Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Mother Teresa
I suppose you've heard the news about Mother Teresa. You know, where a bunch of her private letters were published in a book and they reveal that her faith in God was pretty shaky. Time Magazine has a long piece on the topic, which I have not read in its entirety. Rather than believe that Mother Teresa didn't believe in God, Raymond L. Flynn, former Ambassador to the Vatican, thinks that her crisis of faith was really the work of the devil. Humph!
For what it's worth, here's my two-cents on the topic. The Catholic Church typically assigns nuns to their duties and posts. Mother Teresa worked in the slums of Calcutta, India, where she experienced the horrendous miseries of humanity. It is not clear whether the church assigned her to this position (although that is the most likely scenario), or she chose it herself. The point is that this sort of position should never be a life-long commitment. Mother Teresa was likely suffering from clinical depression from her work. We understand that soldiers need a break from the battlefield. Why would a nun not need relief from the rigors of tending to the tremendously poor? Burn-out and post traumatic stress disorder, along with depression, are the likely result. The Catholic Church should have stepped in and ordered Mother Teresa to take a break - assigned her elsewhere for a while - whether she wanted to leave Calcutta, or not. Somehow, the fact that she stuck with her work without becoming a complete wreck shows a mental fortitude that most of us can't touch. If for no other reason than this, she should be sainted.
For what it's worth, here's my two-cents on the topic. The Catholic Church typically assigns nuns to their duties and posts. Mother Teresa worked in the slums of Calcutta, India, where she experienced the horrendous miseries of humanity. It is not clear whether the church assigned her to this position (although that is the most likely scenario), or she chose it herself. The point is that this sort of position should never be a life-long commitment. Mother Teresa was likely suffering from clinical depression from her work. We understand that soldiers need a break from the battlefield. Why would a nun not need relief from the rigors of tending to the tremendously poor? Burn-out and post traumatic stress disorder, along with depression, are the likely result. The Catholic Church should have stepped in and ordered Mother Teresa to take a break - assigned her elsewhere for a while - whether she wanted to leave Calcutta, or not. Somehow, the fact that she stuck with her work without becoming a complete wreck shows a mental fortitude that most of us can't touch. If for no other reason than this, she should be sainted.
Labels: catholic church, faith, god, india, mother teresa, poverty, sainthood
Friday, March 09, 2007
House of Cards
I was thinking more about magical thinking and selective belief, specifically in relation to The Lost Tomb of Jesus and the Christians who don't believe that the bones discovered could possibly belong to Jesus, as he ascended into heaven body and all. Whether these particular bones belong to Jesus or not, what would happen if his bones were found and they were proven to be his bones beyond any shadow of doubt? Would Christians believe then? Is the ascension the basis of their faith to such an extent that if Jesus' bones were found, their faith would fall like a house of cards? What if the Virgin birth was found not to be a virgin birth? What if he didn't divide the fishes and loaves or cure everyone he is supposed to have cured? How much of Christian faith is based on these things and how much is based on the fact that Jesus was obviously an incredible person? Are the miracles surrounding Jesus the reason he was an incredible person, or was he deep down just a good person? Would Jesus still have been Jesus without the miracles? Hmmm.
Labels: faith, jesus, magical thinking, miracles, selective belief, virgin mary
