Playing the martyr...

As an atheist, I can pretty much expect to be on the receiving end of abuse when listening to Way of the Master Radio every afternoon. Not direct abuse, of course. Todd and Ray always seem to be a bit reticent to actually come out and bad mouth their ideological enemies. They will, of course, glibly tell you that the bible says atheists are fools and that you're going to hell.

But that's not what I want to talk about. Instead, I want to hit on an interesting trend that has been occuring on the show. As much as Todd likes to go after the atheists, it's surprising how much time he spends going after other Christians.

Just the other day Ray witnessed to a Catholic at Seton Hall, but insisted on referring to it as Satan Hall.

Todd insists that former minister and current atheist Dan Barker was a false convert. Because, of course, had he actually believed he never would have changed his mind.

Anyone who comes to the show and speaks about Jesus' teachings on love and kindness is immediately labeled a liberal with no knowledge of the real Christ.

Of course, the Way of the Master would never refer to these people as Christians. At least not REAL CHRISTIANS (TM), which are the only kind that count. And the only way to become a REAL CHRISTIAN (TM), or so they would lead you to believe, is not by accepting Jesus. It's by accepting Jesus using the Way of the Master technique.

I can't really blame them for that. They're out there trying to sell a prod...er...I mean, they're saving souls! So of course they can't overlook their lost Christian brothers and sister.

Perhaps I'm a bit cynical, at least when it comes to the motives of Ray Comfort and Todd Friel, but I think they have a different reason for thinning their herd.

They want to be victims.

You hear it nearly every show. Either in one of their commercials (as if the show wasn't a two hour long infomercial for their products anyway) or in person Ray will give one of his stories about being verbally attacked or threatened while open-air preaching. He'll heap praise on the past Christian martyrs.

The problem, however, is that Christians are the majority in America.

How do you make yourself a victim when your people have bigger numbers than their competition?

They devise a test that no one can pass unless you already subscribe to the test-maker's brand of Christianity.

They visit Europe, where most people aren't religious and they really are the minority.

And then they return home and make their first targets are Christian self-help writers and a cartoon about the Ten Commandments.

It’s not about being Christian. And it’s not about Jesus. It’s about following the teachings of an overzealous New Zealander, a washed up comedian and a former child star.

If that can’t get you saved, what will?