Tract: The Death Cookie
Claim: The Eucharist or Holy Communion is a death cookie.
The Big Question: Is that true? Let’s find out.
In this tract as in all his other gospel tracts, Jack Chick begins his anti-Catholic propaganda with, “How could I gain control of all these people without an army?” He continues with, “Make them believe that their immortal souls are in your hands.” Let’s see what the Bible has to say about this:
“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” (Hebrews 13:17 KJV emphasis mine)
The Pope never claims that the immortal soul of any Catholic is in his hands. The Pope follows what the Bible says, knowing that as a shepherd, he has to watch over the souls of his flock. That is what the Word of God says clearly in Hebrews 13:17.
Mr. Chick continues, “If you can make a man believe that you have the power to put him into Hell… He’ll do anything you ask to save his skin.” When has the Pope claimed that he as a human being has power to put others into Hell? Can Chick cite a source?
Jack Chick writes, “Man is religious by nature and so you must appear to be very holy.” Indeed man is religious by nature but the issue is what true religion is. Let’s see what the Bible says:
“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this mans religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:26-27 KJV emphasis mine)
He continues, “Oh, yes, but you must also be very mysterious and different. Speak things that no one understands and burn a lot of candles.” This is another falsehood presented by Jack Chick. Are Popes really mysterious and different? No! Do Popes speak things that no one understands? No. Popes usually speak in Latin which is the official language of the Latin/Roman Church. They even speak in familiar languages like English, Spanish, German and French. As for the “burn a lot of candles,” it is true that the Catholic Church burn candles during worship but it is not only candles that are burned. The Church also burn incense. I guess Jack Chick intentionally left the incense aspect because he knows even at the birth of Christ frankincense was presented as one of the gifts to the child Jesus. Burning candles is not unchristian just as burning incense isn’t.
Mr. Chick continues, “It is vital that the people believe that only you and your Holy Helpers know God.” It is ironic how Chick refers to Catholic priests and clergies as Holy Helpers. He also makes the Pope seem power and money hungry. These are all false. What he is presenting is at best fictional and nothing Catholic.
Now the real case that Jack Chick attempts to make begins. We shall see from the Bible that Jack Chick is wrong and the Catholic Church is right.
Jack Chick in his fictional view of the Catholic Church believes that the Pope and priests are some magicians. This is highly insane of him.
What the Egyptians did is different from what the Catholic Church does. The Egyptians were pagan worshippers and unbelievers by Christian standards. Catholics on the other hand are believers of the God of the Bible and His Son Jesus Christ.
We shall be seeing from the Bible that the Eucharist/Holy Communion is the Bread of Life and not the fictional death cookie Mr. Chick thinks it is.
No Pope ever claims of performing miracles using cookies. The Catholic Church doesn’t claim to possess magical powers. These are all false allegations by Jack Chick.
Jack Chick claims these words are said, “Hocus pocus Domi Nocus.” That is not correct. This is another falsehood presented by him. He continues to say, “See… it happened! Now you can eat your God… We call it Jesus!” This is another fictional lie to carry his anti-Catholic propaganda.
The Catholic Church was never called “Holy Work.” This is a lie from the pit of Hell. And the Church is not referred to as “Mama Church,” but Mother Church. It is called Mother Church because the Church is the pillar and ground of the truth as the Bible says:
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15 KJV emphasis mine)
Jack Chick boldly writes, “Holy Papa… if the people ever read what’s in the sacred writings… Then they will find out that we’ve tricked them.” That is a lie. Catholics are encouraged to read the Bible. That is how I know what is in the “sacred writings” and can confidently say Jack Chick got it all wrong.
Mr. Chick continues, “Here’s what we must do. Convince the people that the sacred writings are dangerous…” The Catholic Church never holds to that position. The Bible is not dangerous, it is the misinterpretation of the Bible that the Church considers as dangerous. Even the Bible affirms this. Let’s read what the Bible has to say about this matter.
“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:15-16 KJV emphasis mine)
Chick also adds “and if the people ever read the scriptures… they would go crazy!” He must be joking. What an absurd thing to say Jack Chick?
Jack Chick continues, “The religious advisor added more Jesuses to ‘Mama Church’ to confuse the children. And they had to bow down and worship each one listed below as God.” This is not correct. Let’s see:
The baby Jesus at Christmas: The Bible tells us that wise men from the east worshipped the baby Jesus. “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11 KJV emphasis mine) There is only one Jesus that Catholics worship and that is the Jesus of the Bible. Catholics remember the baby Jesus who is the Word made flesh and dwell among us and they worship this Jesus who is living and reigning with God the Father and the Holy Spirit in heaven.
The dead Jesus on the cross: Catholics remember the greatest love story ever told in the Bible. We love Jesus Christ crucified and we always love to have a crucifix around. We know Jesus is not dead but lives forever and ever. Amen. We believe what the Bible says about what Jesus did for us on the cross. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:14-16 KJV)
Also, the Bible says that, “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:22-24 KJV emphasis mine)
Again the Bible says, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2 KJV)
The angry Jesus up in heaven that nobody can calm down except his mother: If Jesus is angry in heaven it is because of people like Jack Chick who tells a lot of lies about the Catholic Church and the Virgin Mary in order to scatter the sheep from the flock. Anyway, there is only one Jesus in heaven that is the Jesus of the Bible that Catholics worship as their Lord, God and Saviour.
IHS confusion: The second biggest claim in this cartoon tract is this statement by Jack Chick, “The most dangerous Jesus is the one they stole from Egypt… the ‘cookie god.’ IHS stands for Isis, Horus and Seb, the gods of Egypt.” Is that true? Let’s find out.
In the last book of the Bible, we are told that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8 KJV) Alpha and Omega are the first and last alphabets of the Greek language. The New Testament was mostly written in Greek. Jesus as the Alpha and Omega has been used in the writings of early Christians. This was sometimes written using the abbreviation ΑΩ. Similarly, IHS is not the abbreviation for the Egyptian gods Isis, Horus and Seb. IHS is the abbreviation for the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek. Jesus in Greek is Iesous (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ in the uppercase). IHS = ΙΗΣ (iota, eta and sigma).
Even Holy Papa became a type of Jesus: “And they had to bow down and worship each one listed below as God.” The Pope is not worshipped as God. He is not worshipped at all in anyway. Catholics don’t see the Pope as another Jesus. The Pope is the vicar (i.e. the representative) of Jesus Christ. If Jesus is the President, the Pope would be considered as the ambassador of Jesus Christ on earth.
The Holy Helpers became other Jesuses: No Catholic in his/her right mind would worship any priest as God. That would be idolatry and very foolish. However, priests represent Jesus Christ since they are His ministers of the gospel. We are to respect them as the Bible teaches: “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.” (Hebrews 13:7 KJV)
According to the Bible, when Moses went up to Mount Sinai, to receive the law, the people of Israel rose against Aaron. They said:
“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:1-4 KJV)
It is the making of graven images and the worshiping of these images as a god which God forbids.
“Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.” (Deuteronomy 4:15-19 KJV)
The Ten Commandments affirm that God forbids the worship of graven images as a god.
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” (Exodus 20:4-5 KJV)
“Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:4 KJV)
“Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” (Deuteronomy 5:7-9 KJV)
We have seen from the context of the above Bible passages that the creature should not be worshiped instead of the Creator. Let us now see passages in the Bible where the Living God commands the making of images. The first instance is the making of the Ark of the Covenant. Here, God said to Moses,
“And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.” (Exodus 25:17-21 KJV emphasis mine)
Again, God commands the making of bronze serpent.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” (Numbers 21:8-9 KJV emphasis mine)
Do you see how God can use images to reveal His glory and bless people, if and only if it is not worshiped as a god?
Jack Chick claims that “Mama Church said she was the way.” He does not provide any source for this claim as in his many claims in this cartoon tract. The truth is that “Mama Church” never said so. Jack Chick continues to say, “We’ve been tricked!” No, Jack Chick is the one attempting to trick you with this false gospel tract of his. Indeed, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32 KJV)
After quoting Luke 22:19 Jack Chick writes, “To show the Lord’s death until He comes. Then it’s symbolic… The Holy Papa has lied to us.” Well, Jack Chick is the one trying to lie to us. To understand what Jesus meant in Luke 22, let’s read John 6.
“I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?” (John 6:48-60 KJV) Indeed this is a hard saying for people like Jack Chick to believe and understand. Let’s remember the only time in the Bible where the disciples of Jesus Christ left him and never came back was because of the doctrine of His Body and Blood (what Jack Chick wrongly calls death cookie). “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?” (John 6:66-67 KJV)
Now let’s read Luke 22 in context:
“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:17-20 KJV) These words from Jesus don’t sound anything symbolic at all. Let’s go deeper into the Bible to see that Jesus meant his words about the Last Supper or what is known as the Eucharist in the Catholic Church.
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28 KJV)
An early Christian by name St. Cyril of Jerusalem made this point clear: “Since Christ Himself has said, ‘This is My Body’ who shall dare to doubt that It is His Body?”
Further the Apostle Paul made strong comments about the Eucharist which indicates that it is nothing symbolic at all.
“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lords death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-27 KJV emphasis mine)
Jack Chick is attempting to misrepresent what the Inquisition was using imaginary figures that are untrue, unverifiable and unhistorical. It is always easy to lie with figures. That is why they say liars figure and figures lie. It’s an old tactics that Chick and other anti-Catholics use when they lack credible arguments against the Catholic Church and her teachings.
Jack Chick again on the Inquisition writes: What happened to Christ’s teachings of “Love your enemies?” (Luke 6:27) Well, this is explained below:
“The fact that God is love does not forbid the imprisonment of a criminal nor the hanging of a murderer. If love for the murderer does not prompt it, at least love for law and order, and love for other citizens suggests it. I am obliged to love my enemies, but not their crimes. Christ loved His enemies and prayed for them. Yet He told them that if they died in their sins they would be cast into hell for all eternity. Love does not forbid the punishment of crime. It insists that there should be some punishment so that men will not easily commit it.” (Radio Replies by Rev. Dr. Rumble, M.S.C. Volume I, Question 1073)
Jack Chick attempts to put words into Jesus’ mouth by saying, “Jesus describes the Vatican as ‘the habitation of devils,’ – using the blasphemous wafer god and controlling her people by magic and witchcraft.” Jesus never said any of these in the Bible in reference to the Vatican.
The Holy Eucharist which the Holy Bible teaches is not the wafer god. Jack Chick keeps getting it wrong.
Jack Chick again thinks that there would be another Inquisition. He again repeats his errors and confusion about the Holy Eucharist and his so-called cookie.
Anyone who has read John chapter 6 knows how wrong and confused Jack Chick really is. Jack Chick prefers to use emotional tactics to scare readers into believing that demons are attached to The Lord’s Supper. I wonder if Jack Chick has read these Scriptures:
“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42 KJV)
“I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.” (1 Corinthians 10:15-17 KJV)
Now Jack Chick intensifies his false gospel messages. Where in the Bible does Jesus talks about the Vatican, much more condemning it as Babylon? Let’s read the Bible and see which city is the real Babylon that Jesus Christ as the Alpha and Omega talks about in the book of Revelation.
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” (Revelation 18:1-2 KJV emphasis mine)
“Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.” (Revelation 18:10 KJV emphasis mine)
“And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” (Revelation 18:21 KJV emphasis mine)
The Bible gives us a clue of the name of the great city Babylon over here:
“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” (Revelation 11:8 KJV emphasis mine)
QUESTION: Where was our Lord crucified? Was He crucified in Vatican or Jerusalem?
© 2013 Godwin Delali Adadzie