Mother Teresa: The Greatest Lie Ever Told?

As I have found out time and again, if you are critical of Mother Teresa watch out - you will be attacked regardless of the factual information you present.

Mother Teresa is often presented as one of the shining examples of religious good. Is this true? In my opinion, not at all. In fact, Mother Teresa was one of the best examples of how a legend can be produced from good PR regardless of what the person actually did for humanity.

Calcutta

One of the most referenced accomplishments accredited to Mother Teresa was her "Home for the Dying" in Calcutta, one of many establishments which the Missionaries of Charity established to care for "the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone." While these establishments seemed like true humanitarian efforts from an outsider's point of view, the truth behind them is far more sinister. The justification for the lack of medical supplies including painkillers at these places was evidently rooted in Teresa's personal belief that the path to religious purity was through suffering.

This did not, however, stop the Mother herself from utilizing some of the most expensive and technologically up to date clinics in the west when she herself begand to experience heart trouble and other issues tied to her old age. Why is it that Mother Teresa saw something beautiful in the suffering of the poor Calcutta masses but when it came to her own suffering saw no issue with allowing herself the most comfortable care, regardless of the price? This seems to indicate a lack of true belief in what she preached - a hypocrisy which should not be ignored.

Nobel Peace Prize and Birth Control

In 1979 Mother Teresa was given the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in Calcutta. At this time she was already well on her way to being one of the more influential and affluent religious leaders of our time - though her bankroll was not reflected in her homes for the destitute, nor would it ever be. Many people, including Christopher Hitchens, have asked one question in regard to her attaining the Peace Prize - Why? Her acceptance speech was a perfect example of the lack of regard for peace: “Abortion is the worst evil, and the greatest enemy of peace... Because if a mother can kill her own child, what will prevent us from killing ourselves or one another? Nothing.” These are not the words of a humble, loving person doing the work of a loving god. These are the words of a calculated religious leader who is pushing an agenda by any means nessecary.

Her attacks on birth control were constant and showed an utter disregard for the dangers of over-population and the suffering it caused - a suffering which she experienced first hand at her centers for the poorest of poor. In 1992 at an open air mass in Knock, Ireland, she said, “Let us promise our Lady who loves Ireland so much, that we will never allow this country a single abortion. And no contraceptives.” When asked about the over-popuation of India where a good portion of her work was seen as necessary because of a direct correlation between the poor and over-population, she said "God always provides. He provides for the flowers and the birds, for everything in the world He has created. And those little children are his life. There can never be enough.”

Even if one were to believe that Mother Teresa had nothing but what she felt was the best intentions in regard to these people, her comments show clearly a lack of understanding in regard to the modern world and the necessity for contraception as a means to control the destitute population in all areas of the world. At worse, her actions were selfish and calculated and at best, irresponsibly out of touch with reality.