In the Canadian journal, Studies in Religion, Serge Larivée et al attacked Mother Teresa in a rehash of Christopher Hitchens’ book The Missionary Position. No one was cited more in this new article. Not surprisingly, Larivée is a devout atheist, along with at least one co-author.
The authors berated Mother Teresa’s “rather dubious way of caring for the sick, her questionable political contacts, her suspicious management of enormous sums of money she received, and her overly dogmatic views regarding, in particular, abortion, contraception, and divorce.”
Atheists have no reference base to assess someone who comforts the dying. That’s why Mother Teresa perplexes them (they rely on euthanasia). They can’t liken the terminally ill to “Christ on the cross.” Her contacts with dictators like Haiti’s Duvalier gave her access to the sick and dying. While she did take money from the rich, her clients were delighted she did so. And she certainly was dogmatic in her crusade to defend the civil rights of innocent unborn children.
The authors attacked Catholic League president Dr. William Donohue for lacing Hitchens, whose book he called “a 98 page essay printed on eight-and-a-half by five-and-a-half inch paper,” with “no footnotes, no citations of any kind.” For “scholars” to rely so heavily on an undocumented work speaks volumes (Donohue told Hitchens that as a professor he’d give him an “F”).
What drives these atheists to hate Mother Teresa so much is her altruism. The news release touting the article claimed it aimed to dispel the “myth of altruism” surrounding her. They have failed. Furthermore, on four occasions the release spelled her name “Theresa.” News Flash: there’s no “h” in her name. So much for accuracy, as well as credibility.
