. Therefore, she is thrown into the lake of fire. Apparently, Haun Publishing's God likes to add insult to injury by having one's relatives witness your most intimate thoughts. Yuck!

The Museum of Weird and Demented Religious Tracts is a project of Les Zazous Postmodern Art Galley of Bellaire, Ohio. Read the Welcome Statement of The Museum here.

For more on the gallery, check out the web site here and the gallery's Twitter handle is @ZazousLes.  The Twitter handle for the museum is @WeirdTracts

The index of tracts for the museum's website is here. 

Contributions of weird tracts to the museum can be made by mail: send your weird tracts to Les Zazous Postmodern Art Gallery 3475 Guernsey Street, Bellaire, Ohio 43906.

Artifacts from the Museum's Collection: Jack Chick's High School Yearbooks

 Troy Davis  writes:

The museum has high school yearbooks for all four years (1939, 1940, 1941, 1942) that Jack Chick attended Alhambra High School (just east of Los Angeles). Chick's freshman and sophomore yearbooks contain only his class photo. Chick's junior and senior years were more eventful; Chick participated in various student organizations and plays (Chick was an actor who attended the Pasadena Playhouse actor's studio after the war; he gave up acting after being thoroughly disgusted by the misogynistic casting-couch atmosphere in Hollywood; when I had lunch with Chick in 2004, he discussed the matter (Chick's disdain for Tinseltown's amorality is covered extensively in the book You Don't Know Jack: The Authorized Biography of Christian Cartoonist Jack T. Chick by David Daniels). 

A couple of Chick's classmates also became famous: Hall of Fame baseball player Ralph Kiner (Class of '40) was two years ahead of Chick.. Comedian and voice actor Stan Freberg (Class of '45) was a freshman when Chick was a senior. When Chick was in grade school, Hillary Clinton's mother Dorothy Howell Rodham and future Dallas Cowboys executive Tex Schramm attended Alhambra High.

One notable thing about Alhambra High School is the number of published works by its alumni. Chick is the top published author of all time with over a billion books sold. Alhambra grad, novelist Clive Cussler (Class of '49)  was no slouch; over 100 million of his works have been published. It's remarkable that two publishing giants attended the same high school within a few years of each other. 

Chick's senior yearbook contains his first published artwork, a cartoon of a hapless visitor to a dude ranch containing an anecdote with words whose first letters spell out the word "Alhambra." 

NOTES ON JACK CHICK: In my introductory post, I listed just a few of the many rare and valuable objects from The Museum's extensive Chick-related collection . . . The role of Ralph Rushtoi in the publishing careers of both Jack Chick and another comics-based tract writer Vic Lockman. . . I discuss the role of Bill Bright's prolific tract The Four Spiritual Laws in leading to a format change in Chick tracts that was a key reason why they have become much more popular since the late 1960s . . . My thoughts on Jack Chick's spreading of the peace symbol/broken cross mythology . . .  Jack Chick's retro-futuristic car in the scarce 48-page version of "The Beast" . . . Chick tract parody "Constitutional Rites" . . .Jack Chick's cold war tract "Ivan The Terrible" . . . Article on Chick by fellow Catholic-baiting Bob Jones University magazine . . .Catholic-bashing tract by Chick's protege Alberto Rivera . . . Knock-off of a Chick tract by James Lloyd:"Left Behind" . . . Chick tract parody "Donald Trump Is The Antichrist; Prepare for the Rapture!" . . . The extremely rare 1970 Chick tract "Operation Somebody Cares" . . .The rare Chick Publications comic book "Jonah" by Chick and Fred Carter . . . The museum's prized cultural artifact, original art by Jack Chick . . .

"Closet Witches" by Jack T. Chick (audio-cassette interview with Dr. Rebecca Brown and "Elaine") . . .

The museum has a rare copy of the oversized 1964 Version of "This Was Your Life" by Jack Chick (Distributed by Rushtoi Publications) 

appreciation of the deranged nature of the original 1972 version of the Chick tract "The Last Generation" . . .The museum has a rare copy of the oversized 1964 Version of "This Was Your Life" by Jack Chick (Distributed by Rushtoi Publications) 

The Museum of Weird and Demented Religious Tracts is a project of Les Zazous Postmodern Art Galley of Bellaire, Ohio. Read the Welcome Statement of The Museum here.

For more on the gallery, check out the web site here and the gallery's Twitter handle is @ZazousLes.  The Twitter handle for the museum is @WeirdTracts

The index of tracts for the museum's website is here. 

Contributions of weird tracts to the museum can be made by mail: send your weird tracts to Les Zazous Postmodern Art Gallery 3475 Guernsey Street, Bellaire, Ohio 43906.

 

Weird Tract Number 121: "Have You Been Brainwashed About Ape-Men?" by Walter Lang and Vic Lockman

 Troy Davis writes:

This 6-page tri-fold pamphlet seems derivative. First, there's the title that is similar to the anti-evolution comic book tract released by Life Messengers "Have You Been Brainwashed?"(1973; the tract was mentioned in this museum feature article).  Much of the tract's content overlaps the claims about fossils and pre-human hominids made by the creationist student in the Chick tract "Big Daddy?" (1972). Did Lang and Lockman copy these other tracts? It's hard to say but their tract is undated but undoubtedly it's from around the mid-1970s when the pair created other tri-fold pamphlets (such as this exposé of Erich Von Däniken featured by the museum) so it was probably created after the other two.

This tract is clearly a matter of form over content. It is full of Lang's sterile creationist dogma (Lang (1913-2004) embraced geocentrism later in life;  this refutation of Chick's "Big Daddy?" claims also covers the claims in Lang and Lockman's tract). However, the art, fonts, and formatting by Lockman, a seasoned comics artist, are superb. I have included the rest of the tract below. 

NOTES ON VIC LOCKMAN:  This article looks at the role of long-forgotten publisher Ralph Rusthoi on the tract-publishing of Lockman and Jack Chick . . . In the 1970s, Lockman and Walter Lang take on ancient astronaut theorist Erich Von Däniken in the tract "Was God an Astronaut?" . . . Lockman goes into Bircher mode with the tract "Who's Calling The Shots?" . . . The museum featured Lockman's anti-counterculure tract Hippie Come Home. Read it here.

The Museum of Weird and Demented Religious Tracts is a project of Les Zazous Postmodern Art Galley of Bellaire, Ohio. Read the Welcome Statement of The Museum here.

For more on the gallery, check out the web site here and the gallery's Twitter handle is @ZazousLes.  The Twitter handle for the museum is @WeirdTracts

The index of tracts for the museum's website is here. 

Contributions of weird tracts to the museum can be made by mail: send your weird tracts to Les Zazous Postmodern Art Gallery 3475 Guernsey Street, Bellaire, Ohio 43906.