When I was younger, I found a few of the tracts interesting, particularly the one on evolution (“Big Daddy”) and later when they published comics, “The Enchanter,” about Joseph Smith, and a couple about the Catholic Church and Islam - “The Crusades,” “The Jesuits,” and the absolutely infamous and ridiculous “Alberto” and “the Prophet.” I say this with all due respect to their personal beliefs, and tolerant of differences in beliefs, but with less respect for the way those beliefs have at times been expressed. I haven’t read any for quite a while, so am not up to date with what has been published the past five years or so. I find them useful for understanding what some “fundamentalists” believe - there is a church about a mile from me that has those and similar tracts, I’ve spoken with their pastor, we are on good terms, and so I cannot understand what possesses people to use that material rather than something more, shall I say, patient, respectful of differences, and humble. Knowing what types of arguments some people might have, it becomes relatively easy to find material that refutes those arguments. The problem isn’t the material or the arguments, but in my experience has been the firmly shuttered minds unwilling to re-evaluate their beliefs. I don’t see much indication of a change in tone by such publishers. What I have to do is be patient when I see or hear this material, when it is being actually believed whole-heartedly by someone, and patiently, kindly, without getting angry, make an effort to explain to them the truth besmirched by the tracts’ un-Christian distortions.
It even had the name of the “Baptist” church that was associated with it. So some Protestants still think this unabashed attack on another Christian faith tradition is acceptable? Not very charitable or Christ like in my opinion. So that no one else had to endure such undignified reading I made sure it was deposited in the appropriate receptacle with the rest of the trash.
