Saying of mother theresa

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Someone in my bible study read the following quote from mother theresa and I didn’t believe it. Sure enough, I went on the internet and found the quote from mother theresa.

“There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God.” I am O.K. up until this point. However, the next part of the quote threw me for a loop.
“I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic.”

Jesus said to go out and make disciples of all nations. He never said go out and make the pagans better pagans. Am I missing something here?

Dolores
 
dtms said:
Someone in my bible study read the following quote from mother theresa and I didn’t believe it. Sure enough, I went on the internet and found the quote from mother theresa.

“There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God.” I am O.K. up until this point. However, the next part of the quote threw me for a loop.
“I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic.”

Jesus said to go out and make disciples of all nations. He never said go out and make the pagans better pagans. Am I missing something here?

Dolores
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I believe that point missed is that, if we are to evangalized effectively, we must start where our audience is at. Another point is that neither Hindus nor Muslims are pagans.
 
There’s a difference between evangelization and proselytizing. I think that may be what she’s getting at. St. Francis of Assisi said to preach the Gospel always, use words when necessary. We are also to remember that yes, we are called to make disciples, but only God can change hearts and minds. IMHO she was constantly evangelizing through her works and if her life inspired others to convert, wonderful.
That’s my take on the quote. I’m sure you’ll get great thoughts on this by other CAF posters.
 
dtms said:
Someone in my bible study read the following quote from mother theresa and I didn’t believe it. Sure enough, I went on the internet and found the quote from mother theresa.

“There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God.” I am O.K. up until this point. However, the next part of the quote threw me for a loop.
“I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic.”

Jesus said to go out and make disciples of all nations. He never said go out and make the pagans better pagans. Am I missing something here?

Dolores
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If you make a Protestant a better Protestant he is that much closer to becoming a Catholic. Likewise for everyone else.

Preach the Gospel and when neccessary use words - St. Francis.

Your moral life will convert people. Leave the missionary proper work to the missionaries.

What Jesus meant by making disciples of all nations is that every nation should be a Catholic nation. He didn’t say go make disciples in every nation, but rather of all nations.
 
I don’t want to bash Mother Theresa but if she actually said what the first poster is saying…well, she is just plain wrong. I don’t remember Paul preaching any such sermon or anyone of the apostles.

How is making a Hindu a better Hindu going to help him in the least or a Muslim a better Muslim?

By the way, didn’t your church used to preach outside the church there is no salvation? If so, I would imagine that it would be your duty to do all you can to bring those of us outside your church into it asap.
 
davidv said:
I believe that point missed is that, if we are to evangalized effectively, we must start where our audience is at. Another point is that neither Hindus nor Muslims are pagans.
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Precisely the point.
If you read her ENTIRE statement in context, you will see how true this is:

"There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic. We believe our work should be our example to people. We have among us 475 souls - 30 families are Catholics and the rest are all Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs—all different religions. But they all come to our prayers."
 
elvisman said:
Precisely the point.
If you read her ENTIRE statement in context, you will see how true this is:

"There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic. We believe our work should be our example to people. We have among us 475 souls - 30 families are Catholics and the rest are all Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs—all different religions. But they all come to our prayers."
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Not everyone is equal before God.
 
davidv said:
Why not? We are all created in His image and likeness and have been invited to be with Him in heaven for eternity.
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You can’t have Jacob without Esau.

God obviously favored Paul more than Pontius Pilate, Moses more than Hamurabi (sp?), Peter more than Judas.
 
dtms said:
Someone in my bible study read the following quote from mother theresa and I didn’t believe it. Sure enough, I went on the internet and found the quote from mother theresa.

“There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God.” I am O.K. up until this point. However, the next part of the quote threw me for a loop.
“I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic.”

Jesus said to go out and make disciples of all nations. He never said go out and make the pagans better pagans. Am I missing something here?

Dolores
Click to expand...
Imagine your neighbor is Hindu, and she worships God in a Hindu fashion. She knows that you are Catholic, and she’s seen your witness, yet she consciously chooses to remain Hindu. What’s your next step?

Mother Theresa would say, help her to become a better Hindu. Leave the rest to God.
 
Reformed1 said:
You can’t have Jacob without Esau.

God obviously favored Paul more than Pontius Pilate, Moses more than Hamurabi (sp?), Peter more than Judas.
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Where do it say that God loved one more than the other? God loves all his children. Are you a parent? If your answer is yes, than can you possible love one of your children more than another? Of course not. Now isn’t God a better parent than any of us. He loves us all equal. It is only up to us to fall out of grace in His eyes. This falling out of grace doesnt make Him love us any less it just really saddens Him to not have us in full communion with Him. Remember the story of the prodigal son. The father loved his son even after he left. Just as our Father loves us even at our lowest.
 
Ahimsa said:
Imagine your neighbor is Hindu, and she worships God in a Hindu fashion. She knows that you are Catholic, and she’s seen your witness, yet she consciously chooses to remain Hindu. What’s your next step?

Mother Theresa would say, help her to become a better Hindu. Leave the rest to God.
Click to expand...
Helping the Hindu to become a better Hindu would not be what God would want based on any scripture. Do you believe differently?
 
st_lucy said:
Where do it say that God loved one more than the other? God loves all his children. Are you a parent? If your answer is yes, than can you possible love one of your children more than another? Of course not. Now isn’t God a better parent than any of us. He loves us all equal. It is only up to us to fall out of grace in His eyes. This falling out of grace doesnt make Him love us any less it just really saddens Him to not have us in full communion with Him. Remember the story of the prodigal son. The father loved his son even after he left. Just as our Father loves us even at our lowest.
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Romans 9:13 (I do believe)
13Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.

Why does God favor some more than others? It would seem that the answer is that we are not all equal to God. Is Paul the same as Judas to God or as one poster commented, is Mary seen as equal to Judas?
 
Reformed1 said:
Helping the Hindu to become a better Hindu would not be what God would want based on any scripture. Do you believe differently?
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Yes, I believe differently. I am aware of the general trend among Protestants to think otherwise.
 
Reformed1 said:
Romans 9:13 (I do believe)
13Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.

Why does God favor some more than others? It would seem that the answer is that we are not all equal to God. Is Paul the same as Judas to God or as one poster commented, is Mary seen as equal to Judas?
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I am sorry but not one of us are even equal to God we fall very short. It is rather presumtuous to assume that I am better than you right? It is the same with all humans. Take the plank out of your own eye before you try to remove the splinter out of another’s.

The last I check God is still in charge of judging who is better than the next not yours or mine. Our job is not to judge who God loves, we should be always more unsure of our own salvation than others.
 
davidv said:
Why not? We are all created in His image and likeness and have been invited to be with Him in heaven for eternity.
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Quite right. And consider this: Since God *is *love, any difference in love relationship betwen God and individuals rests solely with the individuals response. God’s love, being God himself, is perfect and unchanging and therefore equally applied to all.

JSA
 
Reformed1 said:
You can’t have Jacob without Esau.

God obviously favored Paul more than Pontius Pilate, Moses more than Hamurabi (sp?), Peter more than Judas.
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How so? Regardless of what you mean by “favored,” favor is not love. God loves all equally by definition because that is what God is–love.

JSA
 
HailMary said:
Does Jesus Christ love His Mother the same way he loves Judas?
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Absolutely. Love is an act of will; will is directed by intellect. Our intellect and will are finite and damaged by original sin. That is why it is difficult for us to imagine God’s perfectly realized intellect and will which love perfectly.

The second part of the Great Commandment does not specify categories by which we are to love one another to different degrees or in different ways; it simply says love, in the imperative.

In heaven our wills will be united with God’s will and we will know what God knows and love as God loves. Then you will understand how it is that God loves all equally.

JSA
 
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