Mother Teresa

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Mother Teresa

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Rome's poster child, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (a.k.a. Mother Teresa) is a terrible disappointment. It turns out Teresa was a remarkable actor. Her public image bore no resemblance whatsoever to the secret life of her inner being. Below are some quotes taken from her own private letters; and excerpts of her statements from other sources. You be the judge: role model or role player, believer or make-believer?

"Only pray that I keep up this joy exteriorly. I deceive people with this weapon-- even my Sisters."

"When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul. How painful is this unknown pain-- I have no faith."

"I am told God loves me; and yet the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul."

"Now Father-- since 49 or 50 this terrible sense of loss-- this untold darkness-- this loneliness, this continual longing for God-- which gives me pain deep down in my heart-- Darkness is such that I really do not see neither with my mind nor with my reason-- the place of God in my soul is blank-- There is no God in me-- when the pain of longing is so great-- I just long & long for God-- and then it is that I feel-- He does not want me-- He is not there-- God does not want me-- Sometimes-- I just hear my own heart cry out-- "My God" and nothing else comes-- the torture and pain I can't explain"

"My smile is a great cloak that hides a multitude of pains."

"The damned of Hell suffer eternal punishment because they experiment with the loss of God. In my own soul, I feel the terrible pain of this loss. I feel that God does not want me, that God is not God; and that He does not really exist."

"If there be God . . please forgive me."

"Of course I convert. I convert you to be a better Hindu or a better Muslim or a better Protestant. Once you've found God, it's up to you to decide how to worship him" (Mother Teresa Touched Other Faiths, Associated Press, 9/7/97).

"We never try to convert those who receive [aid from Missionaries of Charity] to Christianity but in our work we bear witness to the love of God's presence and if Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, or agnostics become for this better men-- simply better --we will be satisfied. It matters to the individual what church he belongs to. If that individual thinks and believes that this is the only way to God for her or him, this is the way God comes into their life-- his life. If he does not know any other way and if he has no doubt so that he does not need to search then this is his way to salvation."

The April 7-13, 1990, issue of Radio Times tells the story of Mother Teresa sheltering an old Hindu priest. "She nursed him with her own hands and helped him to die reconciled with his own gods."
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[font=Georgia]FYI:[/font][font=Verdana] Christian missionaries are not supposed to be helping pagans die reconciled to their own gods. They're supposed to be helping pagans die reconciled to the one true God by means of Christ's crucifixion (John 3:14-18). Nor are they supposed to be converting pagans to become better Hindus or better Muslims. They're supposed to be converting pagans to become better Christians. (Matt 28:18-20)

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Post #2

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Teresa complained in her private letters of feeling abandoned by Christ, and in point of fact was unsure that a God actually exists out there.

Well; according to the Holy Bible-- which Roman Catholicism holds in very high regard --God has a supernatural way of assuring His own that He does in fact exist and that they are not abandoned.

†. Rom 8:16 . .The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

The Greek word for "bears witness" means to corroborate; which Webster's defines as: to support with evidence.

It is possible to short circuit the Spirit's witness.

†. 1Ths 5:19 . . Do not quench the Spirit.

How does one quench the Spirit? Well . . the better question is: How did the most dedicated Catholic nun the twentieth century every produced manage to quench Him? If the most pious role model in the modern Catholic world could quench God's Spirit for virtually five decades, then where does that leave John Q and Jane Doe pew warmer?

Here's an item of interest that isn't talked about much.

†. Rom 8:15 . . For you have not received a spirit of slavery again to fear; but you have received a spirit of adoption, whereby we call out: Abba, Father!

Abba is an Aramaic word. It refers to one's male parent but not as an ordinary noun. It's a vocative.

For example: When my son points me out to one of his friends and says "That's my dad over there." he's not using dad as a vocative. But when he shouts "Hey dad, I'm over here!" then he's using dad to get my attention. That's a vocative.

Rom 8:15 is saying that the spirit of adoption compels "we" to call out to a father rather than a mother. So then, people who feel compelled to call out to Jesus' mom instead of his Father, are not the Father's children because the spirit of adoption would never compel them to do that.

The spirit of adoption, as it turns out, is the spirit of God's son.

†. Gal 4:6 . . As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of His son into our hearts, crying out: Abba, Father!

The spirit of His son compels the children to pray to Jesus' Father, never to his mother because Jesus never prayed to his mother. So then, people compelled by the spirit of His son will address their prayers to Jesus' Father same as he did.

What does that tell us about Mother Teresa and her devotion to Jesus' mother? Duh. She did not have the spirit of His son in her heart; and she knew it too.

"The place of God in my soul is blank-- There is no God in me-- He is not there-- God does not want me"

People lacking the spirit of His son are not His son's sheep.

†. Rom 8:9 . . If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

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Post #3

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Teresa identified with Jesus as her husband; viz: her spouse. So her association with Christ was on a very different level than that of John Q and Jane Doe pew warmer.

†. Gen 2:18 . .The Lord God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.

The Hebrew word for "partner" indicates something much more than a buddy. It indicates standing together shoulder to shoulder as a unified team in a common cause.

Married women have a duty to look after their husband's best interests.

†. Gen 3:16 . . he shall be your master.

In other words: wives are not supposed to be independent agents. What this means is: Teresa had no God-given right to forge ahead in India by herself sans Christ's oversight. As soon as she came to the realization that he and she had parted ways; the smart thing would have been for her to stop what she was doing and go back to where they left off.

†. 1John 1:6 . . If we say we have fellowship with him while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth.

Well; Teresa knew in her own heart that she and Christ were out of fellowship. In point of fact, her husband was nowhere to be found; and she was very disturbed by his absence.

The conclusion to draw from Christ's absence is very straightforward: according to 1John 1:6 Teresa continued to walk in darkness and did not act in truth. For example:

Whenever Jesus sent out his missionaries, it was with the understanding that they not only practice medicine, but that they also proselytize (Luke 9:2) which is something Teresa shunned in order to avoid being evicted from India. As a result, she utterly failed to look after her husband's primary interest.

†. Matt 28:19-20 . . Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you

Proselytizing is in that mandate not once, but twice.

Now get this; and don't block it out. There is cause and effect in that passage: action and reaction. If Jesus' missionaries would obey him, and teach all nations to observe all things whatsoever he commanded them, then what would result?

†. Matt 28:20 . . and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.

Was Jesus with Teresa always? No; and his absence caused her five decades of darkness and anguish. Had she complied with her avowed husband's wishes, Teresa's association with him would have been greatly improved.

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Post #4

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Teresa and her sisters performed rather unorthodox baptisms. They weren't done by immersion, nor pouring, nor sprinkling; but by placing wet cloths upon the foreheads of recipients.

However, because of India's federal law prohibiting proselytizing in Teresa's day; her baptisms were virtually blind because the recipient of the rite had only to express a wish to be a Christian; vz: they were baptized without being adequately evangelized first.

†. Mark 16:15-16 . . He said to them: Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.

In other words; baptism is for believers; not for unbelievers; and it is impossible for pagans to believe information about which they are ignorant.

Belief in the gospel is essential. In point of fact a baptism that lacks belief is a baptism unto hell. An unbelieving baptism leaves its recipient abiding in a state of death.

†. John 5:24 . . I assure you, those who listen to my message, and believe in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

Without believing the gospel, it is impossible to be sealed unto redemption by God's Spirit.

†. Eph 1:13-14 . . In him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of his glory.

Preaching and believing aren't optional; no, they're essential.

†. 1Cor 1:2 . . It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

According to Christ's testimony, as an expert witness in all matters pertaining to faith; unbelievers are already damned right now, even before they cross over to the other side.

†. John 3:18 . . He who believes in him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already.

In other words; there's no middle ground: condemned is the default in the absence of believing . Bottom line: unbelievers go to hell no matter how many times they're baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

In doing background on Teresa, I discovered that her superiors' approval of the operation in India was contingent upon her consent to do the work of an evangelical. So then, she not only failed to comply with Christ's directives, but she also failed to comply with her superiors' wishes. What it all boils down to is: Teresa's operation in India was merely a charity little different than those of World Vision, CARE, and Global Impact; rather than a conscientious evangelistic outreach.

God, out of unsolicited and undeserved kindness and compassion, voluntarily went through all the emotional grief, and to all the trouble, of subjecting His own precious next of kin to indignities and painful death to ransom men's souls from the wrath of God.

†. John 3:14-17 . . And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave His only son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Hindu pagans desperately need to have that passage fully explained; and the Sisters of Charity were not allowed to do so. Is it any wonder then why Christ would abandon Ms. Bojaxhiu for all those five decades? Duh. She was quite useless for his purposes.
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[font=Georgia]FYI:[/font][font=Verdana] An excellent New Testament example of preaching, believing, and baptizing is located at Acts 8:26-38.

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Re: Mother Teresa

Post #5

Post by JP Cusick »

WebersHome wrote: Rome's poster child, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (a.k.a. Mother Teresa) is a terrible disappointment. It turns out Teresa was a remarkable actor. Her public image bore no resemblance whatsoever to the secret life of her inner being.
It would have been a million times wiser of you to learn from her great example - instead of criticizing such a servant of God.

I say that you (and others) simply expect too much from a person.

Another person in her place might have surrendered to the doubts and the temptations, but she stood firm in her view of right from wrong which is the height of greatness.

The higher any person climbs then the greater is the pressure to turn down.

The call of duty is a tough taskmaster - and very few have been known to carry it so determinedly as did Mother Teresa.

If you dream that you live your own life without doubts or temptations or anxieties then your load is far more debilitating than that carried by Agnes.
SIGNATURE:

An unorthodox Theist & a heretic Christian:

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Re: Mother Teresa

Post #6

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JP Cusick wrote:

It would have been a million times wiser of you to learn from her great example - instead of criticizing such a servant of God.
I agree with you entirely, which warms my heart as we frequently don't see eye to eye.
Goodness is such a rare plant that it is sad to see it maligned. I met the lady and was enchanted by her very obvious humility.

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Re: Mother Teresa

Post #7

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JP Cusick wrote:[font=Georgia]It would have been a million times wiser of you to learn from her great example[/font]
[font=Verdana]Teresa's piety was an act; which, in my estimation, makes for a very poor role model.

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Re: Mother Teresa

Post #8

Post by marco »

WebersHome wrote: -
JP Cusick wrote:[font=Georgia]It would have been a million times wiser of you to learn from her great example[/font]
[font=Verdana]Teresa's piety was an act; which, in my estimation, makes for a very poor role model.

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Thankfully it is only in your estimation, as you confess. But in the estimation of millions you are wrong. Therefore she IS providing a good role model. Perhaps it's not her goodness that is under review here, but the faith she was born into.

If people set out to serve the poorest in the world, as she did, that's a remarkably good thing to do.

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Re: Mother Teresa

Post #9

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marco wrote:[font=Georgia]in the estimation of millions you are wrong.[/font]
[font=Verdana]Approximately 1.23 billion[/font]

marco wrote:[font=Georgia]If people set out to serve the poorest in the world, as she did, that's a remarkably good thing to do.[/font]
[font=Verdana]The apostle James said that faith without works is dead. Well, in my estimation, the opposite is just as true, i.e. works without faith are dead.

Teresa was never really confident there's a God out there. In point of fact, one of her prayers went like this: "If there be God . . forgive me."

â—� Heb 11:6 . .Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists.

Webster's defines "impossible" as: incapable of being, or of occurring.

"must" is defined as: an indispensable item; viz: essential.

â—� Jas 1:6-8 . . He who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. Let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Ironically, the demons have more faith than Teresa's. At least they're confident there's a God out there.

â—� Jas 2:19 . . Even the demons believe-- and tremble!

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Re: Mother Teresa

Post #10

Post by marco »

WebersHome wrote: -


Teresa was never really confident there's a God out there. In point of fact, one of her prayers went like this: "If there be God . . forgive me."
Oddly enough, Christ had experienced the same despair:

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Yet he should have known his God would not forsake him. The dark night of the soul is experienced by those who want to be intensely pious, and see themselves as unworthy. It is odd that she should be criticised not for her hubris, her presumption or pride but for her terrible feeling of not having God with her. She prayed, and she displayed her devotion; she simply said that she never felt her prayers were heard, which is the same sentiment Christ had, one of being alone, deserted.

When I read passages in Isaiah and Jeremiah I feel they express the same torment, and yet they had intimate communication with God, it is said. Saints, it seems, are not people who confidently assert God's support. Be a little kinder and who knows, canonisation may come your way too. Go well.

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