What's with the Jesus skywriting?

[Zippa D Doodah]

Honestly, what "other side"? Some people act as if she had these dark ulterior motives -conning people into thinking she was something she wasn't. No doubt she was Catholic and that influenced her thinking and her actions. You can spin that as misogynistic or however else you want. Of course she tried evangelize people; she was a Christian. But she genuinely loved the poorest of people with compassion and respect. She gave her life to that. She didn't care about politics, so she wasn't making some political statement when she was photographed with Duvaliers, Reagans, or any other head of state. She loved the Lord, her church, and the poorest of the poor.

 

[cardaway]

Yasser Arafat and Shimon Peres won Nobel Peace prizes also. Does that nullify their other, not-so-peaceful actions?

Good question.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Good question.

But not what I asked. I just wondered whether the Nobel committee investigated MT.

 

[cardaway]

But not what I asked. I just wondered whether the Nobel committee investigated MT.

You may not have agreed with the term "other side" but it doesn't change that there is another side that article covered and yours did not.

I also happen to agree that Arafat being one of the winners basically makes it the Grammy of that class of awards.

 

[lovethattink]

I don't understand what some of you are saying. Are you saying that those people would have been better off had Mother Theresa not gone there?

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Mike, I know you would totally disagree with this, but I think Hitchens tries to find something to complain about with Mother Teresa not because he is a friend of free thinking, but because he is an enemy of religion. He is as slanted in one direction as you and others might say other sources are slanted in the other direction.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I don't understand what some of you are saying. Are you saying that those people would have been better off had Mother Theresa not gone there?

They way I understand it, they are saying Mother Teresa exploited the poor and lied about the real use of money that was given to her charities. Smells of historical revision to me.

 

[BurkeTribe]

They way I understand it, they are saying Mother Teresa exploited the poor and lied about the real use of money that was given to her charities. Smells of historical revision to me.

It's pretty clear most of it was used to open branches of the order around the world. That or just sitting in Church bank accounts. And it seems most of those branches are convents and centers used to convert people to the religion, rather than to really help the destitute. The amount used to feed and "care for" the poor seems minimal from most accounts I have seen and read.

And yet all the questions over the money could be cleared up... if the Church released the accounting, like most above-board charities do. You'd think they would want to, if most of it truly was going to aid the poor and destitute rather than to proselytizing.

From Stern Magazine, 1998:
http://members.lycos.co.uk/bajuu/
-------------------------------------


As for sky-writing, I say it ain't good unless it says "Donald Duck Rules" or "Stitch kicks b***"

 

[JennyMominRI]

They way I understand it, they are saying Mother Teresa exploited the poor and lied about the real use of money that was given to her charities. Smells of historical revision to me.

I think she helped a lot of poor people which is commendable..I think she could have helped more people by teaching them aboutbirth control,so that they would not have more starvng children...She feels it is morally unethical to use BC and therefor did what she felt was right and helped where she could..I think it is unethical to encourage people to have children they can't feed, therefore I disagree with her on this issue..I still think she was a genuinely good human being

 

[Amity 3]

They way I understand it, they are saying Mother Teresa exploited the poor and lied about the real use of money that was given to her charities. Smells of historical revision to me.

no, she was merely a pawn and a figurehead. I highly doubt she knew what was going on in the background.

 

[JoyG]

I was under the impression most Christians didn't take that sutff literally. Passages like that are not much different than the stories of chariots taking the sun across the sky.

Mike,
I think most evangelical christians do take the story of Adam and Eve literally (as well as Jonah and the fish, parting of the Red Sea, etc), I don't believe catholics take it literally and I'm not sure about non evangelical protestants.

 

[Uncle Remus]

no, she was merely a pawn and a figurehead. I highly doubt she knew what was going on in the background.

kinda like the evangelicals as pawns to the Republicans.

Hi Joy

 

[JoyG]

Hi Joy

Hi Uncle Remus! How ya' doin' today?

 

[lovethattink]

I have 2 friends who are missionaries. One is a 2nd generation missionary. He was born in Africa and knows no other way of life. The other just became a missionary recently and is on her first mission.

The first missionary builds hospitals and get them up and running. He tells us it's so frustrating. He is part of a church ministry group. He says he is barely funded enough to eat himself and the hospital supplies sent to him are so few and far between (more so towards the end of his funds). Every so many years he and his group come back to the states and make presentations to drum up more money for their cause. He says often the supplies are stolen and/or vehicles on route to them are stolen before they ever get there. He is in a very remote area. He tells me to get groceries once a month, they have to take a car, a boat, a bus and walk it take hours and hours to get there and the same to get back to their village. He lives in a hut, sleeps on the floor, with other families. He said they eat their food even if it's buggie, because they know it's another month til they go for groceries. He said it's a fight for the luxury of sugar because it's a battle between he and the ants, so he eats the sugar with the ants in it..gross!

My point is, he makes the best out of what he has and what he receives.

 

[cardaway]

Mike, I know you would totally disagree with this, but I think Hitchens tries to find something to complain about with Mother Teresa not because he is a friend of free thinking, but because he is an enemy of religion. He is as slanted in one direction as you and others might say other sources are slanted in the other direction.

Doesnt mean anything was made up. There are more than enough people on the "other side" of this for it to be some kind of enemy plot.

 

[jimmiej]

I don't fear my parents. Sounds like you have an abusive relationship.

How'd you get that from my post? Or are you being rude on purpose?

 

[Groucho]

I have 2 friends who are missionaries. One is a 2nd generation missionary. He was born in Africa and knows no other way of life. The other just became a missionary recently and is on her first mission.

There are secular groups doing plenty of good work in Africa, too.

How about the work that Clinton is doing to help cure AIDS? It's a lot more productive than the church's message of "don't wear condoms" and saves many more lives.

How about Norman Borlaug? He's saved probably more lives than anyone else in history. All with no religious strings attached.

Missionaries helping the disadvantaged are certainly doing good work. But they don't have a monopoly on doing good work, far from it. And missionaries that leaven their help with generous helpings of religious propaganda are not being as helpful as they should be.

Religious groups cannot claim a monopoly on helping others, especially when their doctrines are so often used for evil.

As for "terrorist's will to do evil", HA! Get real. Those terrorists are FAR more religious and devoted to their god than anyone here, and believed that they were doing god's work in fighting against OUR evil. (It didn't hurt their case that since then Americans have been caught murdering, torturing, raping, and falsely imprisoning many "enemies" in a country that had nothing to do with the attack and posed no danger to us), or that over 150,000 innocents have been killed in the crossfire.)

Again, the important points are dodged, as usual. What about natural disasters? Tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, etc? If those aren't "punishment" from God, what are they? And I supposed it's god giving us free will that makes so many deer get killed on the roads, that makes babies be born with AIDS or addicted to drugs, or that makes the unhealthiest foods taste the best? And god must HATE sheep, he keeps asking everyone to slaughter them for him!

 

[JennyMominRI]

Again, the important points are dodged, as usual. What about natural disasters? Tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, etc? If those aren't "punishment" from God, what are they? And I supposed it's god giving us free will that makes so many deer get killed on the roads, that makes babies be born with AIDS or addicted to drugs, or that makes the unhealthiest foods taste the best? And god must HATE sheep, he keeps asking everyone to slaughter them for him!

Natural disaters...G-d is responsible only in the sense thathe creates nature.
CHildren are born with AIDS because their parents have AIDS and pass it on through the birth process(usually)..I have AIDS and don't believe it's a punishment..II ave AIDS because I had unprotected sex..I chose that through my own free will.It's not caused by divine intervention

 

[Groucho]

Mike,
I think most evangelical christians do take the story of Adam and Eve literally (as well as Jonah and the fish, parting of the Red Sea, etc), I don't believe catholics take it literally and I'm not sure about non evangelical protestants.

Protestant religions generally don't believe in such outlandish things (next thing you know, people will believe a lump of pasta is almighty), and several even encourage free thinking and questioning of the bible.

I'd encourage the viewing of the episode of P&T's BS that deals with the bible, but I'm sure that it'd fall on deaf ears.

Discovery did have an interesting series a few years about about the writing of the bible. It was reasonably objective IIRC and not likely to offend most reasonable Christians, and obviously made it clear that it (especially old testament stuff) was not exactly written down as things were happening. (Who'd be there to tell the story? Did one day Adam sit down with his kid and say "son, you momma and I done a bad thing before you were born"?)

 

[Groucho]

Natural disaters...G-d is responsible only in the sense thathe creates nature.
CHildren are born with AIDS because their parents have AIDS and pass it on through the birth process(usually)..I have AIDS and don't believe it's a punishment..II ave AIDS because I had unprotected sex..I chose that through my own free will.It's not caused by divine intervention

So why does AIDS exist?

Why do viruses exist?

Oh, right. "Mysterious ways" they tell us.

I'm sure you know that plenty of religious folks believe that AIDS is god punishing gays. (Apparently god only dislikes gay men. Gay women are less likely to get AIDS than straight women...) I'm glad that you don't feel that way.