Mother Teresa was an Atheist?

If True this is shocking:
www.cbsnews.com...

In life, Mother Teresa was an icon — for believers — of God's work on Earth. Her ministry to the poor of Calcutta was a world-renowned symbol of religious compassion. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a rare interview in 1986, Mother Teresa told CBS News she had a calling, based on unquestioned faith.

"They are all children of God, loved and created by the same heart of God," she said.

But now, it has emerged that Mother Teresa was so doubtful of her own faith that she feared being a hypocrite, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips.

*snip*

According to her letters, Mother Teresa died with her doubts. She had even stopped praying, she once said.

The church decided to keep her letters, even though one of her dying wishes was that they be destroyed. Perhaps now we know why.

Any thoughts about this revelation? all that matters is that she helped a lot of people , her beliefs are her own personal matter.

Doubting one's faith is not the same as being an atheist.

The fact that she kept persevering in the face of that doubt shows true faith.

Peace

i remember watching this... and came to the conclusion she was not really a god fearing person just from what is pointed out in this video.

VIDEO

According to the article she was questioning her faith, that doesn't make her an Athiest. She wanted to believe. Either way she was a wonderful person and helped a lot of people. The important thing is what she did with her life, not whether she had a lapse of faith while she was doing it.

I think she was an incredible person and achieved a lot of good things in her lifetime.
Having to face ones own mortality is a difficult thing, no matter what your faith. I know a lot of elderly people question their faith in those last moments. I have been there.
Perhaps it was organised religion, rather than her actual belief in God that caused her turmoil.
I guess we'll never really know, we can't ask her now.

While I have doubts about this "revelation," I agree with Dr.Love. Doubting and not believing are two different things. She may have had doubts. That is human is it not? Also, considering that we can't know anything beyond a shadow of a DOUBT, it really wouldn't be surprising if she doubted her faith.

[edit on 24-8-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

all i have to wonder is: does it matter? she's dead and buried and we only have vague hints, put the woman in the theist camp until we have something more substantial

What I gathered from the story on NBC this morning was that her whole life she wanted to love and be loved, not the kind of love that the masses had for her, but a romantic love. She felt trapped by her faith, but like I said, she still persevered.

She was truly a great woman.

Peace

Dr.Love, people tend to think that priests, nuns and monks are somehow impervious to desire. That isn't true at all. They are human.

Earthchild & Jenna I do agree, she sure set an example for humanity and taught compassion is nothing impossible.

I do agree, possibly on her last days she questioned her Faith only she knows the answer.

for all the people singing the praises of mother teresa... realize she really wasn't a mother teresa... just read up on her, christopher hitchens does a pretty good job with showing the world exactly who she was.

Originally posted by KINGOFPAIN
i remember watching this... and came to the conclusion she was not really a god fearing person just from what is pointed out in this video.

VIDEO

Yes that certainly opened my eyes up to her agenda a little more than before, and looking a little closer you'd see she clearly had an agenda for the poor but it certainly wasn't to bring them up from the poverty they lived in.

End Result of Teresa's Exploits: More Nuns.

Listen up folks ...

#1 - Dr. Love is 100% correct with this.

#2 - She's HUMAN, and therefore subject to getting tired and having doubts.

#3 - Educate yourselves on what the 'Dark Night of the Soul' is in spirituality.

She went through 'The Dark Night' just as St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila and St. Terese the 'Little Flower' and MANY MANY other saints through out the centuries have.

Her perseverence through doubts is in line with what other saints have had to deal with.

The Dark Night of the Soul is something that is written about extensively and is something that MANY people on the spiritual path must go through.



[edit on 8/24/2007 by FlyersFan]

Its perfectly natural to question the existence of God at times during ones life. Mother Theresa was human, very human.
This does not make her an athiest at all, just someone with questions, like the rest of us.

There was a true human being.

A person can only be measured or judged by their actions, not their intentions. It seems that in her actions she was certainly not an Athiest. Also, faith is a belief in something not seen, despite all evidence. If she experienced spiritual doubt for most of her life then I think it is an extreme act of faith to persevere with her charitble works and draw attention to the very basic tenents of Christianity.

For me, this revelation in no way casts doubt on Mother Theresa - it only serves to highlight the need for the Catholic church to modernize and allow clergy and nuns to be able to marry and have a fuller, more well-rounded life.

Originally posted by kosmicjack
A person can only be measured or judged by their actions, not their intentions. It seems that in her actions she was certainly not an Athiest.

ahem... atheists do good things all the time.... lots of charity. they just don't get headline status for it.....

atheists are just as charitable (and in many cases more if you look at the great philanthropists) as any other segment of the population.

reply to post by madnessinmysoul


Here we go... LOL You have an excellent point that I in no way dispute. I'm just saying that, in particular, her actions were in line with her professed beliefs as a Christian. She should not be labeled as an Athiest merely because she had reservations. I doubt it is going to rain today but that doesn't make me a weatherman.

reply to post by kosmicjack



her actions could have also fallen in line with secular moral philosophy... accept for her views on birthcontrol and a few other things.

Originally posted by KINGOFPAIN
i remember watching this... and came to the conclusion she was not really a god fearing person just from what is pointed out in this video.

VIDEO

Wow interesting video, shows what she was really like, not a nice person at all..

As others have pointed out, having doubts is not the same as being a declared atheist. Even the most devoted have doubts from time to time and many declare this openly. That is what makes us human. There is nothing wrong with that. It is good to question.

Mother Teresa was a remarkable woman who dedicated her life to the poor and desperate. It would be perfectly understandable for her to sometimes doubt or at least question why things happen. We have all been there in our daily existence and most of us (I am sure) have not had to witness first hand or deal with what Mother Teresa did during her life.

As for those who now wish to denigrate her, the least said the better. Wonder what legacy they will leave? Scant little I suspect.