News – Mother Teresa and her Faith
There is a debate going on about it.
Now, I don’t really care for Bill Donahue because he has an affinity of shooting himself in the foot when it comes to debating things but I have to say that he handled this one rather well. On this episode of Hardball he is arguing with Christopher Hitchens who has repeatedly written books that take great pride in attacking Christianity. Hitchens is a conceited Atheist with a poor attitude that takes great pleasure in watching people of faith go through doubtful times.
Hitchens, in the video, seems almost gleeful that Mother Teresa had experienced a peiod in her life where she questioned her faith. Could you blame her? She had to see people suffering day in and day out and I imagine that the stress of the horrors she witnessed was a lot to bear. However, despite her memoirs shedding light upon her own personal thoughts does anyone really think it should be a “joyous” experience for Hitchens to find out that a woman of faith had trouble believing at times?
I have had doubts before, and I have had times when my faith has been bolstered. As a normal human being I can’t comprehend the way in which God works so there are moments when it’s hard to believe. However, thats what faith is all about….trying to believe in that which we cannot see but know must be there.
Hitchens thinks that the church should apologize for “holding the woman hostage” and that her memoirs show that she was ready to give up on her faith.
I think Hitchens (who actually wrote a book attacking Mother Teresa) just wants to find reasons not to believe. It’s kinda like how the devil works really. The Devil can’t go back to heaven and because of his jealousy and rage he wants to drag as many people down to hell with him. The same can be said for Christopher Hitchens, and because he feels anger and rage towards the Christian faith he wants to hinder and sabotage as many peoples faiths as he can. Kinda like being chained to the train to hell and reaching out and grabbing people and pulling them as you helplessly soar towards your eternal torment.
Misery loves company and all that.
Here’s the video if you want to watch:
A person who has not had a faith experience would not be able to fathom in the least that Mother Teresa’s crisis of faith was a inevitable element of her undying faith. Faith unchallenged is something along the order of a high school cheerleader hollering about her team … yeah, she’s cheering for them, but not because she came to them of her own volition, she just happened to live in the same neighborhood via choices her parents made.
I would be suspicious of a person involved in the missionary work of Mother Teresa who didn’t have a crisis of faith as an integral aspect of their on-going life. Faith must be challenged by life and living in order to thrive, giving the faithful myriad opportunities to touch the face of God.
Hitchens, I believe, is secretly terrorized by an emptiness he cannot touch or describe and wishes to minimize his own suffering by convincing himself that there is no such thing as the faith he cannot feel. I don’t even say this in any mean-spirited way toward Hitchens, because honestly I pity him.
jrantonini
August 29, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Crisis is the touchstone of faith. Faith must be earned and re-earned. It is always a work in progress or it dies away silently and unmourned.
jonolan
August 29, 2007 at 4:24 pm
I can not imagine why a person without SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES can be appointed a saint.
Mother Theresa is known for her exceptional cruelty. She didn`t give painkillers to her patients in order to teach people how to suffer… Because suffering is everything in Catholicism. There are many people who believe in it. They are all mesmerised and hypnothised…
axinia
August 29, 2007 at 7:13 pm
Great post, and thanks for the video. I have yet to read the diary of a person of great faith who did not, at some point, go through great darkness and doubt as well. Maybe next, Mr. Hitchens can plan a book discrediting Job.
Eve
August 29, 2007 at 8:57 pm
What’s with the “an Englishman must be quiet when an Irishman speaks”? The whole “faith” thing is kind of absurd. When a muslim or Hindu has a crisis of belief, Christians like to claim that they are waking up to the falseness of their belief system. But, when a Christian has a crisis of faith – a totally different explanation is employed: it’s a test of faith. No doubt the explanations could be employed vice-versa when a muslim wants to explain the faltering beliefs of muslims and Christians.
I don’t much like Hitchens as a spokesperson for my beliefs, but at least he’s out there telling people that the emperor has no clothes.
tinyfrog
August 29, 2007 at 9:04 pm