A compilation of letters that Mother Teresa wrote over the last half of her life is being released in book form, COME BE MY LIGHT, and these letters reveal a woman who was apparently very unsure of her own spirituality, unsure that Jesus was actually with her.
I think it will bring a lot of hope to the faithless that Mother Teresa struggled with her own lack faith, with “the silence” from Jesus (her words.)
While some people are probably going to decry her lack of faith as a sign of hypocrisy, I see it as making her an even stronger beacon of light than she already was.
The recent article about her in TIME Magazine portrays a complex woman whose “smile is a mask" or "a cloak that covers everything" (her words)--a woman whose private questioning was in harsh conflict with her outer persona. She obviously recognized the possibility that she was a hypocrite, because she wrote to an advisor of hers that if he were there witnessing her actions, he would have said to her, “What hypocrisy.” But I don’t agree. Or--if she is a hypocrite--then as a society we need to somehow layer positive connotations on that negatively connotated word.
I am not Catholic, by the way. However, I always wholly admired Mother Teresa. And I still do.
Her struggles--both physical and spiritual--must have been overwhelming. She not only faced the physical hardships of working and living with the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, but also battled her own inner demons that caused her to wonder whether or not Jesus had left her.
In some ways the release of her autobiography COME BE MY LIGHT (which, since it’s a compilation of her own letters, is considered an autobiography rather than a biography) reveals a woman who is even more impressive and admirable than she already was--and far more complex, with a darkness in her that contradicted her peaceful smile and words.
But that discrepancy between lightness and darkness might--ironically--bring light to many of this world who face internal darkness.
Chris Marsh--mother, teacher, runner, coach....
Let's not mince words here: Mother Theresa was an atheist, or, at best, an agnostic. But you cannot be an agnostic for 50 years; -- at some point you have to throw in the towel and admit that, if you are dyslexic, there is no dog.
It's good to know that with this state of your belief system, a good person can still become an official saint. She has been "beatified", which means she is halfway there.
Phillip,
Are you suggesting that agnostics and atheists cannot be alltruistic? I certainly hope not, since that kind of unsupportable nonsense is a good example of the kind of condescending behavior that makes skeptics bristle.
Chris,
I'm curious if these letters addressed any sense of doubt regarding her stance on birth control. I always saw her as a hypocrite, saving the unwanted but insisting they not use birth control and continue having more children to add to their poverty. The idea of anybody being declared a saint is beyond silly, but for her to be considered for sainthood boggling.
Voso,
By your self assessment, no one will dismiss your infidel privileges of denial and scepticism.
Bob,
Did you have a point to make or did someone just pee in your cheerios at breakfast?
Did you know "Vosotros" is Latin for "Y'all"?
Did you know "bodo" is czechoslovakian slang for "toilet brush"?
Vosotros,
You READ into my comments what I did not intend (otherwise I would have explicitly written it). To wit: just because I asserted that Mother Teresa was altruistic does not mean that she had a "corner" on it!
Atheists, agnostics, and the like can be very altruistic. This is true. But so also are Christians.
While Christians are mandated to look out "for the least of these" by Jesus, atheists have no such mandate.
Sure, atheists can "choose" to be altruistic, but it's just a PERSONAL PREFERENCE, not a mandate.
And speaking of personal preferences, what's with your talking smack with Bodo? You are way outta' line. Keep your emotions under check and debate the ideas at hand...Bodo IS right regarding the vosotros voice in Spanish. Loosely translated, vosotros is like "tu", the informal voice used for good friends, etc.
Vosotros,
THE reason for the poverty in India rests in its HINDUISM: India has LOTS of food if Hinduism would permit Hindus to eat animals. But it doesn't, so instead of lots of grain going to HUNGRY people, it is feed to animals that are NEVER eaten.
Vosotros,
Define exactly whom the unwanted is...and unwanted by whom.
As a Christian, Mother Teresa argued that all babies, children, and adults are God's creation in the image of their Creator. Therefore my point: in the eyes of the Creator, none of us is unwanted.
But in the eyes of people, some people are sadly expendable...and so we get abortion...
Your argument about abortion won't fly because you fail to understand that it is Hinduism at the root level that is responsible for all the misery in India.
Phillip,
"While Christians are mandated to look out "for the least of these" by Jesus, atheists have no such mandate."
That's right, Phillip, unbelievers don't have a mandate to do good. They just know that it's the right thing to do. And just so you don't make the same mistake again, not all unbelievers are atheists. Essentially you are saying that Christians need a carrot or a stick approach to do the right thing towards their neighbors. How sad.
As for Bodo, get a sense of humor.
I know what Vosotros means, I speak Spanish. I didn't just happen to make it up and coincidentally it was a formal Spanish for all of you. Don't go lecturing me like an intolerable know it all.
And the reason for the poverty in India has nothing to do with Hinduism any more than prosperity has to do with Christianity. India is an agricultural exporter. You need to learn a thing or two about Hinduism and India before you say something as stupid as that again. The problem is population explosion, added to by people who say birth control is evil and convince the people to keep having sex without responsibility. Mother Teresa, for all the claims about the good work she was doing, was promoting an agenda that only promoted poverty and overpopulation.
And I'm not going to argue abortion with you, seeing as how you blame Hinduism and suggest Christianity is the answer to all their problems. I ask you to look at our own problems regarding abortion, health, and sexual education in this country. Christian dogma only exacerbates our problems because it refuses to deal with people as people and instead substitutes dogma for real solutions. Abstinence only programs have only made teen pregnancy worse by using lies and deception to force abstinence on kids. Problems can't be solved by lying to people just because it serves your religion. The moment that people realize this is the moment we actually start solving actual problems.
Vosotros,
Let me get this straight: you tell me that I need to "get a sense of humor", and you then go ahead and call Bodo toilet-bowl-Bodo. This is ridiculous. Here you tell me to get a sense of humor when you, yourself, exhibit gutter mouth. That's nice.
Where to start with your thought process. When you say that unbelievers know what the right thing to do, I ask you one question: HOW do they know? That is to say, upon what BASIS do they know? Is it personal preference? If so, why should their opinions count any more or any less than those of unbelievers who engage in murder, pedophilia, etc.?
I ask these questions because your position is untenable because you paint a MORALLY RELATIVISITC point of view in which people CHOOSE their morality. Ultimately, this won't cut it. That's why our nation has laws: some people choose to do bad things...
NEWSFLASHT to Vostros: Get real. I never said tha all unbelievers were atheists. Go back and read what I wrote.
I, too, am fluent in Spanish. I spoke it full-time for 3 years. So get off your high horse...
So I am an intolerable know it all. That's a nice way of marginalizing me. In philosophy they call that an ad hominem attack. It gets you nowhere. You can throw mud at me as much as you want, but when you're done, you have done nothing to further your cause...
Actually, it's kinda' funny that you're calling me an intolerable know it all when you, yourself, are the INTOLERANT one. I mean, if you were tolerant of my ideas, you'd simply say that you disagree with me. But, no, you gotta' go throwing names and otherwise impugning my intellect and beliefs. Way to go, Vosotros...
Vosotros, you drink deeply from a very deep reservoir of ignorance. To say that Hinduism has nothing to do with India's misery is at once laughable and sad. Here is the deal. Hinduism is a PANTHEISTIC relgion that espouses the tenet that all is one, and one is all. It, as such, advocates reincarnation. That's why Hinduism prohibits its followers from so much as killing animals, let alone eating sacred ones. The animal that you eat today could be you in the next reincarnation, so you better not eat what you may become...
And this is how that affects India's masses. All these sacred animals have to be fed. So grain that would OTHERWISE go to India's people goes to the sacred animals. Strike one: the animals get the food that people could/should have gotten. And then there's strike two: the people cannot eat the sacred animals. And then there's strike 3: people can't kill the rats that eat the grain. Bottomline: huge amounts of grain are wasted in India.
But just to be fair to your stance that India is sending away the food that it desperately needs, I will ask you why this is? How is it that the Indian government WILLFULLY sends away food that its people so desperately need? Does this sound like a good government to you?
Does the caste system sound like a good system to you? It's absolutely racist to the core: some people are tracked for nothing but misery, while others are tracked for the "good things" in this life. Such is the injustice that logically outflows from the teachings of Hinduism...
Vosotros, I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but just because you say that something is stupid does not mean that it is. To wit: just because you say that I say stupid things about India and Hinduism does not make your statements true. Your condescending, surly attitude does not make your arguements one bit more valid...
Either your don't read very well, or you intentionally twist pretty much all I have written. When you said that I said that Christianity is the answer, I don't know where you got that from. From the CONTEXT of what I said, I clearly stated that Hinduism was the PROBLEM. I never said that Christianity was the answer. This is your own creation.
Let me get this straight, you say that Christian dogma exacerbates things like abortion? You've gotta' kidding. It's the CHRISTIANS who are fighting tooth and nail (metaphorically speaking) to end the slaugher of innocent, unborn children. How is this exacerbating abortion...unless you are IN FAVOR of abortion? Answer me this.
Answer me how Christian dogma is exacerbating health and sexual education. It is a proven fact that sex out of wedlock leads to all manner of medical maladies (STDs). And then there's the psychological trauma inflicted upon the people who bought into the the "hook-up" culture, only to get emotionally scarred...
Answer me this: if kids don't have sex, how will they get STDS or get pregnant? Answer: they won't! What's so bad about this?!?!
If we compare sexual abstinence with "hey, give 'em a condom because they're just gonna' do it anyway", the inevitable results are going to be HIGHER rate of STDs and pregnancies. Remember, kids who don't have sex, DON'T get STDS or pregnant...
I could go on, Vosotros, but I'd only be repeating myself. Read what I have written. Then THINK. And then debate the ISSUES without name calling.
I don't think she was an atheist. I think it was more that she herself couldn't feel the presense of Jesus, not that she denied the existence of God or Jesus. I don't know...I'll let you know when I read the book.
Chris Marsh--mother, teacher, runner, coach....
Vos:
Sainthood, as contemplated for Mother Theresa (aka Canonization), is a process and determination made by the Catholic Church. It's their ballgame; its their decision; its their rules. To hint that it is "silly" is ridiculous (or, perhaps, silly). Perhaps "irrelevant" is a better term.
Would you say the same about when a priest or minister is ordained? When a private becomes a corporal? When a sophmore becomes a junior?
Let them take care of Sainthood designation. It's their rules; its their ballgame.
As for Mother Theresa's doubts, as I recall, a pretty "solid" Christian might have had similar doubts when he asked his Father why his Father had abandoned Him.
Phillip,
"Toilet Brush" is gutter mouth to you? Man, you are way too sensitive. I suggest you set yourself some real priorities instead of trying to paint me as some foul mouthed cretin for joking around with a guy who has exhibited a sense of humor in his posts. Bottom line is that you don't see him whining about it, so mind your own business.
"When you say that unbelievers know what the right thing to do, I ask you one question: HOW do they know? That is to say, upon what BASIS do they know? "
Ever heard of Common Sense, Phillip? Why is it not good to murder, cheat, lie, and steal? Because you wouldn't want someone to do it to you and they are not very good things to do to anyone in general. You see, no punishment or reward myth needed.
Your own need for threats or presents from a god to do the right thing says more about your inadequacies as a person. Would you just figure everything is relative if you found out there was no god? I rather doubt it, and I rather doubt anyone would if they didn't have religion. Your assertion is just condescending religious arrogance and what amounts to an argument from incredulity. I find it much more damning that people who supposedly have the ULTIMATE incentive to do right and not wrong aren't any more likely to do so than unbelievers. Why is that, Phillip?
I won't even bother dealing with your baseless assertion that pantheism is socially problematic more so than monotheism. The very idea that you believe this to be true just proves you can't see the woods for the trees regarding religion because you are just so sure that yours is absolutely good and everyone else's is so absolutely bad. So much so that you have to attach social, political, and economic problems to them. Your premise that Hinduism causes poverty does not lead to the conclusion you want it to.
If you want to talk moral relativism, let's talk the bible. Throughout history Christians have gleaned from the bible exactly what they want it to say if they want their actions supported and their opponents vilified. You see, we unbelievers have nothing to base our beliefs on but common sense. We can't be morally relativistic. You can. You have an entire book as your authority that you can quote mine from. No one died for our sins. No one forgives us if we do wrong. But as demonstrated by conservatives politicians you can go tearfully on TV just before your trial and claim that god forgives you. Pretty nice "get out of guilt free" card.
I'll deal with the issue of abstinence and why telling a kid to not have sex because it's evil and not telling them about birth control and how to have sex responsibly if they do choose to do so (and you have no power to stop) is wrong and has never actually done any good at all, later. For now I have other things I need to do.
Vosotros5 says: "For now I have other things I need to do."Philip - There are MANY other Blogs that Vosotros5 simply MUST display his ignorance on, and you have wasted more than a courteous amount of time derailing his train of thought already.
Woohoo,
A content free attack on your part. How typical.
If you are so sure of yourself, why don't you answer some of the issues in my post, rather than running away telling me you could kick my ass if you wanted.
If having doubts and questioning makes one an atheist than you must also consider Jesus an atheist.
...But, Bodo, you would never write something in a blog you did not believe just to stir the pot up would you.
Chris,
Is it so unusual for one as saintly as Mother Teresa to be constantly confronted with doubts even about her spiritual being? Haven’t each of us, far from the holiness of Mother T, had to cope with frequent tempting doubts?
Our free will not only provides us the choice of good or evil but offers us opportunity to confront the test of doubts. Even Jesus was put to the test when tempted by the devil. All the gnawing challenges Mother T endured throughout her life were undoubtedly diabolic inspired, testing her dedication and service to God, with all her good deeds and works on earth.
Bodo,
I respectfully disagree with your assessment of Mother Teresa as atheists or agnostic. That is not to say that members of the two God-denying factions are not capable of good deeds, but in Mother T’s case such a tag would be total anathema to her psyche and spiritual being.
Maybe the real test of spirituality is the ability to rest in ambiguity. Absolutist explanations of reality would demand a believer totally immune to ambiguity and doubt. This is why fundamentalists often seem so anti-spiritual. They don't wrestle with doubt so much as smother it with certitude.
Most of us cannot imagine God except in terms of vague feelings - presentiments and intimations. Because of that, we strengthen our mortal vessels with Authority and Scripture. But if we were genuinely honest, we'd admit the desperation of our cause. There is nothing external that can serve as a balm to the questing heart. That heart bleeds because it is condemned to awareness.
Rest, you've got my number, faster than I expected. Yet, when you "cannot feel the presence of Jesus" for so many decades, what does that make you?
"A Thorn in Your Side"
What is germane to this discussion is an analysis of what faith actually is and isn't, but since that discussion is one that I have covered in earlier blogs (last fall), I won't go down this road right now.
Right now I'd like to discuss the whole notion regarding "I don't feel my faith, my Lord, etc.", as this is what Mother Teresa wrote.
If faith in Jesus be placed only in feelings --- I only have faith when I feel faith --- then faith is doomed from the get-go for the simple reason that our emotions change like the wind. One minute we're up; the next we're down. As such, this bit about "I don't feel God" doesn't cut it when it comes to a definition of faith.
Faith as I see it is a CHOICE. We choose to place our faith IN Jesus (or any other deity) based on a COGNITIVE decision. Feelings are not the criterion.
However, having said that, I believe that the feelings SHOULD, at some time, FOLLOW.
As such, the fact that Mother Teresa did not "feel" God is disturbing. We're not talking about a few months or years. We're talking about DECADES...
Any how, I could ramble on about this, but I think that Dr. Ravi Zacharias (of Atlanta, Georgia) does a great job addressing the issue of people "not feeling" their faith.
Bodo,
If Mother Teresa were an atheist (or agnostic), how do we explain her DECADES of austere living. It's one thing to say that she was altruistic, but it's quite another to use such an explanation to explain her selfless life spent serving the most rejected folks on Earth.
Could Mother Teresa have been an atheist or agnostic? Sure. But was it likely given the TESTIMONY of her words and actions over DECADES? I think not.
I think that the best way to judge a person is by their actions and words. And if we judge Mother Teresa in this regards, most of us (including myself) fall WOEFULLY short of measuring up to the life that Mother Teresa lived.
Unless I missed it, we don't even know for how long a period she had doubts about her faith. Despite her doubts, she obviously had enough faith to commit her life to God and to remain committed.
There is a quote, not sure whose and too lazy to look it up right now, "The unexamined life is not worth living." For me, that would apply to a spiritual life as well.
Meanwhile, Bodo, the Catholic church periodically cleans the house of saints. St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers (you know, the medals on necklaces or medallions in the car) was one such demoted saint. After having his sainthood revoked, my family always called them Mr. Christopher medals.