Baptist 'comic books' distributed

Aaron Swarts, STAFF WRITER

TRACY -- Another church has been vying for the attention of students in the Tracy Unified School District.

On Wednesday afternoon in front of West High School, members of the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Tracy handed out "comic books" to students leaving school.

The small publication warned of the dangers of Islam, homosexuality and the teaching of evolution, while hailing the importance of traditional Baptist Christian values.

Pastor Gregory Bowser said he was not targeting Tracy Unified specifically with the message, but rather a national school system that promotes "anti-Christian propaganda" and its own "cultural agenda."

"There is too much anti-scholarly information being disseminated in schools across the country," said Bowser, noting that his church's presence was an informational effort and "not a protest."

Although the comic book discouraged homosexuality and identified Islam as a dangerous belief, Bowser said his main issue was with the teaching of evolution in public schools.

"There is nothing scientific about evolution. It is more of a philosophy than anything else," Bowser said, adding that he had studied science before finding his way to the ministry. "Unless it can be tested and proven, it's not science."

Rather than evolution, Bowser said students in the eighth grade and up should be taught the "scientific method" and all theories should be held to that standard.

The Pleasant Valley Baptist Church has been operating in Tracy for the last five years, holding services at Bohn School, and for the last three years annually handing out their informational "comic books."

Bowser said his church is not affiliated, nor do members support the radical views of the Westboro Baptist Church of Kansas, which last spring protested the Tracy High School graduation ceremony with signs reading, "God Hates Fags" and "America is Doomed."

"I thought that demonstration was outrageous, and I would classify that group as being almost cultish," Bowser said. "We don't believe Godhates America, homosexuals or Muslims."

School board member Gerry Machado said he's not concerned by the handing-out of comic books, noting that the event was an example of "free speech and the general mood of the country."

"I don't agree with all of the things the church advocates, but I do agree with some of it," he said. "And I support their freedom of speech."

Machado added that he "would like to see more tolerance in the world, but that hasn't happened for thousands of years."

Trustee Bill Swenson also said he didn't have a problem with the demonstration, as long as it didn't cost the district or city money that could have been used elsewhere.

"When you have events like the Westboro Church coming to town, the real sad thing is how much money you have to spend on security," he said. "In these tough economic times, that money could be used some place else."

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