Mother Teresa was a fraud

Written by Tom Beasley in Opinion at September 23, 2011

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxh, Mother Teresa (August 1910 – September 1997)

The Romans had a saying, de mortuis nil nisi bonum decendum est, or literally: do not speak about the dead unless it is good. However, I have never been good at following good advice. In fact, another good piece of advice would be not to piss off your cook. I was at a Mexican restaurant a few months back and in my private conversation I inadvertently said “Mother Teresa was kind of a bitch” within earshot of the cooks. The entire time I sat there eating my food I felt bad for hurting their feelings, felt the anger of their looks and wondered whether my food would be sanitary. So why would I pick on Mother Teresa of all people? Surely, even though atheists don’t seem to have any morals or respect anything they must at least respect Mother Teresa.

We’ve mentioned her here before and on a previous episode, but this topic deserves a bit more detail. Let’s start somewhere simple. Mother Teresa’s real name is Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhi. She first hit the spotlight in Malcolm Muggeridge‘s documentary Something Beautiful for God. Mother Teresa is known for providing food for the starving in destitute parts of the world, for creating homes for the dying and sick, and for the strength of her religious conviction. I will address these claims and also provide some additional criticisms.

Malcom Muggeridge, during his documentary, wanted to shoot a low-light video but was concerned that the shot might not show up well. The team took the shots and the lightning was fine. The camera team was using a new brand of Kodak film made for low-light shooting. Muggeridge, however, attributed this enhanced visibility to the holy light cast off from Mother Teresa. And then the media frenzy began, and the documentary crew was barraged with questions and interest.

Mother Teresa founded the Home for the Dying in Calcutta

Another notable creation of Mother Teresa is her “Homes for the Dying.” She purported to provide shelter and care for the sick and dying. However, in these homes she actually provided little to no care. There are also accusations that she did little to no actual sterilization on items used to treat the sick. Nuns who worked with Mother Teresa have even stated that she was obsessed with the suffering in these homes. Mother Teresa thought that suffering brought one closer to Christ because it mirrored the suffering of Christ in his final days and reminded people of his sacrifice.

Christopher Hitchens points out in his documentary Hell’s Angel: Mother Teresa that Mother Teresa also encouraged the complacency of the poor. For example, after the massive deaths at Bhopal Mother Teresa responded that the victims and survivors should respond with forgiveness instead of any kind of action. He continues his criticism by pointing to her approval of the cruel and vicious dictators of Haiti, Duvalier family. These similar endorsements by Mother Teresa regarding politics does not stop with these examples and there are many others circulating. Additionally, she also misappropriated funds by investing in projects that the donators did not intend and she has been known for taking money from fraudulent sources (in particular, her involvement with Charles Keating).

What about her religious conviction and faith that everyone admires? Mother Teresa doubted her faith. And not just a little:

Jesus has a very special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great that I look and do not see, listen and do not hear.
— Mother Teresa to Rev. Michael Van Der Peet (1979)

…

Where is my faith? Even deep down … there is nothing but emptiness and darkness … If there be God—please forgive me. When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul … How painful is this unknown pain—I have no Faith. Repulsed, empty, no faith, no love, no zeal, … What do I labor for? If there be no God, there can be no soul. If there be no soul then, Jesus, You also are not true.

The book Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light highlights her private letters (which she wanted destroyed, by the way). Time goes on to explain that this is not some bias, slanted reporting or fraud:

The book is hardly the work of some antireligious investigative reporter who Dumpster-dived for Teresa’s correspondence. Kolodiejchuk, a senior Missionaries of Charity member, is her postulator, responsible for petitioning for her sainthood and collecting the supporting materials. (Thus far she has been beatified; the next step is canonization.) The letters in the book were gathered as part of that process.

Finally, besides all of these issues are the final straws. Go ask a common person on the street, “what did Mother Teresa do — what is she so highly regarded for?” Few will give you a correct, or even specific answer. Mother Teresa has come to be known as a symbol of peace, faith and love. It is a severe mockery that she receives so much admiration and so few people can even tell you what she did to deserve it. Mother Teresa said that condoms and abortion were the greatest problems facing freedom and peace in the modern world. Let’s set aside the controversy of abortion and deal solely with condoms. Mother Teresa’s emphasis on the evil of condoms directly caused pain, suffering and death to thousands. Admittedly, she was not alone in this campaign and the Catholic Church has had a long history of condemning condom use. Yet, she does not provide medical treatment and discourages condom use, the very thing these poor people need, all the while teaching them to be complacent.

And now, Mother Teresa is on the path to sainthood. Her newest miracle was achieved postmortem. Monica Besra suffered from cancer and then an oval medallion with the picture of Mother Teresa on it is said to have cured her cancer. This is, however, an elaborate hoax:

“This miracle claim is absolute nonsense and should be condemned by everyone,” Dr Ranjan Kumar Mustafi, of Balurghat Hospital in West Bengal, said. “She had a medium-sized tumour in her lower abdomen caused by tuberculosis. The drugs she was given eventually reduced the cystic mass and it disappeared after a year’s treatment.” Source.

Her husband even said that “It is much ado about nothing. My wife was cured by the doctors.” He later changed his tune after the publicity started skyrocketing their family to stardom.

So, in the end we are left with a different portrait of the soon-to-be saint Teresa. Don’t go around trying to speak ill of her, simply start asking questions about her; maybe even raise some issues that you have heard about, and see how people react. Not very favorably indeed.

Further Reading & Viewing:

Mother Teresa’s Crisis of Faith

Mother Teresa’s Wikipedia Article

Hell’s Angel: Mother Teresa by Christopher Hitchens (1 of 3) (Hitchens at his finest)

Medicine cured ‘miracle’ woman - not Mother Teresa, say doctors

Penn & Teller BS: Holier Than Thou pt 1/3 (highly entertaining)

Missionary Position Wikipedia Article