Download The Missionary Position Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice Christopher Hitchens Thomas Mallon 9781455523009 Books
Download As PDF : The Missionary Position Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice Christopher Hitchens Thomas Mallon 9781455523009 Books
Among his many books, perhaps none have sparked more outrage than THE MISSIONARY POSITION, Christopher Hitchens's meticulous study of the life and deeds of Mother Teresa.
A Nobel Peace Prize recipient beatified by the Catholic Church in 2003, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was celebrated by heads of state and adored by millions for her work on behalf of the poor. In his measured critique, Hitchens asks only that Mother Teresa's reputation be judged by her actions-not the other way around.
With characteristic élan and rhetorical dexterity, Hitchens eviscerates the fawning cult of Teresa, recasting the Albanian missionary as a spurious, despotic, and megalomaniacal operative of the wealthy who long opposed measures to end poverty, and fraternized, for financial gain, with tyrants and white-collar criminals throughout the world.
Download The Missionary Position Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice Christopher Hitchens Thomas Mallon 9781455523009 Books
"About 10 years ago, I hated Christopher Hitchens, particularly for his attacks on Mother Teresa. Of course, I was uncritically relying on Bill Donahue's Catholic League for my views on the subject. I was convinced that Hitchens was launching a malicious, hateful attack on a woman who did more good than he ever did. As you may have guessed, my views have changed since then. I no longer identify with the Catholic Church, or with any religion. That doesn't mean I am willing to accept any criticism of religion or religious figures, however. Indeed, I think that much of the anti-theist memes and rhetoric I see on social media are lazily thought out, tiresome, and gratuitoiusly insulting. Hitchens, however, definitely has assembled an incisive case against the idolization of Mother Teresa. The evidence is hard to argue against, and Hitchens only asks that her reputation by judged by her actions, not the other way around.
Hitchens case boils down to three elements:
*She was a friend of poverty, not the poor.
*She was well-connected to worldly leaders to further her ideological ends, despite her claims to be beyond politics
*She was given uncritical adulation by most of the press
On the first point, Hitchens gathers evidence from several former volunteers, as well as medical workers who visited the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, and they all say the same thing: There was no one on staff who had medical training, or at least not adequate to treat the people who were coming. In fact, Mother Teresa consistently resisted any moves to have adequate medical care there, while she availed herself of the best hospitals in the Western world when she was battling her own medical ailments. Most damning of all, however, are her constant pronouncements that the poor suffering was beautiful.
On the second point, Hitchens presents evidence of Mother Teresa's close association with the Duvalier family in Haiti, Charles Keating, of the infamous Keating Five, and many others. Despite receiving large sums of money form such individuals, there has not been a proper audit of the Missionaries of Charity, and she certainly never used the money to improve her own facilities. Finally (and this is related to the first point as well), she constantly used her considerable reputation to denounce any form of abortion or contraception, despite the fact, as Hitchens points out, that women controlling their own fertility is one of the few known, proven ways to ameliorate poverty.
On the third point, Hitchens reiterates his thesis that her reputation should be judged by her actions, not her actions by her reputation. Much of the journalistic world, he declares, has failed to do this.
Hitchens wrote a searing indictment, one that cannot be simply dismissed. And despite the fact that Hitchens and Mother Teresa are both gone, the case he presented has yet to be convincingly answered by the ones who need to answer it- the Vatican and the Missionaries of Charity."
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Tags : The Missionary Position Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice [Christopher Hitchens, Thomas Mallon] on . <div> A religious fundamentalist, a political operative, a primitive sermonizer, and an accomplice of worldly secular powers. Her mission has always been of this kind. The irony is that she has never been able to induce anybody to believe her. It is past time that she was duly honored and taken at her word. <div>Among his many books,Christopher Hitchens, Thomas Mallon,The Missionary Position Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice,Twelve,1455523003,Gender Studies,Missionaries of Charity,Nuns - India - Calcutta,Nuns;Calcutta (India);Biography.,Nuns;India;Kolkata;Biography.,Teresa,1910-1997,Autobiography religious spiritual,Biography,Biography Autobiography/Religious,Christian Ministry - Missions,GENERAL,General Adult,India,Kolkata,Mother, Saint,,Non-Fiction,Nuns,RELIGION / Christian Ministry / Missions,Religion - Socialissues,Religious,SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gender Studies,Social Science,Sociology,Teresa,
The Missionary Position Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice Christopher Hitchens Thomas Mallon 9781455523009 Books Reviews :
The Missionary Position Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice Christopher Hitchens Thomas Mallon 9781455523009 Books Reviews
- You don't have to either love or hate Mother Theresa to enjoy this book, although it may be a tough read for the former. I've always believed that Christopher Hitchens' goal is not to bring your thinking in line with his; rather, it is to provoke your thought, your investigation and, maybe later, your evaluation. He does this masterfully here. The story of Mother Theresa is definitely not 100% saintly, and her recent canonization hinged on 2 very shaky "miracles". Read all you can about the woman, including this book, and make up your own mind.
- About 10 years ago, I hated Christopher Hitchens, particularly for his attacks on Mother Teresa. Of course, I was uncritically relying on Bill Donahue's Catholic League for my views on the subject. I was convinced that Hitchens was launching a malicious, hateful attack on a woman who did more good than he ever did. As you may have guessed, my views have changed since then. I no longer identify with the Catholic Church, or with any religion. That doesn't mean I am willing to accept any criticism of religion or religious figures, however. Indeed, I think that much of the anti-theist memes and rhetoric I see on social media are lazily thought out, tiresome, and gratuitoiusly insulting. Hitchens, however, definitely has assembled an incisive case against the idolization of Mother Teresa. The evidence is hard to argue against, and Hitchens only asks that her reputation by judged by her actions, not the other way around.
Hitchens case boils down to three elements
*She was a friend of poverty, not the poor.
*She was well-connected to worldly leaders to further her ideological ends, despite her claims to be beyond politics
*She was given uncritical adulation by most of the press
On the first point, Hitchens gathers evidence from several former volunteers, as well as medical workers who visited the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, and they all say the same thing There was no one on staff who had medical training, or at least not adequate to treat the people who were coming. In fact, Mother Teresa consistently resisted any moves to have adequate medical care there, while she availed herself of the best hospitals in the Western world when she was battling her own medical ailments. Most damning of all, however, are her constant pronouncements that the poor suffering was beautiful.
On the second point, Hitchens presents evidence of Mother Teresa's close association with the Duvalier family in Haiti, Charles Keating, of the infamous Keating Five, and many others. Despite receiving large sums of money form such individuals, there has not been a proper audit of the Missionaries of Charity, and she certainly never used the money to improve her own facilities. Finally (and this is related to the first point as well), she constantly used her considerable reputation to denounce any form of abortion or contraception, despite the fact, as Hitchens points out, that women controlling their own fertility is one of the few known, proven ways to ameliorate poverty.
On the third point, Hitchens reiterates his thesis that her reputation should be judged by her actions, not her actions by her reputation. Much of the journalistic world, he declares, has failed to do this.
Hitchens wrote a searing indictment, one that cannot be simply dismissed. And despite the fact that Hitchens and Mother Teresa are both gone, the case he presented has yet to be convincingly answered by the ones who need to answer it- the Vatican and the Missionaries of Charity. - In this short book, Hitchens basically scrutinizes everything Mother Teresa her "miracles", her statements, her whole enterprise, her supporters, and even her very believing of her own beliefs. His analysis is as sharp is it is critical, and will shed to light many things.
For those that are interested to get a glimpse of his tone, and writing, I will interpolate some quotes here from the text
"Image and perception are everything, and those who possess them have the ability to determine their own myth, to be taken at their own valuation. Actions and words are judged by reputations, and not the other way around."
"What follows here is an argument not with a deceiver but with the deceived. If Mother Teresa is the adored object of many credulous and uncritical observers, then the blame is not hers, or hers alone. In the gradual manufacture of an illusion, the conjurer is only the instrument of the audience."
"And if it were true that God "always provides," then, obviously, there would be no need for the Missionaries of Charity in the first place."
"Helpless infants, abandoned derelicts, lepers and the terminally ill are the raw material for demonstrations of compassion." - Quick and to the point, The Missionary Position is a wonderful work of demythologizing a public figure who for some reason is held in high esteem though with little exact detail; Hitchens fills in those descriptions and then some in this short but jagged pamphlet. While it can cause some anger that this information is not well known and elementary in the circles of the intelligentsia, I must say that if you enjoy learning about something that is a bit off the beaten path of the mainstream, learning about the elevation of this Catholic nun and her actual deeds is certainly worthy pleasure.
