Where Is Mother Teresa Now?

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Where Is Mother Teresa Now?

Post #1

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[font=Verdana]-
â—� John 5:24 . . Amen, amen, I say to you: whoever hears my word, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.

â—� Heb 11:6 . .Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that He exists

According to Teresa's private letters; written to spiritual counselors during her five decades in India, she was never really sure there's a God out there.

Teresa's deplorable spiritual condition is shocking, and very difficult to believe, but it's a matter of public record now in a book called:

Mother Teresa / Come Be My Light
The Private Writings of the "Saint of Calcutta"

Edited with commentary by Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C.
ISBN 978-0-385-52037-9

Father Kolodiejchuk is not one of Teresa's enemies. When the book was published, he was director of the Mother Teresa Center and a postulator for her sainthood.

In reality Teresa was an agnostic; which can be defined as a person who does not have a definite belief about whether God exists or not.

Well; according to John 5:24 and Heb 11:6, agnostics should prepare themselves for the worst when they cross over to the other side. I've no doubt Rome's theologians know this but went ahead and canonized her anyway.

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Re: Where Is Mother Teresa Now?

Post #11

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[font=Verdana]-
Father Kolodiejchuk's book is especially handy for juxtaposing Teresa's missionary beliefs and practices with those of the apostle Paul's. In doing so, it becomes readily apparent that there was something very wrong in her methods and in her association with Christianity.

Teresa's perpetual darkness, her spiritual dryness, her feelings of abandonment, the absence of even the faintest glimmer of the Lord's presence, her lack of faith, and her pretense, are especially inconsistent with Paul's life-- whom I believe to be a far more reliable role model for missionaries than Teresa was even on her best day.

Were I a seminary professor, I would make Teresa a mandatory subject for aspiring missionaries; but not as a role model; rather, as an example of going about a right thing in a wrong way: primarily to emphasize that the one thing you do not want to do is go out on the mission field before being very certain that Christ has not only called you, but will also partnership with you.

There was a point in Paul's missionary journeys when he wanted to go to a region called Bithynia; but God stopped him (Acts 16:7). Had Paul pressed on independently, without God's approval, he would have been grossly insubordinate in spite of the fact that it is Christ's wishes that his message be spread abroad throughout the whole world in accordance with Matt 28:18-20.

There was nothing intrinsically wrong with Teresa's ambition to be a missionary. Her wrong was in going it alone after once she realized that Christ was not in it with her. Bottom line is: What Teresa did in India, she did not do in faith; rather, she did it independently by sheer force of will.

If you've done any background on her, then I don't have to tell you that Teresa was a little bulldog. Once she set her mind to a task, Teresa was a D-9 Caterpillar tractor and not easily deterred once she put things in gear.

Teresa's personality is neither rare nor unusual. All the really great achievers are just like her; and known for persisting in the face of adversity, ill health, and overwhelming personal problems. Nobody ever got rich by a half-hearted effort, nobody ever got to the moon by a half-hearted effort, and nobody ever climbed Mt. Everest by a half-hearted effort. The old saying; No Pain-No Gain, is still true whether you're struggling with your weight, your career, your finances, the 100 meter backstroke, investing, or organizing a neighborhood watch.

An outstanding example of the "Mother Teresa" attitude is found in US Navy SEALS. They are a breed of men who absolutely refuse to be beaten . . at anything. I once heard an ex-SEAL say, that if a group of SEALs were playing hop-scotch, it would soon turn violent because they don't like to lose.

At first, Teresa was confident that Christ wanted her in India; but it wasn't long before she began to realize that he was not in it with her. However, she stuck it out anyway because Teresa was tough, and she was determined to fulfill her dream. But it is not God's wishes that Christ's missionaries serve him in the strength of a Navy SEAL; rather, in the weakness, and the meekness, of a slave's mentality.

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Post #12

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WebersHome wrote: At first, Teresa was confident that Christ wanted her in India; but it wasn't long before she began to realize that he was not in it with her.
So here you confess that Mother Teresa began her servitude to Christ with confidence and belief that he existed. And you are suggesting the Christ wasn't omniscient enough to realize that Mother Teresa believed in him and was fully willing to do his bidding? So this was Christ's failure to be able to recognize those who reach out to him offering to surrender to him and do his will.
WebersHome wrote: However, she stuck it out anyway because Teresa was tough, and she was determined to fulfill her dream.
But it wasn't her dream remember? You already confessed, "At first, Teresa was confident that Christ wanted her in India". She wasn't pursuing her dream, she was doing what she believed Christ wanted her to do.
WebersHome wrote: But it is not God's wishes that Christ's missionaries serve him in the strength of a Navy SEAL; rather, in the weakness, and the meekness, of a slave's mentality.
This makes no sense at all. Are you suggestion that every Christian Missionary should give up on their mission at the first sign that Christ's promises aren't coming to pass? Are you also suggesting that they should also stop praying to Christ for STRENGTH to keep up against what seem like impossible odds. Praying to Christ of STRENGTH to make it through another day is a very common prayer request of missionaries.
WebersHome wrote: Were I a seminary professor, I would make Teresa a mandatory subject for aspiring missionaries; but not as a role model; rather, as an example of going about a right thing in a wrong way: primarily to emphasize that the one thing you do not want to do is go out on the mission field before being very certain that Christ has not only called you, but will also partnership with you.
I agree with you on this. I think that would be great if Christian Missionaries were taught to NEVER do anything on faith alone when no results are forthcoming, but to only act when they are 100% certain that they are in undeniable contact with a supernatural entity and that his promises are all being fulfilled right before their very eyes.

Remember Jesus taught that those who believe in him need only lay their hands on the sick and they will recover. Therefore, based on your proposed seminary teaching[/i] any missionary who lays their hands on a sick person and the person does not recover, should immediately abandon their mission with confidence that Christ is not taking part in their mission and can't have anything to do with it.

I totally agree that every missionary should taught this.

And once they realize that there is no magical Christ behind them, if they still want to help their fellow man they can go back out in the field as "secular missionaries" with the full understanding that they can only do what is realistic. Perhaps they can still help people but they would be spending more time actually doing that instead of paying to a make-pretend Christ who never answers prayers or keeps the promises that have been attributed to him in the Christian scriptural rumors.

So yes, I think you should be teaching potential missionaries at a seminary. You might actually help to prevent missionaries like Mother Teresa who actually thought that some magical Christ was going to do something and then became terribly disappointed to discover that there's nothing behind this religious hoax.

Also if any missionaries emerged from your course who actually went on to become confident missionaries after that, we would then see a major change in missionary work. Instead of it being nothing more than a secular attempt to convert people to Christianity with no miraculous results or help for the poor and sick (other than the secular medicine that is being administered), we'd see precisely the opposite. We'd see actual miracles occurring in Jesus' name. Something we NEVER actually see in the world today from ANY Christian missionaries. They all work in the frustration of unanswered faith. And they even confess this publicly all the time. They just "keep the faith" in spite of the fact they they aren't doing any better than secular organizations do.

And this is an INDISPUTABLE VERIFIABLE FACT. There is absolutely no evidence that Christian missionaries fair any better at their humanitarian efforts than do secular humanist organizations.

So the proof that Christian missionaries who think they are working for Christ aren't doing any better than secular humanitarian work is already a well-known fact of life.

Would you even bother teaching this FACT to your missionary students at your seminary?
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Post #13

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Divine Insight wrote: [font=Verdana]So here you confess that Mother Teresa began her servitude to Christ with confidence and belief that he existed.[/font]
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Teresa's early confidence was based entirely upon daydreams. Let me explain.

September of 1946, Teresa, then 36 years old, was sent to her annual retreat and a needed rest, to the Loreto convent in Darjeeling, a town nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, some 400 miles north of Calcutta (a.k.a. Kolkata).

On the 10th, she experienced a "mystical encounter" with Christ. This encounter would be only the first of several that would occur that year. But lest you make the mistake of assuming that Teresa actually eye-witnessed an apparition, or that she actually heard sounds with her own ears; let me explain something that's crucial to keeping Teresa's experience in the proper perspective.

Her so-called encounters are what's known as locutions (supernatural words) viz: manifestations of God's thoughts; which may come through words heard externally (exterior or auricular locutions) or in the imagination (interior imaginative locutions) or immediately without any words (interior intellectual locutions) viz: intuition. Teresa's locutions were of the interior imaginative variety; viz: she didn't actually hear any voices nor did she see anybody; no, it all took place in her imagination.

Teresa claims that the Jesus in one of her locutions promised her this: "Do not fear-- I shall be with you always."

Was "Jesus" with her always? Not even! The poor woman went on from that year forward to endure virtually five decades feeling abandoned by Christ; and yearning for even the slightest glimmer of The Lord's presence.
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Divine Insight wrote:[font=Verdana]But it wasn't her dream remember?[/font]
[font=Verdana]Teresa longed to go to a place like India way before she began experiencing the locutions.

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Post #14

Post by Divine Insight »

If this is what you would teach in a seminary then I would be in total agreement with you. This is exactly what should be taught to Christian nuns and would-be missionaries.

Never act on merely imagining something in your mind! Never act on pure faith" that isn't also accompanied by an actual visual appearance of Christ that you can visually see before you with your own eyes, and words that you can hear with your own ears in precisely the same way that you would see and hear another physical person.

I think if we demand this of all nuns and missionaries, and ask them to never just believe in faith because they imagine that they would like for Christ to speak to them in their dreams, this would reduce the number of women who become nuns and missionaries dramatically.

Every Christian convent should make it clear to all their nuns that they don't want any nuns to stay if they aren't actually seeing and hearing Christ physically appear and speak to them as clear as they speak with other real people.

I totally support that teaching and criteria to everyone who intends to join or stay on at a convent, or in the position of a missionary.

This would guarantee that the only Christian missionaries and Nuns are those who claim to speak with Christ as if he is an actual real person that they meet with on a regular basis. No room for FAITH. Only those who actually meet this demigod directly should apply. They can certainly have "LOYALTY" but no need to any faith because Jesus will have appeared to them so that there is no room for doubt.

We would never then have any nun or missionary ever doubt Christ again or even speak of ever having any difficulty "keeping the faith".

All preachers and priests should be required to do this as well.

~~~~~

In fact, these people could even be tested to find out if they are lying, because there should be 100% consensus between them of what Jesus is saying to them. These people should also be able to answer any questions put to them about Jesus since they are in direct contact with him for certain. And when asked questions about him then should all return with the same answers after having spoken with Jesus.

~~~~~~

Finally after we get to that point (which would be an extreme historical event that Christianity has never exhibited before), we could then pay close attention to what these special missionaries are doing, and it should become crystal clear, and observably measurable, that they are having far better results than mere secular missions that are merely engaging in secular humanitarian efforts.

~~~~~~

So I totally support you ideals. Let me know if any Christian seminary accomplishes this goal. It would be a historical first for sure. And it would finally bring Christianity into the realm of science since we could easily observe and measure the far greater success these special nun and missionaries are accomplishing compared with mere secular organizations.

GREAT IDEA!

By the way, you should probably hold off on belittling Mother Teresa until you can actually get all the other Christian nuns and missionaries to meet your standards.

But I'm with you all the way. I don't think anyone should believe in a Christ they haven't actually met in person physically with no room for doubt or imagination.

I back you 100% on that criteria. :D

I totally back the idea that all Christian Priests and Preachers should satisfy this criteria as well. They should never have to speak of "faith" with respect to their own beliefs. The only time they should need to mention faith would be to their unsaved flocks. Even the "Born Again" saved Christians should have experience the real and undeniable physical appearance of Jesus. And at that point, they would be without excuse to also become a nun, priest, or missionary.

Great Idea! I back you 100%. Love to see that happen.
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Re: Where Is Mother Teresa Now?

Post #15

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Teresa's darkness, her interior suffering, her lack of sensible consolation, her spiritual dryness, an apparent absence of God from her life, and, at the same time, a painful longing for His companionship, was virtually perpetual, lasting five decades, from 1947 clear up to the very hour of her death in 1997.

At the urging of Henry D'Souza, the Archbishop of Calcutta (a.k.a. Kolkata), Teresa finally agreed to an exorcism in the final weeks of her life-- performed by Father Rosario Stroscio --if perchance demons were clouding her mind.

Demons clouding Teresa of Calcutta's mind!? That is certainly not a very appealing testimonial to her religion's value as a source of light and consolation of God's sensible presence.

Father Stroscio, 79, said Mother Teresa appeared dazed and behaving strangely at the time of the exorcism. I also know from another source that Teresa was nervous about God in her last moments. Ironically, though she was never really confident a God exists, she feared that if one did exist, it wouldn't like her, and might be quite disposed to condemn her. Compare Teresa's end-of-life experience with the apostle Paul's.

â—� 2Tim 4:6-8 . . I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Paul's mind certainly wasn't clouded, nor was he dazed and behaving strangely, nor was he in doubt about the existence of God, nor was he nervous that if a God did exist, it might not like him; and possibly quite disposed to condemn him. No, none of that because that is just simply not the way New Testament Christianity works.

â—� Php 4:6-9 . .Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which is beyond the intellect, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy --think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-- put it into practice; and the God of peace will be with you.

Why did Teresa suffer with darkness, interior suffering, lack of sensible consolation, spiritual dryness, an apparent absence of God from her life, fear of the unknown, and, at the same time, a painful longing for God? Why wasn't the peace of God, and the God of peace, with the most pious nun the twentieth century ever produced? Duh. Because she failed to put into practice whatever it was that the Christians at Philippi learned, received, and heard from Paul. Anybody who knows the Bible can see that.

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Re: Where Is Mother Teresa Now?

Post #16

Post by Divine Insight »

[Replying to post 15 by WebersHome]

Or it could just be that Mother Teresa was sucked into a false religion that she originally believed in only to discover later that it was nothing but a pack of lies.

I challenge you to produce the nuns, priests, and missionaries who have SEEN and HEARD Christ as an actual physical person standing before them as you have suggested.

And also provide evidence that they are all in agreement with what Christ is telling the.

And finally produce evidence that their missionary projects (which would necessarily be directed by Jesus himself) are producing any measurable results that are statistically better than secular humanitarian organizations.

Until you can produce any of the above, your slander against Mother Teresa is empty and devoid of any meaning.

You say:
Because she failed to put into practice whatever it was that the Christians at Philippi learned, received, and heard from Paul. Anybody who knows the Bible can see that.
And anyone who is in touch with reality knows that the claims made in the Bible have never come true for anyone.

As I say, demonstrate that there exist people who are actually in contact with a living Jesus, and are working mission that he has sent them on.

Until you can do that, your words are empty. And your slander against Mother Teresa is groundless.

Mother Teresa has certainly earned her position of sainthood in Christianity, even though the entire religion is nothing but a myth. She still deserves her place as a saint in those myths.
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Re: Where Is Mother Teresa Now?

Post #17

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[font=Verdana]-
Teresa's early confidence was based entirely upon fantasy. Let me explain.

September of 1946, Teresa, then 36 years old, was sent to her annual retreat and a needed rest, to the Loreto convent in Darjeeling, a town nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, some 400 miles north of Calcutta (a.k.a. Kolkata).

On the 10th, she's alleged to have experienced a "mystical encounter" with Christ. This encounter would be only the first of several that would occur that year. But lest you make the mistake of assuming that Teresa actually eye-witnessed an apparition, or that she actually heard sounds with her own ears; let me explain something that's crucial to keeping Teresa's experience in the proper perspective.

Her so-called encounters are what's known as locutions (supernatural words) viz: manifestations of God's thoughts; which may come through words heard externally (exterior or auricular locutions) or in the imagination (interior imaginative locutions) or immediately without any words (interior intellectual locutions) viz: intuition. Teresa's locutions were of the interior imaginative variety; viz: she didn't actually hear any voices nor did she see anybody; no, it all took place in her imagination.

Teresa claims that the Jesus in one of her locutions promised her: "Do not fear-- I shall be with you always."

Was "Jesus" with her always? Not even! In no time at all, her Jesus vanished and Teresa went on to endure nearly five decades feeling abandoned by Christ; and yearning for even the slightest glimmer of his presence.

"Now Father-- since 49 or 50 this terrible sense of loss-- this untold darkness-- this loneliness, this continual longing for God-- which gives me pain deep down in my heart-- Darkness is such that I really do not see neither with my mind nor with my reason-- the place of God in my soul is blank-- There is no God in me-- when the pain of longing is so great-- I just long & long for God-- and then it is that I feel-- He does not want me-- He is not there-- God does not want me-- Sometimes-- I just hear my own heart cry out-- "My God" and nothing else comes-- the torture and pain I can't explain"

"The damned of Hell suffer eternal punishment because they experiment with the loss of God. In my own soul, I feel the terrible pain of this loss. I feel that God does not want me, that God is not God; and that He does not really exist."

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Re: Where Is Mother Teresa Now?

Post #18

Post by Divine Insight »

WebersHome wrote: Teresa's early confidence was based entirely upon fantasy. Let me explain.
I'm not interested in hearing your vile slander against Mother Teresa until you can produce someone who fits the criteria you've required of a nun, priest, or missionary.

Produce them first to show that such people actually exist. Otherwise Mother Teresa has earned her place as a Saint in Christian mythology whether you approve of it or not.

The Pope has officially canonized Mother Teresa as a saint. There's not much you can do about it unless you are claiming greater divine authority than the Pope.

Is this your claim?
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Re: Where Is Mother Teresa Now?

Post #19

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[font=Verdana]-
When Steve Jobs expired in 2011, Apple fans the world over mourned his passing. But the reality is: they didn't mourn Jobs because relatively few people were ever close enough to him to know the kind of man he was. No, the world mourned the loss of an iconic image rather than a man. But even though the truth about Jobs' despicable personality is now widely known, people still admire him regardless because to despise Jobs is to despise the iPhone, the iPad, and the iPod; and who in their right mind could possibly despise those devices and/or their inventor?

It's the same with Mother Teresa. Relatively few people were ever close enough to her to know the kind of woman she really was. But even though the truth about Teresa's deplorable spiritual condition is now widely available, people still think she's the cat's meow among Christian missionaries due to her power over their minds as an iconic image.

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Re: Where Is Mother Teresa Now?

Post #20

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WebersHome wrote: [font=Verdana]-
Teresa's early confidence was based entirely upon fantasy. Let me explain.

September of 1946, Teresa, then 36 years old, was sent to her annual retreat and a needed rest, to the Loreto convent in Darjeeling, a town nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, some 400 miles north of Calcutta (a.k.a. Kolkata).

On the 10th, she's alleged to have experienced a "mystical encounter" with Christ. This encounter would be only the first of several that would occur that year. But lest you make the mistake of assuming that Teresa actually eye-witnessed an apparition, or that she actually heard sounds with her own ears; let me explain something that's crucial to keeping Teresa's experience in the proper perspective.

Her so-called encounters are what's known as locutions (supernatural words) viz: manifestations of God's thoughts; which may come through words heard externally (exterior or auricular locutions) or in the imagination (interior imaginative locutions) or immediately without any words (interior intellectual locutions) viz: intuition. Teresa's locutions were of the interior imaginative variety; viz: she didn't actually hear any voices nor did she see anybody; no, it all took place in her imagination.

Teresa claims that the Jesus in one of her locutions promised her: "Do not fear-- I shall be with you always."

Was "Jesus" with her always? Not even! In no time at all, her Jesus vanished and Teresa went on to endure nearly five decades feeling abandoned by Christ; and yearning for even the slightest glimmer of his presence.

"Now Father-- since 49 or 50 this terrible sense of loss-- this untold darkness-- this loneliness, this continual longing for God-- which gives me pain deep down in my heart-- Darkness is such that I really do not see neither with my mind nor with my reason-- the place of God in my soul is blank-- There is no God in me-- when the pain of longing is so great-- I just long & long for God-- and then it is that I feel-- He does not want me-- He is not there-- God does not want me-- Sometimes-- I just hear my own heart cry out-- "My God" and nothing else comes-- the torture and pain I can't explain"

"The damned of Hell suffer eternal punishment because they experiment with the loss of God. In my own soul, I feel the terrible pain of this loss. I feel that God does not want me, that God is not God; and that He does not really exist."
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h

Where did you get this stuff?
Don't think it's right to quote someone without giving information of its source.

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