Mother Teresa's House of Illusions

Free Inquiry Magazine ^ | unknown | by Susan Shields

[rmmcdaniell]

Satan won that unfortunate soul over. How sad.

Like satan won over the molested boys who dared accuse thier priests? Right! The catholic church is not above quiestioning.

I'm not saying I believe this article, but I'd rather see someone soundly refute it than you and other poster's baseless, over-the-top and potentially slanderous condemnations.

[DugMac]

Come on they needed those millions to pay off the victims of pedophile Priests.

[radiohead]

She taught, of course, that suffering unites us more closely to Christ because he suffered for us.

With respect, I'd like to ask a question. It has been many years since I studied the Catechism and I left the Church long ago. But I remember things like, "Offer it up for the souls in purgatory" - that suffering had its purposes. I don't recall that I was to endure suffering to be closer to Christ, but that may just be my memory.

Perhaps post-Vatican II Catholics don't 'offer up' their suffering anymore? I think suffering can give you character, can make you more aware of the plight of others, and if you believe in the purgatory thing, it can help there. But I just don't recall that suffering is supposed to get me closer to Christ. For those who believe, Christ's sacrifice was so overwhelming, how do you possibly get close to that? And if He died for our sins, why do I have to recreate that suffering in myself? I thought the idea was to contemplate Christ's sacrifice and to be sorry for one's imperfections, trying not to repeat them.

I'm just trying to learn the Church's current stand on suffering. It may be worthwhile to learn to suffer gracefully that which is unavoidable, but it can't be that Christians are supposed to go looking for it or impose it on others in order to get closer to Christ.

[ARA]

Nothing matters but Grace...

[fish hawk]

Just one little thought: what if it's true???

[185JHP]

"Though He were a son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered."

[petconservative]

The catholic church is not above quiestioning.

That's right. The Church has done more in the last several decades to damage ITSELF than one "Catholic basher" like myself ever could achieve. For that I thank God. He reveals all things for the benefit of his true followers.

A Prophecy in Malachi points this out: Mal 3:18 And you people will again certainly see the distinction between a righteous one and a wicked one, between one serving God and one who has not served him.

Suffering has never EVER been a good thing on the earth. Those who want to suffer to "build character" have probably never endured real suffering. The African contenant is a place of real suffering. Ask the people in Niger if, after watching 35000 of their children die in the last month, they feel their character has been built up.

[SuziQ]

This author has joined the ranks of the the likes of Christopher Hitchens and Germaine Greer, both of whom had burrs up their butts about Mother Teresa. I wonder about this woman; did she join the order with the intention of looking for dirt about them? She certainly wasn't in there for very long.

[SunnySide]

"The African contenant is a place of real suffering. Ask the people in Niger if, after watching 35000 of their children die in the last month, they feel their character has been built up."

Oh not this African stuff again. If Africans were so outraged then why haven't the millions of them stormed their dictators luxury residences and slaughtered them for stealing their decades of $$ billions in stolen relief money and food? Instead they attack and mutilate each other. I've been observing that broken dam my entire life.

[Luddite Patent Counsel]

Let's see if i can simplify this enough for you to understand it.
1. Soliciting money for a specific purpose, then not using the money for that purpose, is fraud.
2.Mother Theresa solicited scads of money for the poor.
3. Mother Theresa spent very little money on the poor.
4. Mother Theresa committed fraud.

[petconservative]

Oh not this African stuff again.

African stuff? How completely and utterly insensetive and heartless. Oh, I see. It's their fault. It's those poor down trodden peoples fault that locusts came in and ruined their only source of food. Why didn't they just storm the dictator's mansion and demand a giant can of RAID?
YOu have no idea what you're talking about. It's so easy to judge from your vantage point. You wouldn't last two seconds in some countries in Africa before you started begging the consulate to get you out of there. Storm the dictators? That is one of the dumbest things I have read in a while.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Nor can you disprove she was not a more benevolent and self sacrificing person than thou.

People who live in glass houses had best be wary of casting stones at their betters.

[SunnySide]

"It's so easy to judge from your vantage point. You wouldn't last two seconds in some countries in Africa before you started begging the consulate to get you out of there."

First of all I wouldn't be CAUGHT DEAD in Africa the way things have been going there. So, next?

[petconservative]

Next? What does that mean?

You are a heartless, insensetive person.

[the invisib1e hand]

a valid point: any sacred teaching, secularized, is going to be abused. if you interpret teachings apart from faith, you will misunderstand and misapply them.

the author of this piece clearly has a chip on her shoulder and is seizing the opportunity to parade her misunderstanding and secularization of teaching to justify herself. Poor, warped thing. She's bitter, probably signed on for all the wrong reasons, and didn't get the hoped for results. Now, consistent with this sort of personality, it's all the authority figure's fault (in this case, Mother Theresa). This person could lead many astray. And damn the media that lust after material like this.

[SunnySide]

You need a Happy Meal and cut back on the caffiene.

[the invisib1e hand]

From someone who worked closely with her, no less. An eye witness you could say.

baloney. close in physical proximity, perhaps. in another world spiritually and intellectually. and, an "eye witness?" that's exactly her token here. you're buying it?

somewhere there's a scripture about the devil being the "accuser of the bretheren."

[petconservative]

...the author of this piece clearly has a chip on her shoulder and is seizing the opportunity to parade her misunderstanding

She worked alongside MT for many years. I hardly think there is any misunderstanding, but rather enlightenment.

Poor, warped thing. She's bitter, probably signed on for all the wrong reasons, and didn't get the hoped for results.

Typical Catholic talking points. Judge, judge, judge and condemn. Ignore the facts. Ignore that MILLIONS of dollars were collected and deposited into the Vatican Bank while the poor and poverty strickened remained poor and poverty stricken for the faith. What a crock-o-crap. It's amazing to me that so many people just overlook the obvious. Simply astounding.