Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith

[notself]

Why should it be shocking that Mother Teresa doubted in God, or didn’t feel overwhelming “warm fuzzy feelings” every moment of the day or whenever she thought about God?

The phrase “warm fuzzy feelings” is disrespectful to the experience of Mother Teresa in her early years as a nun and on the streets. It is also disrespectful of people who have expressed their experience of transcendence on this board.

Did all of the Saints who had this experience just have the warm fuzzies?

Do you belittle this transcendence because you have not experienced it yourself and therefore doubt you ever will?

 

[lukewarm]

Why should it be shocking that Mother Teresa doubted in God, or didn’t feel overwhelming “warm fuzzy feelings” every moment of the day or whenever she thought about God?

You seriously think that the only thing Mother Theresa went through was not “feeling warm fuzzies every moment of the day”? I clearly read something completely different from you.

 

[valient_Lucy]

The phrase “warm fuzzy feelings” is disrespectful to the experience of Mother Teresa in her early years as a nun and on the streets. It is also disrespectful of people who have expressed their experience of transcendence on this board.

Did all of the Saints who had this experience just have the warm fuzzies?

Do you belittle this transcendence because you have not experienced it yourself and therefore doubt you ever will?

My comment about “warm fuzzies” was not really a remark about Mother Teresa or her earlier experiences. I was simply expressing frustration at people who seem to think that saints have an easy time with faith, that they never doubt God, or they never doubt the existence of Heaven or Hell, or they feel God’s presence every single moment of their lives, and are completely immune to human struggles.
The world is full of non-religious people who simply don’t understand what it’s like to believe in God. They see things in VERY simplified terms. Christopher Hitchens used to claim that Mother Teresa was practically a brainwashed fanatic, incapable of thinking of herself. Now he’s done a complete turn around, and sees her as a closet atheist, who didn’t believe in God at all. He sees the situation (and the person) in very black and white terms, without any sense of subtlety. Because he cannot conceive of a person struggling with faith, he has only two categories for people: unquestioning brainwashed religious fanatic, or doubting atheist.

I’ll grant I should have just said all this last night, but I was in a hurry, and annoyed, so I did not.

 

[valient_Lucy]

You seriously think that the only thing Mother Theresa went through was not “feeling warm fuzzies every moment of the day”? I clearly read something completely different from you.

From the little I’ve read in the letters, I do get a sense of deep spiritual agony. They reminds me of the book of Job, perhaps my favorite book in the Bible, and a book that should be required reading by every person in the world, regardless of their religious beliefs, since it is without a doubt the most honest thing that has ever been written. Read post 87, which discusses what I meant by my earlier post.

 

[R2D2]

Hitchens’ strikes at Mother Theresa. Here’s the polemic.

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Christopher Hitchens used to claim that Mother Teresa was practically a brainwashed fanatic, incapable of thinking of herself. Now he’s done a complete turn around, and sees her as a closet atheist, who didn’t believe in God at all. He sees the situation (and the person) in very black and white terms, without any sense of subtlety. Because he cannot conceive of a person struggling with faith, he has only two categories for people: unquestioning brainwashed religious fanatic, or doubting atheist.

.

This just makes me feel sorry for Christopher Hitchens.

 

[notself]

Christopher Hitchens is an ***.

I feel sorry for him as well.

May he be well and happy.
May he be safe and free from harm.
May he be free from anger and ill will.
May he be at peace.
May his heart be filled with loving kindness.

 

[swariffin]

One of Buddhist thinking I learn: Finding someone else at fault, you should doubt it at first. In this case, I try to assume that Christopher Hitchens may privately believe in Mother Theresa. Trying to deduce things, the only result I can imagine is that he just want to get people’s attention or attempting to be famous. For what reason? Why he chosed this way? May be only God and him know it.

 

[notself]

One of Buddhist thinking I learn: Finding someone else at fault, you should doubt it at first. In this case, I try to assume that Christopher Hitchens may privately believe in Mother Theresa. Trying to deduce things, the only result I can imagine is that he just want to get people’s attention or attempting to be famous. For what reason? Why he chosed this way? May be only God and him know it.

That is very true. That is why we should have compassion for everyone even people who behave like *sses.