Hollyer Than Thou

canisfamiliaris:

Mother Teresa: A Modern-Day Saint

I kind of resent this. There are no citations, and very little context for any of the actions. I feel like similarly accusatory statements could be made for thousands of socially valuable people. And I feel like in general, Mother Teresa is considered as socially valuable, having insisted upon providing some degree of medical care to those who would not otherwise have it. 

And the fact that she can lose her faith after seeing suffering and still keep working to alleviate suffering seems to only add to arguments for respecting her contribution to humanity. 

People think Saint means “perfect person.” No. Saint means a miracle within a person, someone who did good despite basic rationality. 

Overall, I think it would be wildly hypocritical to let religious idiosyncracies overwhelm the social mission of a woman who dedicated her life to living among and assisting the poorest people on earth.