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I Want to Start a "Religious" Tract Cache


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After participating in a recent thread that was started on that old subject (Religious Tracts in Caches, for those of you who didn't read the topic title or click on the link to the other thread) I've decided I want to start a cache with all the swag being Tracts and the like.

 

In the other thread, I mentioned that there were two pieces of such swag that I took just because I thought they were clever. From the other thread:

One was a Million Dollar Bill. On the back side, it asked the "Million Dollar Question: Will you go to heaven when you die?" For what it was, it was well done, I had to trade for it.

2573708392_7c68a1ac77.jpg

Someone later posted a link to a news article about how some of these got seized by the gub'ment as counterfeit, which I think makes these even funnier!
The other was a "Get Out of Hell Free" card. Turns out, if you read their website, the cards were produced because someone told the guy who makes them that they were going to hell. To quote the website:
Randy figured that if a self-appointed moralist could condemn people to hell with the snap of her mind, he certainly had the power to get them out again. Thus the Get Out of Hell Free (or "GOOHF") card was born.
card.gif
I've heard mention of other tracts that I'd trade for without a second thought. The Sweet Potato Tract, and the Pastafarian Tract come to mind.

 

So, here's my questions:

  1. If stocked with a variety of tracts touting different ideas, would a themed-swag cache of this type be within the guidelines?
  2. Who knows where I can get Tracts like the Sweet Potato/Pastafarian Tracts?
  3. What tract have you seen/heard of that you would enjoy finding in such a cache?

Other than all that, what other issues does anyone see arising from a cache like this? How would you deal with them if you are the cache owner?

 

This thread is about clever tracts. It isn't about the morals of proselytizing in a cache, since that isn't the intent of the cache.

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In Brady's Run park in Fallston, PA there is a religious-themed cache named WWJC (Where Would Jesus Cache). The hide is a big ammo box with lots of religious swag and even tapes in it. What made the hide cool was the name in conjunction with the way it was hidden. Lets say you'd definitely have to look up to see this one :) Good luck with the cache. And as long as you forewarn abot the contents in the name, or cache description, that will keep folks, who like to complain about finding religious stuff in the caches, away from this one. Or if they do find it and want to complain - they were forwarned :)

BTW - cool stuff to hide in there would be at least a few thousand of those little green papers you see in the stores or in people's wallets that say "In God We Trust" on them. We'd definitely race for the FTF then! :grin:

 

Also, ever seen those "Coexist" bumper stickers? Each letter in the word is different simbol from different religion. Would fit well on or in container and seems like it'd suit the theme. Try This One or if that is too fuzzy - Then this one be more fit :laughing:

Edited by CluelessnLuV
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I'm not saying that I think it's an agenda, but I think that it's a sensitive enough issue that I'd run it by your reviewer first before even gathering up the swag. I'd also be prepared for in inevitable drama that will occur when the first person is offended for one reason or another.

 

I see the humor in it. I see the fun in it. Some folks might see neither.

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I could save all the junk that's left on my doorstep and gate to put in a cache like this. Sweet at least the junk won't go into the trash just in your cache. I like the idea. :laughing:

 

I smell 2 more cache theme ideas!

 

1. "Maid in the USA!" (or any country). This could be for (small) cleaning products or advertisements. Now all of the business cards you get stuck in your front door offering maid services have a place to go.

2. "The Labor Party". This can be a repository for all of the business cards you get left at your front door for landscape work, plumbing, painting, etc. Small 'tools of the trade' could be swag items. A small paint brush. A toy shovel or rake. Etc.

 

Hmmm...

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I don't know... There's a difference in what other cachers put in your ammo can and you not being responsible for it and what you deliberately put in your ammo can and bumping against the agenda guideline. Another issue of what people that find the cache consider an agenda and their reaction to the swag.

 

Just seems like drama waiting to happen.

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I could save all the junk that's left on my doorstep and gate to put in a cache like this. Sweet at least the junk won't go into the trash just in your cache. I like the idea. :laughing:

 

I smell 2 more cache theme ideas!

 

1. "Maid in the USA!" (or any country). This could be for (small) cleaning products or advertisements. Now all of the business cards you get stuck in your front door offering maid services have a place to go.

2. "The Labor Party". This can be a repository for all of the business cards you get left at your front door for landscape work, plumbing, painting, etc. Small 'tools of the trade' could be swag items. A small paint brush. A toy shovel or rake. Etc.

 

Hmmm...

GREAT IDEA! I've been saving the rock baggies with the business card inside for a long time. I was going to use the rocks for my planter but you can have them if you need them.

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I don't know... There's a difference in what other cachers put in your ammo can and you not being responsible for it and what you deliberately put in your ammo can and bumping against the agenda guideline. Another issue of what people that find the cache consider an agenda and their reaction to the swag.

 

Just seems like drama waiting to happen.

As long as the cache listing is agenda free, the swag, as long as it complies with the guidelines, does not fall under the agenda guidelines. I've found caches on church property that were clearly placed by a member of the church that was full of pamphlets. The listing was agenda free. no foul. They did have nice big and dry logbooks.

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As long as the cache listing is agenda free, the swag, as long as it complies with the guidelines, does not fall under the agenda guidelines. I've found caches on church property that were clearly placed by a member of the church that was full of pamphlets. The listing was agenda free. no foul. They did have nice big and dry logbooks.
So, aside from what the guidelines say about prescient, this answers my first question. Or at least shows that it has happened with one particular type of literature, and I'm open to any themed tract.
  1. If stocked with a variety of tracts touting different ideas, would a themed-swag cache of this type be within the guidelines?
  2. Who knows where I can get Tracts like the Sweet Potato/Pastafarian Tracts?
  3. What tract have you seen/heard of that you would enjoy finding in such a cache?

Other than all that, what other issues does anyone see arising from a cache like this? How would you deal with them if you are the cache owner?

How about the rest? Once I've verified with my reviewer that this would be ok, anyone have sources for interesting tracts? Don't forget:
This thread is about clever tracts. It isn't about the morals of proselytizing in a cache, since that isn't the intent of the cache.
Thanks for the replies so far!
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....

As long as the cache listing is agenda free, the swag, as long as it complies with the guidelines, does not fall under the agenda guidelines. I've found caches on church property that were clearly placed by a member of the church that was full of pamphlets. The listing was agenda free. no foul. They did have nice big and dry logbooks.

I agree with this but -

the first chance some self appointed spokes person for the "I choose to be offended" crowd get - they will come along and trash all the contents.

Edited by StarBrand
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It would be funny, but might run up against this:

Solicitation and Commercial Content

Geocaches do not solicit for any purpose. Geocaches perceived to be posted for religious' date=' political, charitable or social agendas are not permitted. Geocaching is intended to be a light and enjoyable family-friendly hobby, not a platform for an agenda.[/quote']

depending on your reviewer's tolerance for irony

 

EDIT: I guess it's been brought up already, sorry.

 

....

As long as the cache listing is agenda free, the swag, as long as it complies with the guidelines, does not fall under the agenda guidelines. I've found caches on church property that were clearly placed by a member of the church that was full of pamphlets. The listing was agenda free. no foul. They did have nice big and dry logbooks.

I agree with this but -

the first chance some self appointed spokes person for the "I choose to be offended" crowd get - they will come along and trash all the contents.

:rolleyes:

oh please...

When someone has a different opinion or emotional reaction than them, someone on the internet always feels comfortable reading their mind and accuses them of being a liar or pretending to feel what they feel.

Might as well start accusing people of "not wanting" to enjoy boiled cabbage and wanting to be offended by racism, homophobia, being scared of spiders or whatever...

 

It's MOST LIKELY involuntary, To assume the opposite is strange to me...

 

Can't we just assume people genuinely have different life experiences and have different tolerances for things? It's one thing to think their hurt feelings are misplaced or unjustified, but to pretend they are CHOOSING to feel them for attention or whatever is just burying your head in the sand. It assumes the worst of people simply because you feel different.

Edited by d+n.s
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the first chance some self appointed spokes person for the "I choose to be offended" crowd get - they will come along and trash all the contents.

 

Wouldn't that be us? The whole premise for this cache idea is the disdain people have for others speaking their mind on religious matters. I see a potential pot/kettle situation arising, lol!

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I don't know... There's a difference in what other cachers put in your ammo can and you not being responsible for it and what you deliberately put in your ammo can and bumping against the agenda guideline. Another issue of what people that find the cache consider an agenda and their reaction to the swag.

 

Just seems like drama waiting to happen.

As long as the cache listing is agenda free, the swag, as long as it complies with the guidelines, does not fall under the agenda guidelines. I've found caches on church property that were clearly placed by a member of the church that was full of pamphlets. The listing was agenda free. no foul. They did have nice big and dry logbooks.

I believe that you are oversimplifying the issue. As I recall from an old thread on this issue, a cache with nothing in it but religious items would fail the agenda test.

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I don't know... There's a difference in what other cachers put in your ammo can and you not being responsible for it and what you deliberately put in your ammo can and bumping against the agenda guideline. Another issue of what people that find the cache consider an agenda and their reaction to the swag.

 

Just seems like drama waiting to happen.

As long as the cache listing is agenda free, the swag, as long as it complies with the guidelines, does not fall under the agenda guidelines. I've found caches on church property that were clearly placed by a member of the church that was full of pamphlets. The listing was agenda free. no foul. They did have nice big and dry logbooks.

I believe that you are oversimplifying the issue. As I recall from an old thread on this issue, a cache with nothing in it but religious items would fail the agenda test.

 

This is one of those quarterly occurances when I agree with you. I don't think it's as cut an dry as "but my cache page doesn't say anything about an agenda." I think the best course of action is to get off the forums and talk to the reviewer first.

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As long as you put nothing in the cache name or description to indicate that it was a box of various religious (and not-so-religious) tracts I think it would be published. The difficulty would be trying to get finders to keep the theme going, if that's what you would like them to do, without actually saying what it was all about.

 

MrsB :)

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I don't know... There's a difference in what other cachers put in your ammo can and you not being responsible for it and what you deliberately put in your ammo can and bumping against the agenda guideline. Another issue of what people that find the cache consider an agenda and their reaction to the swag.

 

Just seems like drama waiting to happen.

As long as the cache listing is agenda free, the swag, as long as it complies with the guidelines, does not fall under the agenda guidelines. I've found caches on church property that were clearly placed by a member of the church that was full of pamphlets. The listing was agenda free. no foul. They did have nice big and dry logbooks.

I believe that you are oversimplifying the issue. As I recall from an old thread on this issue, a cache with nothing in it but religious items would fail the agenda test.

Well, dredge up that old thread. Unless the swag contents were listed on the page how is the reviewer to know what is in the cache? And how does the swag content set the agenda for the cache? So I find a cache full of real estate agent cards should I post a NA because this cache has an agenda? Or I find a cache full of GI Joe soldiers do I NA the cache because it has an agenda? I simply don't think you can legitimately ascribe a cache agenda to the swag that is in the cache. By extension, if I find one tract in the cache could I say this is an agenda, after all it might have been full of them and one time but others took them home to read? Like I said, if the cache listings talks about the trees found in the vicinity of cache but it is full of religious tracts how does the cache have an agenda? How do you know the cache owner put the tracts in the cache or it was not some other cacher that felt the need to fill caches with their favorite tracts?

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Maybe it's me but I don't see how having a cache that says 'put all your tracts here' is pushing an agenda.

I agree. No one is dictating tone, just trade items, so if you had a pro-religion and anti-religion tract in the same container, what's the agenda?

 

You'd have one hell of a time wrapping your head around that one.

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Who knows where I can get Tracts like the Sweet Potato?

PM me with a snail mail address and I'll get them to you. Or track me down at GW9 next month. I've always got a few in my bag. But I'm not giving up my Get out of Hell card.

 

I think as long as it is an equal opportunity tract cache you are fine with the guidelines. It only becomes an agenda when you are pushing one viewpoint.

 

I haven't made the eclairs, but have made and served the SP creme brulee and cheesecake a few times, and have made many SP biscuits.

Edited by wimseyguy
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I smell an agenda.

Yet all these earth-caches that claim the earth is millions of years old (its not, its 6,000 years old) or bring up the subject of evolution (which has been debunked many times) aren't pushing an agenda?

 

Yes, of course they are. All Earthcaches have the agenda of promoting Earth Science. According to science, the earth is much, much older than 6,000 years.

 

Earthcaches were created in cooperation with Groundspeak.

 

The Ape Caches promoted the agenda of advertising the movie Planet of the Apes. These too were created in cooperation with Groundspeak.

 

The "no agenda" guideline doesn't say "no agendas ever never under any circumstances".

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Maybe it's me but I don't see how having a cache that says 'put all your tracts here' is pushing an agenda.

I agree. No one is dictating tone, just trade items, so if you had a pro-religion and anti-religion tract in the same container, what's the agenda?

 

You'd have one hell of a time wrapping your head around that one.

 

I don't see there's an agenda here either. But playing devil's advocate for a moment, I can imagine a scenario where a very devout person would only be offended by the anti-religion tracts and would be upset and inspired to the point of drama just as easily as I can imagine a very committed atheist upset and inspired to the point of drama at the pro-religious tracts.

 

Not everybody, religous and secular alike, will be able to see the irony and laugh about it.

 

I'm not saying this is a reason not to create the cache, I'm saying this is all the more reason to contact the reviewer first.

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PM me with a snail mail address and I'll get them to you. Or track me down at GW9 next month. I've always got a few in my bag. But I'm not giving up my Get out of Hell card.
I'm waiting on a response from my reviewer. I've found the million dollar bill tracts and the GOOHF cards, and if things continue, I'll be ordering some. They come in packs of 100. I'll send you some in trade if you want.

 

That goes for anyone else who has some interesting tracts out there!

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PM me with a snail mail address and I'll get them to you. Or track me down at GW9 next month. I've always got a few in my bag. But I'm not giving up my Get out of Hell card.
I'm waiting on a response from my reviewer. I've found the million dollar bill tracts and the GOOHF cards, and if things continue, I'll be ordering some. They come in packs of 100. I'll send you some in trade if you want.

 

That goes for anyone else who has some interesting tracts out there!

 

I know a guy with alot of them on hand. What kind are you looking for? Will "you are going to hell" tracts will work?

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PM me with a snail mail address and I'll get them to you. Or track me down at GW9 next month. I've always got a few in my bag. But I'm not giving up my Get out of Hell card.
I'm waiting on a response from my reviewer. I've found the million dollar bill tracts and the GOOHF cards, and if things continue, I'll be ordering some. They come in packs of 100. I'll send you some in trade if you want.

 

That goes for anyone else who has some interesting tracts out there!

 

I'm getting Monty Python flashbacks at this point. "She has huge... tracts of land!"

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Here's one you can print detailing who Cthulhu says will get eaten first:

http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=135

A funny Chick tract rewrite that you can print:

http://www.jhuger.com/tract/dtr/index.php

This link purports to have more Chick parodies:

http://www.weirdcrap.com/chick/links.html

A nice Bob tract:

http://www.subgenius.com/bigfist/chickjack/Life1-4.htm

 

(still no sweet potatoes...) :unsure:

Edited by Clan Riffster
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Maybe it's me but I don't see how having a cache that says 'put all your tracts here' is pushing an agenda.

I agree. No one is dictating tone, just trade items, so if you had a pro-religion and anti-religion tract in the same container, what's the agenda?

 

You'd have one hell of a time wrapping your head around that one.

 

I don't see there's an agenda here either. But playing devil's advocate for a moment, I can imagine a scenario where a very devout person would only be offended by the anti-religion tracts and would be upset and inspired to the point of drama just as easily as I can imagine a very committed atheist upset and inspired to the point of drama at the pro-religious tracts.

 

Not everybody, religous and secular alike, will be able to see the irony and laugh about it.

 

I'm not saying this is a reason not to create the cache, I'm saying this is all the more reason to contact the reviewer first.

 

Possibly an angst agenda. I'll give you that. I think in practice it'll be a cache that suffers from swag depletion just like every other cache.

 

[LOG] BlueDeuce found TracCache (Traditional Cache)

Needed a cache fix over my lunch hour and this one fit the bill. Just had to wait out a few muggles. The old couple making out at a nearby picnic table probably never even knew I was there. TFTC!

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Ha ha ha ha, oh I love this thread! I have a "Sin Boldly" Martin Luther card somewhere... I think maybe they are available online (am I allowed to say where?).

 

Don't forget the nasty little comic book tracts, you know-how like the one where kids who trick-or-treat get tainted candy and then die and go to hell. I had a warped cousin who was collecting those for a while.

 

What a fun idea for a cache!

 

- Momma Caswell

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Ha ha ha ha, oh I love this thread! I have a "Sin Boldly" Martin Luther card somewhere... I think maybe they are available online (am I allowed to say where?).
Like this?

new_ltsb_300.gif

Pricey at $5 a pop. I got a "Sin Boldly" pint glass for Christmas a couple years back. One of my favorites.

Oh, and don't forget Festivus! :lol:
Seen any Festivus Tracts? I'd put some in!
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Ha ha ha ha, oh I love this thread! I have a "Sin Boldly" Martin Luther card somewhere... I think maybe they are available online (am I allowed to say where?).
Like this?

new_ltsb_300.gif

Pricey at $5 a pop. I got a "Sin Boldly" pint glass for Christmas a couple years back. One of my favorites.

Oh, and don't forget Festivus! :lol:
Seen any Festivus Tracts? I'd put some in!

 

Yes, that's the one! I had no idea they cost so much! I completely forgot about Festivus ... priceless!

 

-Momma Caswell

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Maybe it's me but I don't see how having a cache that says 'put all your tracts here' is pushing an agenda.

+1

It's like claiming that the cache that cachers placed in memory of the little child they lost and ask that folks try and keep it kid-freindly (put toys in it and it is already filled with toys) has an agenda! Get a grip folks! If you gonna go around saying things like that - more than half of Geocoins would have to be banned due to having an agenda, while all they're really doing is expressing their owners' interests...

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I smell an agenda.

Yet all these earth-caches that claim the earth is millions of years old (its not, its 6,000 years old) or bring up the subject of evolution (which has been debunked many times) aren't pushing an agenda?

 

They are pushing an agenda, education. But Groundspeak is allowed to make exceptions, this is their playground.

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