Thread: Analyzing Mother Teresa

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As a Christian missionary, abroad representing Christ, 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."

FYI: 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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Why do we need to analyze her? She's dead and gone, and has been judged accordingly. She's definitely either in heaven or hell.

She followed catholicism which is extra biblical and is practicing idolatry so she may have helps some people, but she was a false teacher not adhering to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Towards the end of her life she acknowledged that she felt alone and discouraged and had no faith... that's what the false teaching of catholicism does to people.

If folks want to focus on doing good works, that's lovely. Many religions teach and do good works... and then they go to hell because they did not walk with Jesus and instead practiced idolatry which all people are guilty of if they have anything in their life that comes before the Lord.

We should follow God's Word, and sadly this lady was a nice lady but she followed false teaching.

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In order to discuss Mother Teresa intelligently, it's necessary to bring her religion into the picture because Teresa was a Christian missionary whose duty it was to represent the beliefs and practices of Roman Catholicism; which is a religion that holds the Holy Bible in very high regard.

"The Scriptures are sacred and canonical because: Having been written by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author, and as such have been handed down to the Church" (Vatican Council; Sess. III, c. ii)

"In its pages we recognize His voice, we hear a message of deep significance for every one of us. Through the spiritual dynamism and prophetic force of the Bible, the Holy Spirit spreads His light and His warmth over all men, in whatever historical or sociological situation they find themselves." (Paulus PP VI, from the Vatican, September 18, 1970)

So then; according to that Vatican Council and to Paulus PP VI; when I listen to the Bible; I'm listening to the voice of God, and I'm also listening to that which the Holy Spirit utilizes to spread His light and His warmth over all men.

So then, if conscientious Christians are to truly understand Teresa's spiritual problems, they have to utilize the Holy Bible to analyze them or otherwise they'll just end up making excuses for her like so many others.

Now the tragedy is: Teresa's spiritual counselors didn't turn to the Holy Bible to analyze her spiritual problems; as a result, they were just as mystified as she was and no help at all. It's awful to think that the very people that the poor woman depended upon so heavily might just as well been oil field roughnecks and shipyard welders because they were utterly incompetent as shepherds.

You know; when your ship is sinking and another sinking ship is sent to your rescue; you're in really big, big trouble because at that point, no amount of prayer and sympathy will keep you from going to Davy Jones.

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Originally Posted by WebersHome

Teresa was a Christian missionary whose duty it was to represent the beliefs and practices of roman catholicism

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news bro man, but a true Christian would not be teaching catholicism.

No sir, a true Christian would be teaching God's Word... not extra biblical doctrine.

It sounds to me as if she was very honest and probably suffered from depression. The problem that I see is that some Christian missionaries are EXPECTED to show a facade. They are expected to be the example which means they can not show their own weaknesses. It's too bad she didn't have someone to minister to her in her dark times.

My impression of her is that she never intended to be a Christian missionary in the sense of someone who travels to another country to teach people the doctrines of Christianity in order to encourage them to convert. Instead, her chosen mission was to provide aid and comfort to people who were sick and poor and without any other support system, in other words: those who were outcasts and those who were abandoned. In my view, this was certainly a calling consistent with everything the Bible teaches about helping the poor, and especially with Jesus's teachings on the importance of service to others. Yes, she had her doubts, but she remained true to her calling.

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Teresa complained in her private letters of feeling abandoned by Christ-- referring to him as "the absent one" --and in point of fact was unsure that a God actually exists out there.

"I feel that God is not God; and that He does not really exist."

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

I'm not talking about a temporary dark night of the soul here, no, Teresa's problem persisted for virtually five decades; 50 years.

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 filial 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? Well obviously the reason she was comfortable addressing prayers to Mary was because didn't 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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Originally Posted by njtom

My impression of her is that she never intended to be a Christian missionary in the sense of someone who travels to another country to teach people the doctrines of Christianity in order to encourage them to convert. Instead, her chosen mission was to provide aid and comfort to people who were sick and poor and without any other support system, in other words: those who were outcasts and those who were abandoned.

Teresa referred to 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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