Why aren’t there atheist/agnostic/freethinker “tracts”?

[klm3]

I’ve seen a lot of venial Christians and churches use tract or propaganda for lack of a better word. If they believe that this is an effective way to get there message out to the “lost” than why don’t atheist and agnostic organizations produce there own tracts for distribution. It’s got to be more effective than the smut for smut campaign that atheist group used in Texas.

I’ve been toying with the idea of passing out a freethinker pamphlet I created for school project to the Christian group that hands out gospel tracts in front of my apartment. I figure if they are going to hand me something to throw away I might as well extend the courtesy right back.

[mentored1]

Not a bad idea...

I think the reason why you don't see a lot of that type of thing is the association with Bible tracts. The mission of believers is to "evangelize the world" hence the outreach with tracts. "Freethinkers" (or an equally appropriate title) don't by nature have such a mission. I know that I enjoy discussing just about anything in an open fashion but I don't consider it a mission to "open the minds of the world" ... Sort of implies that I'm trying to persuade somebody to a specific point of view when I'm more interested in getting people to absolve themselves of set views...

If you can make a tract that conveys the right message in the right way you might be on to something... But I fear you'll get a great many misinterpretations before that point: I used to pass out Bible tracts and it can be quite challenging just getting people to comprehend the message...

I wish you the best!

[Tladatsi]

I’ve seen a lot of venial Christians and churches use tract or propaganda for lack of a better word. If they believe that this is an effective way to get there message out to the “lost” than why don’t atheist and agnostic organizations produce there own tracts for distribution. It’s got to be more effective than the smut for smut campaign that atheist group used in Texas.

I’ve been toying with the idea of passing out a freethinker pamphlet I created for school project to the Christian group that hands out gospel tracts in front of my apartment. I figure if they are going to hand me something to throw away I might as well extend the courtesy right back.

Oh there are. There is an organization or two of atheists who proclaim their truth to the benighted fools who believe in God. They are a sort of atheistic church prostletizing the world - none to effectly I might say.

Most agnostics and atheists I have met simply don't care enough about it do anything like handing out free tracks. They don't believe but they don't care if anyone else believes or not.

[Didaktylos]

I’ve seen a lot of venial Christians and churches use tract or propaganda for lack of a better word. If they believe that this is an effective way to get there message out to the “lost” than why don’t atheist and agnostic organizations produce there own tracts for distribution. It’s got to be more effective than the smut for smut campaign that atheist group used in Texas.

I’ve been toying with the idea of passing out a freethinker pamphlet I created for school project to the Christian group that hands out gospel tracts in front of my apartment. I figure if they are going to hand me something to throw away I might as well extend the courtesy right back.

No need to tell people what they should think, only that they should think.

[Minnesota]

No need to tell people what they should think, only that they should think.

Exactly. Who cares what others believe, as long as it doesn't infringe on the rights and peace of others. It's only the proselytizing poops who have this compulsion to tell others how wrong they are. Normally I would say it's a harmless pursuit, but in as much as its goal requires a suspension of one's critical thinking skills, it is an odious, destructive enterprise.

[BeHereNow]

When I was in college, I saw just as many atheist/freethinker tracts as any relgious ones. I kept one of them for a few years because it was very funny. But yea.. they're out there. Just think how fewer irreligious folks there are in the US than otherwise, and also how we are not compelled by our beliefs to proselytize. None of us believes there are eternal consequences for disagreement, so there really is no compulsion to get out and "witness", as it were.

[n0rstar]

That is a rather good idea in the fact that, we can exchange tracts. Whenever I go to a major Sporting event or community gig, there's tons of religions handing things out.

I also like the documentrys History Channel puts together. Cause they provide an unbiased point of view for free thinkers. If I were to create a tract I think I would do so by pointing out the historical refrences of the Bible (as in the Book of Daniel, The beast with 9 heads and 1 scared. Obviously speaking of Nero and the Roman Congress, Or the birth of Jesus being a plagerized version of Krishna written some 4000 years prior). Like someone stated previously though, I don't care what other people think if someone needs God or the CHurch as a crutch to get through life, then so be it. But its when goverments tell me what I can and can't do in the privacy of my home. And before you get the idea that I'm some Anti-Goverment fundamentalist, I'm meerely after the things the CHristian Goverment has taken from us, Like the choice of Abortion, Banning the teaching on the Theory of Evolution, or recreational use of narcotics.

[Hitch]

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[Alchemist]

Most agnostics and atheists I have met simply don't care enough about it do anything like handing out free tracks. They don't believe but they don't care if anyone else believes or not.

Bingo!

I really don't care enough to:

1) make a tract

2) pass out tracts

Now if they were really funny and I could get an entertaining reaction out of people then number 2 might change. Personally I think that the most important thing people can do is decide for themselves, one way or the other. I think that "evangelizing" of any sort is not productive because it is one person trying to convince another. I think people should talk openly about their views, but that it would be a sharing of information and not a "I'm right, your wrong" type of thing.

As another poster said:

No need to tell people what they should think, only that they should think

[klm3]

No need to tell people what they should think, only that they should think.

That is exactly what I'm trying to do. I don't really give a damn what they believe. As far as I'm concerned they are free to believe what ever they wish. The one I'm putting together encourages thinking and defines and defends my position. I don't want to "convert" anybody I just want to be left alone when I leave my apartment. I think if the people who are handy out the gospel tracts understand my position they leave me alone. Thus if i hand them a tract that does just that it saves me a lot of breath.

[n0rstar]

I'm beginning to care more and more of what people think. Before I couldn't care less what people beleaved in, cause we are of free will.

However, it's when the bible is used for destructive, and restrictive authorization that I just want to abolish all forms of religion. I'm mainly speaking about the 30million Evangelicals that support people like 'Bush' as being a God appointed president. The revenue these churches bring in simply for abuse is staggering.

Then you have the abortion issue which has been winning republican favor. Their attack on abortion is 'God Hates It' and the deaf, blind and dumb sheep that follow that ridicule and attack people who are Pro-Choice.

I was done with talking about religion until I began taken interest in politics. When I learned the tactics and the abuse of the GOP I was outraged, and with so many people following their ideologys I feel as if someone needs to wake them up.

The bible is hindering our societys, even now Muslims and Jew's are bombing each other, and for what? Cause they both want to occupy Jerulsalem, but hate each others doctrines enough to kill. This has been going on for thousands of years, and it needs to come to a hault.

[neonmagek]

No need to tell people what they should think, only that they should think.

I agree completely. Getting people to think is one of my goals when I debate. I know in advance that the probablity of me changing someone's mind on say, religion, is not very good. That is okay. Since my goal is not to make people to think just like me, but rather, for them to think for them selves and do their homework. I figure, if I am right, people who think for them selves and do their homework are likely to reach the same conclusions I have. If I am wrong, they will probably remain in disagreement with me forever on the issue. On the other hand, if I were to try to brainwash people into thinking just like me and I am wrong, I would be spreading one of the very things I am trying to combat, willful ignorance.

[Quantic]

There are not many such things, but here is one that I like:
http://www.jhuger.com/pamphlets/kha.pdf

This pamphlet gets the point across in a pretty humorous way.

[Sir-Think-A-Lot]

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[Zeluvia]

I don't think we agree on enough to make a tract = p

better yet, support our secular lobbiest, she needs cash = )