All Comments (51)

Mother Teresa's life was lived in service to others and her achievements were unmatched by her contemporaries. I remember her small frame fearlessly speaking truth to power in scant chosen words. Looking strictly at her life's accomplishments -there is no doubt she was blazing her own well chosen path. She was an overcomer and brought spiritual and physical comfort to the suffering masses of her day.

Her letters remind me of the old song "Deep inside this armour: the warrior is a child.." Its nothing new. Its not even a surprise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pzu-jWpcdw&mode=related&search=

Dan, that's for including a quote. A lot of the people who've posted here have professed that Mother Teresa just had "doubts" like anyone else. They likely have NOT read her letters, because her "doubts" go WAY beyond regular doubt.

If you believe she had enormous faith, you haven't read the articles.

1956: "Such deep longing for God -- and ... repulsed -- empty -- no faith -- no love -- no zeal. (Saving) souls holds no attraction -- Heaven means nothing -- pray for me please that I keep smiling at Him in spite of everything."

Proof you don't need faith in God to be a saint.

Maybe because Mother Teresa was "in the World" and not an aesthetic she was less likely to proceed through the "dark night of the soul". Because she struggled so long yet lived so Christlike that is why She is so admired.

And let's not mince words, here.

All the money you conservative Republicans spend saying you deserve to rule with your cheating corporate agenda, cause only Christians are charitable...

That'd by a sh**load of blankets and oyster crackers.

The columnist says, 'Doubt is not the same as disbelief.'

Implying that as long as someone *professes* belief, it's OK to not believe it.

Here we have someone who did *not* believe, spending a lot of effort trying to *make* others believe, while at their weakest and most desperate.

Or so is the portrayal.

In my book, whatever she believed she was a human. In the *ahem.* Being there for people. As a human, I hope.

People trying to make it be about Christianity are the same people trying to say 'Christians are superior!' ...while trying to do something unfair for the rich and against the societally-scorned.

You could all have saved up for a plane ticket to Calcutta by now, while you were giving the poor and the queer and the scorned here in America a hard time.

Including you, Mr. Thomas.

How unfair.

Here the famous "Lost dutchman trail" draws people, who still come in search of Gold.

But for God, it is just the assumption "You just think you do". Drew the conclusion so early, and based on what? Your Intellect, your experience so far in life, and your perecptions gained so far in life, your limted observations in life and based on less then 0.000001% of combined humanly discovered knowledge.

If I give me credentials, you might feel embarrased (May be, I am not sure!!!!)

Dear Anonymous:

"There is no god,so get a grip on yourself."

You don't know that. You just think you do.

"It's all in your head.
So please stop the idiotic ranting.
One Thomas Baum is enough."

One YOYO is enough, too.

Mr. Thomas, you give yourself away with the quotation marks around the word "evidence". In fact, it is the "evidence" that God exists that is so suspicious of validity. At least that God expressed in the New Testament whose central figure you insist "drives away" the darkness of doubt if you just "focus" on Him. Exactly what do you mean by focus and how does he drive doubt away? In fact this is a willed belief rooted in the imagination. He of course have existed historically as a teacher - but there is not the slightest shred of evidence that he possessed the slightest extra-human being unless one accepts every word in the New Testament. If you can accept every word of the New Testament as absolutely true, you are of course entitled to your belief. But you really need to get a grip on the fact that large swaths of the rest of the people on this planet do NOT - not because there is something wrong with them, but because there is something wrong with the New Testament. Like, it was written long after the historical Jesus died by people with a vested interest in hegemony and it was a very long time ago when a great many things that we know now were not known then. I'm sure you get lots of comfort from your beliefs, but some of us prefer hard truths to soft comforts, and also prefer that as we look those hard truths in the face, someone like you doesn't cheapen our courage by putting quotation marks around the word "evidence".

To Rizwan Ahmed and the rest of the world: When you spoke of Jesus going to the cross with only 12 people believing Him, I take it you mean His apostles, well you are wrong they did not believe Him, they abandoned Him, only one of the apostles went with Him and He did not at the time believe Him but he loved Him enough as a person to go and be with Him when He was crucified. I don't know where you live and if it is legal for you to look at the bible but if you can, you can see what it says whether you believe it or not. There are places in the bible where Jesus flat out says that He is God and He was telling the truth, He is not a meer prophet, He is God-Incarnate, True God and True Man, either that or He was lying, He was not lying. God is a searcher of hearts and minds, not of religious affiliations or lack thereof. True religion is taking care of widows and orphans, which basically means everyone taking care of everyone else, it is that simple. Muhammed was deceived but I do not hold it against him. The True, Living, Triune, Triumphant God, like I have said many times, is a searcher of hearts and minds, not of religious affiliations or lack thereof, I repeat it because so many people don't seem to see what I have said. It is important what you do and why you do it and also what you know. Take care, be ready. See you all in the Kindgon. I also repeat: God wins, satan loses, a tie is unacceptable. Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

Rizwan Ahmed

There is no god,so get a grip on yourself.
It's all in your head.
So please stop the idiotic ranting.
One Thomas Baum is enough.

Only God knows what is really hidden in one's heart. But we can comment only about something which becomes apparent.

You and me or someone else can Ache for God, but this is the sole point which millions and millions fail to understand, God is beyond Humans powers, there is no comparison between Him and us. It is bound for humans to kill their ego (even if it appears in the form that my Ache is more then yours) if they want to recognize true God.

In this very forum, Abrahim was mentioned, is not that enough to undesrand. Abraheem, on command of God, did not second Guess and was willing to sacrifice his Son. This was in those days when other people were used to sacrifice young ones and animals to please thier Gods. So when Abraheem was on begining stages of belief in one true God and want to advance and was tested, then should not I take the example of Abraheem. How he recognized and understood the powers of God, is not Abraheem's name made respectfull for billions of people? and this is due to those honest steps of Abraheem in that very humble begining?

Look into history, who are the people who are realy praised, is not it Abraheem, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad. Did not all these took the name of God, against all odds? Did not Jesus went on cross believing in God when only 12 people out of thousands believed him. Was not Moses went all alone to Egypt to save his people on command of God. What was force of their understanding and conviction? It was that they were bestowed with "direct meeting with God" and was this "direct meeting with God" which made them stand against all odds.

Who will be MT after few centuries and even after few decades? who will remember her. One who dies blind in this world is blind afterwards. is not it sign for rest of people.

I am amazed at arrogance of people. They want to point out; see who much charitable MT was. As if it is their function to decide what is charitable and what is not. In this sense of arrogance, they would say "Look, millions and millions are dying with diesease, war and other calamaties". OR in other words they are saying, look how UNJUST IS GOD and how JUST IS MT. If you are religious, then, think, think, think.

Admit that your intellect and emotions and feelings are limited and be in footsteps of Abraheem if you want to "meet the real true God". After all, HE has not left that sign without any purpose.

Alrighty then, let's talk hypocrisy. Mother Teresa gets heaped with praise for washing the sores of sick and caring for the dying. Yet those who do that same job in our nation's nursing homes and hospice houses get paid a starvation wage. If we really valued such work, we'd give'em more than a pat on the head and "pie in the sky when you die." (Maybe the reason Teresa gets such praise is that she did it all for no reward - not even that of heaven, seeing as she didn't seem to believe in it afterall.)

Furthermore, martyrs like August Spies, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer, George Engel, and Louis Lingg did more to help the poor of this world in terms of both setting an example and getting concrete results than two millenia of Christian saints.

But that's just silly old secularist me. I credit hard facts and concrete results - and just, tangible rewards - over the sanctimonious P.R. of the pious. Which is to say, it's not that Teresa didn't do some good, but a lot of other people have done - and continue to do - a lot better.

Rizwan Ahmed: "Can a human discover God on his own, even if God does not want to? If yes, then show how, as it is illogical.

If God can not be discovred then it must be He reveals Himself on to his choosen one, history of humankind is witness to it.

Then who are the choosen ones? think, think, think. Is not religious texts unified that He reveals Himself to only those, who are honest, no-hypocrite, who endear truth more then wordly gains and name."

Mother Teresa ACHED for God. For decades, she did not feel His presence. Do you mean to say God chose not to reveal His presence to Teresa because she was a "dishonest" "hypocrite" more concerned with "wor[l]dly gains and name" ??

Most of the people who claim to be religious and believe in God have no understanding of it at all.

In a way believing in God and then advancing from belief to certainity is very simple, but most people enslaved by thier intellect can not progress any further and leave this world like a blind, the one who is not given vision of God in this life. This is all because of intellect.

It is not that,intellect is a bad thing; in fact it is a blessing of God, by proper use of which Man has prospered. It helps on all matters which are worldly, as well as heavenly.

No one can deny this, Intellect is not perfect, no matter how highly intelligent one is now or anyone was in history; no matter how much power one has with words. Every intelligent one has made some bad decesions based on this intellect, somewhere in his life span, this is enough to show deficiency of intellect.

Those who consiously or subconsiously consider intellect to be everything and they also claim to be religious and beleive in God, they think that they can pull God out of oblivion with their own efforts, with their own intellectual powers and with their own search. AS if that God want to live in oblivion but they have the powers to uncover him.

Stop and think, think, think. If you are religious and beleive in God and beleive that He is omni-potent and you know that span of time from Jesus to here is few thousand years, whereas He is God of universes from time immomarial, and when this present world would not be here in thousand or million years, the knowledge of which He has, as He is All-Knowing. Stop and think what His powers are what our powers are then

If He does not want to reveal Himself then no-one can find him, he is beyond Human powers. Kill your pride, in this regard, you are nothing as compare to him if you are religious and believe in God then puase and think.

Evidance we have, for religious people, is this; all originators of religion were no intellectuals or arm-chair philisophers; though they were highly intellegent but they were not slaves of thier intellegence. God out of his bounties and mercy revealed Himself to them, that was a favor of God, and it should not be hard to understand that this is the greatest favor of God on humans; especially now when you see example of MT.

Resolve this question, which is fundamental; Can a human discover God on his own, even if God does not want to? If yes, then show how, as it is illogical.

If God can not be discovred then it must be He reveals Himself on to his choosen one, history of humankind is witness to it.

Then who are the choosen ones? think, think, think. Is not religious texts unified that He reveals Himself to only those, who are honest, no-hypocrite, who endear truth more then wordly gains and name.

It's quite simple. There is no god and mother Theresa knew it for years, but kept on keeping up the scam anyway.

Regardless of my personal beliefs, I do not question her beliefs, her doubts, nor her motivation. None of this is particularly important as I am unconcerned with her sainthood.
The fact, however, is very simple. She dedicated her life to ease the suffering of the least of us. She may not have always succeeded, but she persisted and many were helped.

Who among those writing here has done as much?

I find the liberals and "rationalists" to be the most hypocritical group imaginable...Jacoby, Hitchens et all advocate war in Iraq as a liberating and humanitarian endeavor and then turn around to condemn a woman who devoted her life to service and poverty.

These people are the communists and collectivists of our modern day - they believe in the will to power, violent conflict (as in Iraq) and vanguard policies as opposed to hope, peace and sacrifice.

As for contraceptives, the debate is wide open as to the most effective method...

A recent study listed on Yahoonews showed that the use of condoms failed to significantly reduce the spread of hvi in subsaharan africa ...why? ....because men in certain societies (even ours) refuse to use them even with education and warnings on disease.

The message of contraception promotes sexual freedom or "liberation" and then fails to protect at that critical moment as they are alien to many male dominated cultures.

Liberal/colectivist enthocentrism and monolithic solutions to diverse problems and peoples is ineffective and ignorant.

Mother Theresa was a very good and very courageous person, who did what God wants us all to do: love God and love our fellow human beings. She did everything which was entirely under her control to please God. Faith is not entirely under a person's conscious control -- it depends on a variety of other things, some of them within the self and some outside it. God judges us according to standards that are very complex and not entirely known to us. I don't believe he judges us on things that are beyond our conscious control. Ghandi did not have faith in Christ, but he led a more Christian life than many of us Christians do, so he may be saved and many of us may just perish.We must never presume to judge others' being; only God can do that. Mother Theresa did add loving acts into the world and believed in God. Sometimes she doubted. There is no faith without doubt. God is love and he will judge much more wisely than any of us here.

To Rich Rosenthal:

The reason persons from three faiths revere the name and exhibited faith of Abraham is because - long before Jesus - Abraham practiced a form of advance-faith indicating that he could trust the Holy one, even before the evnt and its outcome were known.

Since 'faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen,' subscribers to these three faiths understand that Abraham knew the outcome.

Much later, Jesus articulated that higher standard when he submitted that to entertain the thought of committing adultery is to have committed the act.

Since Abraham was prepared for the sacrifice, an omnipotent God read his heart and knew that he was prepared to commit the act and God gave Isaac and Abraham grace and mercy -the act was not required, since a substitute was provided at a place called "God will provide.".

Some youths from one of these faiths study these stories before approaching manhood. Raised as a Christian, I could not comprehend what Abraham was prepared to do - or why God demanded the sacrifice (of a second born, Isaac, like the second Adam = Jesus)- until the scales were removed from my eyes and I read and understood Hebrews chapter 11.

I think that Cal didn't make it clear that exhibiting faith is not a virtue. Rather, it is a flaw that demonstrates a person's inability to accept reality. So, exhibiting MORE faith is, in fact, an insult. Mother Teresa helped a lot of people in her life, for which she deserves our respect... the same is not due her as a result of her faith.

I'm not sure to ignore all evidence is noble regardless of whether it's religions faith. If you ignore evidence all kinds of stupid things can happen (e.g. Iraq). Perhaps that she was working for good makes the bottom line OK. However, by working to deny condoms to the poor around the world, especially in the time of AIDS, it might be that she hurt much more than she helped anyway.

At the end of the day, she seems to say that God doesn't exist and that's not faith. Perhaps like many of us she kept on doing what she did because she felt it was right and/or she didn't know what else to do.

Mother Teresa was an intensly hypocritical and dishonest person. This is shown not only by her own words but through the show of deception that was her mission in Calcutta and her efforts to mischaracterize what she was accomplishing there (or not). She repeadetly inflated the numbers she was "helping" and took credit for other acts of charity and aid in and around Calcutta for which neither she or or order actually did much of anything to assist. Meanwhile after becoming a celebrity - due to the propoganda film of an extreme known right wing anti-semitical catholic filmaker - full of false claims of miraclles and mischaracterizations of her mission work - she spent most of her time traveling abroad and not in Calcutta at all. She was spending this time raising funds from (among others) Catholic dictators and criminals and she in fact spent very little of this actually helping any poor people - but instead she used it to buy real estate, build nunneries and expand the Vatican's coffers. In final analysis she was basically a complete fraud. And her words of non-belief only strengthen the case against her. She did far more harm then good in her zealous (and hypocritical in the name of god) crusade against contraception and abortion and in fact her mission in Calcutta was not at all what it has been made out to be.

Good explanation Mr. Thomas. I believe that the fruit of her life is all we need as belivers to not only confirm her faith in God but also ours. She appears to not have felt connected to God at times. But by acting, using her will, she proved her faith.

Good explanation Mr. Thomas. I believe that the fruit of her life is all we need as belivers to not only confirm her faith in God but also ours. She appears to not have felt connected to God at times. But by acting, her will, she proved her faith.

Good explanation Mr. Thomas. I believe that the fruit of her life is all we need as belivers to not only confirm her faith in God but also ours. She appears to not have felt connected to God at times. But by acting, her will, she proved her faith.

Andrew Smith:

I am glad you come from what seemslike a well rounded home. And I think it admirable that you found Christ.

But this is what I have to say........you still have a lot to learn.

Silence Dogood:

As Abraham was leading his son Isaac (who was carrying the wood for his own sacrifice) from the ass and towards Mt. Moriah; Abraham was being obedient to an instruction God had given him.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If Abraham tried that today and actually followed through then he would be arrested for murder and if God exists then God would be found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. All reasonable people would consider Abraham a monster. To put such a premium on "faith" with such a story is very disturbing and frankly sounds much like the mental issues of Osama Bin laden.
Better edit that bible or civilization will censure it.
Religion is not cute anymore.

Mr. Thomas:

Take a cue from Susan Jacoby and try to write more than two paragraphs on a given issue. You can do this by thinking beyond your basic knee-jerk impressions and assumptions, explaning, elaborating, presenting evidence, and anticipating and then addressing counter arguments. These are the things thinking people find persuasive. Bald assertions don't cut it with us.

Are you unable to do this? Too lazy to do this? Maybe you lack the incentive to do this? (How 'bout merit pay for columnists?) Or are you simply used to an audience that will take what you say at face value without criticism or questioning?

To Fallen,

I did not intentionally posted three times. First two times, browser showed me an error, so I went back and posted it again, untill third time when I found it actually has been posted third time.

The reason, MT event made me sad is because I belong to a community who are follower of "Second coming of Jesus", and unfortunately, in our opinion and OBSERVANCE it happened such that MT was just few hundered miles away from jesus of the time, the one she was looking.

That was in Gurdaspur, in north-west of India.

She could have just taken a bus ride and be there where Jesus is.

Jesus of the time, very clearly in his books; which are available on internet and via His millions of followers, made it clear that his primary purpose is to restore people's BELIEF IN GOD.

The reason I put BELIEF IN GOD in capital letters is that; Jesus of time in his original book when it was published around hundered years ago, wrote it in font-size of say 40 in a book which is written in a font-size of 12.

This book is still available in original form and read by his millions of followers. What a pity MT could not get hold of it.

Jesus of time, not only promissed that he will show people the path to recognize God, a path which is mutual such that if a person walk one step toward God then God walks 100 steps toward that person, untill that humble one is bestowed certianity of God with clear signs and clear heart.

God appears to those who have the clear heart, if you strive in your life to make your heart clear and clean then such a heart has a direct Link to God, such that all doubt and farness is removed.

Anyone can look into his heart, honestly and earnestly and decide himself if it is capable of receiving God.

Promissed Messiah, not only appeared in India and established his successors, and millions follow him, including Nobel laurettes in Physics and Jurists of highest caliber. He founded an educated, enlightened community who sacrifice substantial part of their earning for humanity. The do it with dedication, bacause as a community they are bestowed with God.

Silence Dogood:

As Abraham was leading his son Isaac (who was carrying the wood for his own sacrifice) from the ass and towards Mt. Moriah; Abraham was being obedient to an instruction God had given him.

Abraham, deemed righteous because of his faith, stated to his servants, "Stay here with the ass, I and the lad will return."

This kind of faith in God (soon to be confirmed by the placement of a ram, caught in a thicket/a substitute) indicated no doubt or fear and demonstrates for all of us faith that does not come from sight.

Abraham did not question God.

I actually contrived to meet Mother Teresa when she stayed at an AIDs hospice off Ponce de Leon in Atlanta Georgia. I was living down the street and wheeling the hospice garbage out to the street for them. She was tiny, frail, very bent over, obviously losing bone mass, dressed in the habit of the order (light blue) and a shabby dark blue cardigan...and very tired. I didn't have the heart to make her respond to me.

Her disbelief (for it is disbelief that she describes Cal, not doubt. DISBELIEF is a twenty year phenomenon, not doubt) doesn't make me think less of her, rather more. Its like you believers read her stuff, put their hands over their ears and sing "LA LA LA I can't hear you."

The Catholic church tried to exorcise her for crying out loud. I mean, can you not read the words she wrote, or only the words in your head??

Rizwan, stop posting the same thing over and over. Thanks muchly.

In a way, it would have been better had these letters never been released. Those of us who accepted at face value Mother T's reputation never would have been curious to know more about her.

What I've learned isn't good.

I'm wondering how much of the many hundreds of millions (if not billions) her Missionaries of Charity is languishing in bank accounts she had all over the place, let alone how much is sitting in the Vatican's coffers. Hardly a smidge is being spent on the poor. Evidently she used most of what MC spent on opening convents and nunneries around the world vs., say, alleviating the actual problems caused by poverty. It never occurred to me that they don't actually provide anything more than backward help (no more than aspirin?) in these "clinics" MC runs in Calcutta, where people go to die.

They evidently continue to let folks believe that the money is helping the poor when in fact it appears she was only interested in recruiting more Catholics (fine, but don't let folks think the goals are otherwise), as well as her obsession with suffering (being "beautiful"). Wow.

I just can't figure out why all these folks to whom she wrote never got her any help. She was clearly very disturbed virtually all her life. I guess the Church didn't want to lose a cash cow, so that speaks to why it didn't intervene.

We do not believe in a week God, the one which on one hand is All-Powerfull, All-present and on the other hand can not even grant his recognization to a humble one who apparently spend all his/her life in that search. There are only few options.

1. The path you have selected to recognize God mutullay between you and God is wrong. You are on a wrong trail while hiking in this world.

2 There is no God.

How can we accept if there is a God and He is All-Mercifull, All-Compassionate but He does not bestow his glimpse on the Mortal.

When I applied for non-degree courses after my Masters, I have to sign a decleartion with University that If I ever decided to pursue PhD afterwards, then non-degree courses would not be counted toward PhD.

You have to declare your intention, clearly.

In case of God, He always guides his servants, who want to be guided. He always bestow them with His presense, to those who do not miss his signs, to those who while using their intellect and other capabilites are willing to "submit those to one God" whenever they found that they are treading on a wrong path

Yeah,we know, black is white. This is the same sorta simple minded nonsense the Bushies live on.

Why are we still talking about this awful old woman? Hasn't Hitchens (and the wonderful Susan Jacoby) pretty much summed her up?

Cal -

I am not a Christian. However, I am amazed by the response to the "revelations" about Mother Theresa. Her constant devotion to the poor under terrible conditions was amazing. Did she have doubts? So what? To all the Christian scoffers who would think less of her, I ask: "Who was it that said "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Under extreme conditions, even the most saintly humans can be forgiven weaknesses. And she was among the most saintly. To atheists and agnostics, there is no reply. They are not part of the discussion.

There is a very perceptive analysis on Mother Teresa in Newsweek. It is a must read for every Catholic.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20497111/site/newsweek/

In a letter to a spiritual confidant, the Rev. Michael van der Peet, that is only now being made public, Mother Teresa wrote with weary familiarity of a different Christ, an absent one. "Jesus has a very special love for you," she assured Van der Peet. "[But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — Listen and do not hear — the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak ... I want you to pray for me — that I let Him have [a] free hand."

Whereas Quran says:

2:19] They are deaf, dumb and blind; so they will not return

Remeday for gaining belief in God is glorifying the God, and not a mortal slave of Him.

[15:99] But glorify the Lord praising Him, and be of those who prostrate themselves before Him.

[15:100] And continue worshipping your Lord till you be bestowed with certainity (about his existance with clear signs)

Unfortunate is end if it happens the way of Mother Teresa.

[17:73] But whoso is blind in this world shall be blind in the Hereafter, and even more astray from the way.

Glory to God alone, and not to a mortal slave, who died and is buried on the Ground. That is, Jesus son of Marium, God be pleased with him.

It is obvious that the Catholic establishment wants to spin the truth about Mother Teresa's letters in a way that is not absolutely damning. Cal Thomas is trying to do just that.

It is not as if Mother Teresa just had doubts about her faith. She actually did not believe in the faith (although going through the motions in public). She was so tormented by her inner beliefs and the public persona that shortly before her death, that the Catholic church (fearing an PR disaster) performed an exorcism on her. The church claims that after the exorcism, she slept like a baby.

Imagine, being a non-believer for over 50 years and going through the motions of a pious believer! Why would any sane person go through this?

Good essay. Doubt is a natural stop on the journey of faith. The beauty is that if you ask hard questions you will learn a lot about God. The trick is to not give up when you find yourself "in the valley of the shadow of doubt"

I have seen this for myself... the valley and the mountaintop.

Peace,
RT

In a letter to a spiritual confidant, the Rev. Michael van der Peet, that is only now being made public, Mother Teresa wrote with weary familiarity of a different Christ, an absent one. "Jesus has a very special love for you," she assured Van der Peet. "[But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — Listen and do not hear — the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak ... I want you to pray for me — that I let Him have [a] free hand."

Whereas Quran says:

2:19] They are deaf, dumb and blind; so they will not return

Remeday for gaining belief in God is glorifying the God, and not a mortal slave of Him.

[15:99] But glorify the Lord praising Him, and be of those who prostrate themselves before Him.

[15:100] And continue worshipping your Lord till you be bestowed with certainity (about his existance with clear signs)

Unfortunate is end if it happens the way of Mother Teresa.

[17:73] But whoso is blind in this world shall be blind in the Hereafter, and even more astray from the way.

Glory to God alone, and not to a mortal slave, who died and is buried on the Ground. That is, Jesus son of Marium, God be pleased with him.

Cal, the doubts were just reason and rationality protruding in her make-believe, fairy tale universe of supernatural prattle. But like all truly devout, of whatever superstition, whether judaism, christianity, or islam, she managed to expel reason and rationality and cling to her primitive superstitions.

In a letter to a spiritual confidant, the Rev. Michael van der Peet, that is only now being made public, Mother Teresa wrote with weary familiarity of a different Christ, an absent one. "Jesus has a very special love for you," she assured Van der Peet. "[But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — Listen and do not hear — the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak ... I want you to pray for me — that I let Him have [a] free hand."

Whereas Quran says:

2:19] They are deaf, dumb and blind; so they will not return

Remeday for gaining belief in God is glorifying the God, and not a mortal slave of Him.

[15:99] But glorify the Lord praising Him, and be of those who prostrate themselves before Him.

[15:100] And continue worshipping your Lord till you be bestowed with certainity (about his existance with clear signs)

Unfortunate is end if it happens the way of Mother Teresa.

[17:73] But whoso is blind in this world shall be blind in the Hereafter, and even more astray from the way.

Glory to God alone, and not to a mortal slave, who died and is buried on the Ground. That is, Jesus son of Marium, God be pleased with him.

What the whole thing means to me is simply that if there is a god, and we believe him to be Jesus, we should live our lives as he did. That, I believe, is what Mother Theresa did, and it was dark and hard. God doesn't and didn't claim that it would be easy. Everything that Mother Theresa did was in the name of God...and she did much.

Mr. Thomas, don't you understand? That's not what she said at all. I'm surprised that you can read her stuff and still be so wedded to your own view that you can't understand the words that are coming off her pen.

I know that you are superstitious, but I was sure you could read and comprehend. You should be writing for sitcoms. Like you, they reduce the profound life experience to simplistic moralizing that reinforces a shallow, puerile world view, and wrap up in 22 minutes with some warm cliche.

2,000 years ago you'd be earnestly writing about how important it was to demonstrate faith and reverence to Jupiter by observing the rituals and comporting oneself as Jupiter commands. Otherwise how can one go to the Elysian fields?

Mr. Thomas, don't you understand? That's not what she said at all. I'm surprised that you can read her stuff and still be so wedded to your own view that you can't understand the words that are coming off her pen.

I know that you are superstitious, but I was sure you could read and comprehend. You should be writing for sitcoms. Like you, they reduce the profound life experience to simplistic moralizing that reinforces a shallow, puerile world view, and wrap up in 22 minutes with some warm cliche.

2,000 years ago you'd be earnestly writing about how important it was to demonstrate faith and reverence to Jupiter by observing the rituals and comporting oneself as Jupiter commands.

I'm also posting this here because I'd really like to hear people's thoughts on this:

Jesus' cry of "My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?" was moment of doubt that showed that Jesus was both fully divine AND fully human.

The key word being moment. Even momentS.

Mother Teresa's "moment" lasted the last few decades of her life. And her doubt was not of the variety of "why has God forsaken me at this my hour of need," which can indicate enduring belief in God but feeling abandoned at the moment.

Mother Teresa did not feel God's presence for decades. Obviously, I don't mean physical presence, and this doesn't mean God has to "prove" His existence through miracles. But, although they may waiver, people of faith find God as real to them as the person standing next to them.

Who or what is God if you cannot have a relationship with Him? Merely a creator? An absentee landlord?

I think these are important questions that don't negate Mother Teresa's good works.

Mr. Arun,

I am a 17 year old who has accepted and committed my life to Christ. Growing up in a Christian home, I have been given the choice to believe or not to believe. You obviously know now what I believe. Anyways, to my point...at the beginning of time...Adam and Eve...you know the story...Adam sinned, right? Right. Do you know the punishment for sin? If not, here-Death. As humans, we brought death, suffering, and confusion on ourselves because we are sinners. This is why God sent his Son, Jesus, to die and suffer for us. So that even though we live in sin we have been given a second chance to live in eternity with God, by accepting, recieving, and committing our lives to Christ.

About Mother Teresa...she had doubts...so have I...God tells us that he even knows we will have doubts, he knows we will sin against his will. But yet still gives us that second chance and continues to love us. I understand as a non-believe how ridiculous this may sound to you. But sir, let me ask you this...Were you created by random chance, by a dust cloud, that eventually turned into an ape, which then turned into...US?! The earth is an effect, which with an effect you must have a cause. We have a reason for being on this earth, to live a life with God. Without God, the Supreme Being, we have no reason to live.

Please feel free to email

After watching unsolvable misery 24/7 for 40 years, who will not have doubts about the existance in God? Is it not better to acknowledge that one cannot believe in such a God (who allows misery to exist) and stll continue to do your work? At least you will never feel guilty ,as Mother Teresa did.

TO CAL THOMAS: Concerning your statement "but doubt is not the same as disbelief", I don't think that I have ever doubted the reality of God but I did have disbelief in that I used to believe that Jesus died for everyone except me, well close but no cigar, JESUS DIED FOR EVERYONE INCLUDING ME. So what I have said in the preceding statement is that I had the disbelief that Jesus died for me. Is this what you mean by, "doubt is not the same as disbelief"? I would appreciate a reply, thank you. Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.