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Home Front: Culture Wars
Christopher Hitchens wants Mother Teresa in hell
2009-11-03
On October 30, atheist author Christopher Hitchens appeared on Dennis Miller's Internet radio show condemning Mother Teresa. The UK born author and commentator referred to the Nobel Prize winner, saying "The woman was a fanatic and a fundamentalist and a fraud, and millions of people are much worse off because of her life, and it's a shame there is no hell for your bitch to go to."
Just because Mr. Hitchens is a brilliant thinker and on the right side of War on Terror questions does not mean he can't be a bit of a crackpot on other things.
Posted by:lord garth

#19  Condoms, not saintly works are the salvation of India.

Final Solution, eh g(r)rom?
Posted by: Pappy   2009-11-03 20:48  

#18  Grom, condoms are a stopgap at best. Birth control may reduce the population somewhat, but does nothing to promote the value of a human being.

Picking up dying people and showing love; teaching women they are valuable and not trash in a culture that still practices female infanticide; helping those who are suffering and sharing a hope of a better life. You change a culture by changing individual hearts.
Posted by: mom   2009-11-03 19:38  

#17  If we judge people by what they do and not by what they say I think we know who wins hands down.
Posted by: European Conservative   2009-11-03 17:36  

#16  Thank you, lord garth. One of the many nice things about Rantburg is that someone always has the exact information I'd been burbling vaguely about. :-)
Posted by: trailing wife   2009-11-03 17:08  

#15  fertility rates 2000-2009<

yes they are decreasing

one cause of this is increased literacy which was promoted by MTheresa's various institutions
Posted by: lord garth   2009-11-03 11:43  

#14  Christopher Hitchens spending so much energy villifying Mother Teresa, shows the dark recesses of his mind more than hers. His arguments seem abstract. Her actions were concrete.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon   2009-11-03 11:39  

#13  The birth rate has been dropping in India, as it has in most of the world. But something must be done to improve the lot of those born unwanted, and Mother Theresa has made a difference for those she could help.
Posted by: trailing wife   2009-11-03 11:19  

#12  Agree with him, where. Condoms, not saintly works are the salvation of India.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2009-11-03 10:05  

#11  I heard the broadcast. I love Miller's shows, although I get the podcast a couple days late.

Acutually, what Hitchens said is that "it's too bad there's no hell for her to go to".

He was on the show with a minister debating religion. Hitchens is a famous atheist.

Hitchen's point was that he saw her as a fanatic, who some of the worst poverty in the world, saw women as nothing but breeders, and that introduction of contraception is the only way you break that cycle. She was totally against any form of family planning.

He also railed on her because he has opened 200 nunnerys around the world in her name, money that should have gone to the impoverished that it was donated for, and not to glorify herself.
Posted by: Mizzou Mafia   2009-11-03 09:48  

#10  I'm not sure what she did to get the bad press but what she did there was wonderful.

When somebody does something beautiful, the light shines and sends the cockroaches scurrying for cover. Or else the roaches try to find a way to put out the light.

Mother Teresa was an ordinary woman who did extraordinary things because she obeyed her calling even when she didn't feel God's presence for years on end. Faith is a fact, not a feeling.

She had been doing her work for decades before the media found out about it.

When she had the opportunity to "schmooze with the rich and infamous," she had the opportunity to share truth with them. For example, when asked to participate in one of Bill Clinton's prayer breakfasts, she told him politely and publicly that his support of abortion was immoral.

Was she perfect? No. But she deserves respect.

Posted by: mom   2009-11-03 09:31  

#9  When someone does something noble the slime come out to bring them down. The orphanage in Katmando is still up and operational. They are still sending the kids to college as they grow older and the place is clean and the kids are healthy. I was there last year. I'm not sure what she did to get the bad press but what she did there was wonderful.
Posted by: 49 Pan   2009-11-03 08:57  

#8  Perhaps the most damning argument against her was schmoozing with the rich and infamous at cocktail parties. Those who fund raise in that manner are left with a sticky and slimy coating that does not rinse off.

I made the mistake of shaking the hand of an ex-ambassador who was one of those kinds, and was distraught because his cheap perfume stench couldn't be removed from my hand for days.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2009-11-03 07:38  

#7  Gaz, not too sure on the specifics (Old Spook would be more of an authority on this), but part of the Church's process of declaring someone a saint is appointing someone to be the "devil's advocate". This person is the one who lays out the case for why this person doesn't deserve canonization (didn't perform any miracles, contrary to popular belief he/she was actually a sleaze, that kind of thing).

I believe it is usually a canon lawyer who assumes this office, and I am sure they can call any witness they want to bolster their case. Hitchens did testify against her during this process back in 2002, if I remember correctly.
Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie   2009-11-03 06:38  

#6  I think Christopher Hitchens is an amusing sometimes-crackpot who writes well and speaks well. In general, I think he gets it right. Other times, maybe no so much.
BUT there does seem to be something smelly about MT.
AND she is tainted by the Nobel Peace thingy.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike   2009-11-03 06:35  

#5  "...a bit of a crackpot..."

On this point, more'n a bit.
Posted by: Mike   2009-11-03 06:14  

#4  From what I have heard Hitchens is right.
Posted by: Phil_B   2009-11-03 05:05  

#3  Penn & Teller's tv show Bullsh*t covered the dark side of Mother Theresa too. They actually made a pretty good case against her. For all I know, Hitchens could be right.
Posted by: Scooter McGruder   2009-11-03 04:09  

#2  Not sure why this is news, he wrote a book on the same topic and was invited by the Catholic Church to argue the case against granting her Sainthood.
Posted by: Gaz   2009-11-03 02:31  

#1  
Posted by: gorb   2009-11-03 00:55  

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