Mother Theresa...

[CanuckAmok]

Everytime the anniversary of the death of Princess Diana rolls around, I remember that Mother Theresa of Calcutta died on the same weekend. Of course, the media didn't spend as much time on her death (or annual commemmoration) as they have on Diana, because Mother Theresa wasn't rich, or beautiful, or priviledged, or stylish, or young. But Mother Theresa was someone who I absolutely respect and admire, and try to emulate as best I can.

I'm an Athiest, but I know faith when I see it. Mother Theresa had faith in the possibility of a better world.

And I miss people like her.

[BlueJazz]

1. I've never been able to get past the fact...

....that she was so anti-abortion and truly believed that anti-women
laws should have been inacted world-wide regarding that fact.
I don't have anything truly against her but on the other hand I'm not a big fan of her.

[VelmaD]

2. makes me nuts...

if she really wanted to reduce the number of poor and starving in the world then she would be in favor of means for them to HAVE FEWER CHILDREN.

Ok. Other than that she was a nice person and I'm gonna get down off my soap-box now.

Darth Velma

[CanuckAmok]

3. Agreed.

But I don't think I've ever agreed with EVERYTHING someone says, no matter how much I respect them. I even disagree with Michael Moore and Kurt Vonnegut on a few matters...

But, Catholic principles aside, she was a true humanitarian.

[cosmicaug]

13. Godwin's law

But, Catholic principles aside, she was a true humanitarian.

Depending on the actual principles (such as that whole weird veneration of pain shit), isn't this almost like saying that Nazi principles aside, Hitler was a humanitarian?

[Blue_Chill]

15. Hitler vs Theresa

Principles aside one spent a life of service to those that needed it, one killed millions. So no it isn't the same thing.

When it all comes down to it ones deeds matter more then ones opinions.

[cosmicaug]

23. Principles aside

When it all comes down to it ones deeds matter more then ones opinions.

That was precisely my own offensively stated point (and getting the good P.R. doesn't hurt). If you call all the nasty things "principles" (such as killing millions or depriving people of pain control medications because Jesus likes sufering or abusing the sisters under you because it seems the ascetic thing to do after all) and set them aside, you can make even Hitler look good (after all, don't they say he was good with --I assume aryan-- dogs and children?).

And yup, you're right, it's not the same thing. I'm just not as sure that these two are on opposite ends of the good vs. evil gradient as everyone else seems to be (and for those in need of a clue, I'm not thinking that Hitler might be on the good side of the gradient).

[SOteric]

5. I don't see it that way, so I guess I disagree with you.

I can admire a person who lives up to their own belief, - even when it's extraordinarily difficult. It's not necessary for me to share their belief for me to do so.

I know a woman who is anti-abortion. She doesn't protest, sport bumper stickers or bomb abortion clinics. She has foster children. She's had hordes of them. She often takes in confused, pregnant teenaged girls and helps them through their lives, pregnancies and traumas. I don't agree with her politics, - but I deeply admire the way she articulates and lives her convictions. I wish there were more people like her.

[Dirk39]

6. She made me think about abortion in a different way...

She has changed me. To make this clear: I think women should make their decision about this, and whenever there would be a decision to make and I can influence this, I would support the women.
But I really respect her "opinion" and her believes. And I still think abortion is and should be discussed, even more among liberals and left-wingers.
Mother Theresa put it like this: we have to defend the weak people, and the weakest, the poorest of them all, is the unborn child. It can't speak, it has no lawyers..., and so I have to defend it. And for a christian, every child could be gods son, every child could be jesus coming back and we can't kill them.

You don't have to agree with her and I would never make a statement like this, but I just have to say, I really really respect this and I don't feel like I have the right to offend her because of this.

Before it was pretty easy for me, 'cause whenever I heard one of those catholic anti-abortion fighters talk, I knew immediately, how much they care about "born-life", and so I didn't want to hear, what they have to say about "unborn-life"....
But she was different, and she's even different from the kind of media-soap-opera exotism, our cultures create of people like her, to exclude people like her from our every-day-lifes.

Hello from Germany and greetings to Mother Theresa in heaven above (if there is one, I don't agree with her on THAT issue so far),
Dirk

[cosmicaug]

8. Mother Theresa was not all that she's cracked up to be

For instance, as one of the Missionaries's of Charity under Mother Theresa, you'd think the sort of medical treatment that was available to mother Theresa would have been available to you and you'd be wrong.

For instance, as one of the people that she was supposed to be serving you'd think something ressembling medical treatment up to and including pain relief when appropriate would be available to you and you'd also be wrong since, in Mother Theresa's view, suffering brings you closer to Jesus (and all her work was about bringing money to the order --to rot away in some bank account, I suppose-- and about bringing souls to Jesus).

Not someone to be held up as an example to all, in my not so humble opinion.

See:

• http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/hitchens_16_4.html
  
• http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/shields_18_1.html
  
• and http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Theresa (which I've just found) seems to put it all together (including a link to a whole book available online by Aroup Chatterjee).
  

[Blue_Chill]

17. Your source is bias

What she left behind....
Mother's Order, founded in 1947, has nearly 4000 nuns running orphanages, homes of poor, AIDS hospices and other charitable centers around the world.

In 1948, she opened the first school for slum children in Calcutta. She used to help the poor and taught them about hygiene. In 1952, she opened Nirmal Hriday (or Pure hearts), a home for the dying. On the very first day, Mother Teresa picked up a woman literally half-eaten by rats and ants and carried her to the home and cleaned her. This Home for Dying became more and more popular where the dying who had no place to go were brought and were given proper medical treatment.

Another of Mother's foundations was Shishu Bhavan -- the home for babies. Children whose parents cannot care them, or whose parents have left them on the streets.


for a more complete history go to http://www.drini.com/motherteresa/her_life/

[Skip Intro]

4. She devoted her life to helping others

The fact that she was noticed in this world as much as she was is, to me, amazing.

Selfless giving of oneself to help those in need is, as far as I can tell, the most admirable of human actions. Such humble, giving souls illuminate our world. I hope she continues to reap her reward.

[liberalmuse]

7. I do respect and admire her, but...

she was a nun. This is what nuns are supposed to do. This is what all people claiming to be Christian are supposed to be doing. Granted, she chose to become a nun, but so do many, many more women who don't get into the spotlight, and they do just as many good works. Also, the life of a nun is quite simple--they are fed, clothed and sheltered, so they can put all their energy into helping mankind. To give her alms or whatever is anti-Christian, since Jesus said something along the lines of, 'Do your good deeds in secret.' Anyway, just a point.

I think Princess Di is the one who gets the bum rap. She was indeed born rich, beautiful and privilaged. That is what is so nice about what she did. She cared about children and did what she could in trying to prevent them from being maimed by land mines. She had a lot of compassion and brough much awareness to this issue. Most people in her situation would be content with just enjoying their wealth and privilage and setting up the token charity. I admire that about Princess Di as much as I admire what Mother Theresa did.

[sujan]

9. all i know is that

she is not a saint.

[cosmicaug]

10. She's a saint

She's a saint if the pope (the present one or a succesor) says she's a saint.

[sujan]

11. no

I follow the dictionary and she is not a saint in my book. Just another christian missionary who was out to disrupt a society in the name of the Holy Roman Catholic Corporation.

[cosmicaug]

12. Yes

I follow the dictionary and she is not a saint in my book.

The dictionary has several definitions. One of them is the same I was referring to. The other ones basically are all about being a good guy or gal or being very holy or being in heaven or whatever. Basically, if you're not in the Catholic Church, being a saint means you're a very good person. If you're in the Catholic Church, however, my definition (whoever the Church --in the form of the pope-- says is a saint is a saint) is the only one that counts.

On edit: closed a tag.

[sujan]

14. no

my book says a saint is 'one eminent for piety or virtue'

she doesn't fit that description. all i saw was a fiery old hag hell bent on retarding progressive issues.

[Blue_Chill]

19. who does

fit that description in your book? And what have they actually done as opposed to saying or writing.

[sujan]

25. lets just say

no one from the Holy Roman Catholic Corporation.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

28. Some posts just beg for a personal attack but since I can't

I will simply respond that I had friends who actually WENT to Calcutta and worked with her. She may not be a saint in your book but I suspect her record for comfort measures for the dying and feeding and clothing the hungry and MOST neglected of all of India's citizens was far greater than anything you have done in your lifetime...unless you'd like to offer up any real proof of any difference you have actually made in life.

You aren't even scientific in your athiesm...a scientist does everythig they can to prove their hypothesis wrong...something I have not witnessed any athiest on DU even attempt...that's what makes your particular brrand of athiesm no less caustic than a fundamentalist.

[sujan]

30. maybe

but that doesn't negate the fact that she's no saint. she was a christian missionary out to destroy local cultures, subvert people into following outdated religious dogmas and accumulating wealth but in the process got lucky.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

31. If that post were in a diaper...we'd need to change it

[sujan]

32. ok

http://www.meteorbooks.com/index.html

enjoy

[anti_shrub]

16. She certainly did some good

but I can't shake she was anti-abortion in one of the most overpopulated nations on Earth. I know she was obviously Catholic, but you would think someone who surrounded herself with the poor would come to understand why reproductive rights are so important. :shrug:

[Blue_Chill]

18. I can't believe some would ignore her service because she was pro-life

And then of course we have our anti-theist buddies saying she didn't do anything, one even called her a old hag.

The more I read this crap the more I agree with people that say their is no difference between the left wing and right wing. They have different issues but neither have a heart.

[anti_shrub]

22. You mean people should ignore

The fact that she was anti-choice in a horrendously overpopulated part of the world?

[Forkboy]

20. I feel the same way

I respect Diana but I was also sad at how little attention she recieved.She would probably have wanted it that way I bet.

I still wish people could see good when it exists.Maybe she wasn't perfect,but she sure as well was worthy of people's respect and admiration regardless of whether a person agrees with her beliefs in part,in full or not at all.

[JohnKleeb]

21. Fork youre right

abortion I dont think she was supporting the GOP in cutting aid to the poor children of the nation and those who do it in other countries, I doubt she supported the death penalty as well, and I bet you she would have opposed this war, it was things like that that the pope practices that make me defend him. BTW I always forget was Mother Teresa Albanian or Amerinian? or neither

[cosmicaug]

24. Poverty

Poverty would probably have been a good thing in her book because the poor are closer to Jesus.

[Forkboy]

33. you're just silly and bitter

[Breezy du Nord]

26. I concur

:cry: poor Mother Teresa

[mitchum]

27. I don't really care for her

-she seemed to have more affection for hospices than hospitals
-she encouraged overpopulation
-she sold herself for photo-ops with despots who needed to clean up their images just a bit (modern day indulgences)

[proud patriot]

29. A poem by Mother Theresa

Anyway - The Original Version
==============================

People are often unreasonable,
Illogical and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
People may accuse
You of selfish motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,
You will win some false friends
And some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
People may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
Someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
They may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
People will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
And it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you have anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,
It is between you and God;

It never was between you and them anyway.

Mother Theresa

----------------------------------------------

I have this posted on my Bathroom Mirror
Always try to remember this poem , and live
it to the best of my ability .