My son recently posted to his Xanga site some things about what I would consider to be basic truths that are easily discernible in the Bible, and how they seem to relate to one rather well known figure in our time. The figure is none other than Mother Teresa. All he did was to post some quotes from her such as:
"We never try to convert those who receive [aid from Missionaries of Charity] to Christianity but in our work we bear witness to the love of God's presence and if Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, or agnostics become for this better men -- simply better -- we will be satisfied. It matters to the individual what church he belongs to. If that individual thinks and believes that this is the only way to God for her or him, this is the way God comes into their life -- his life. If he does not know any other way and if he has no doubt so that he does not need to search then this is his way to salvation."
She also said, "I love all religions. ... If people become better Hindus, better Muslims, better Buddhists by our acts of love, then there is something else growing there." [On another occasion, she again demonstrated her false gospel that 'there are many ways to God': "All is God -- Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, etc., all have access to the same God."
(All is God? Sounds like pantheism to me.)
And then he asked how this jibes with John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. It was amazing the amount of venom that came from people he thought were his friends.
It would seem that Mother Teresa held to a universalist view concerning our eternal salvation, while Jesus from the quote above in John 14:6 would seem not to hold to such a view. How do you reconcile these two statements? Can you really get to heaven just because you have faith in whatever you want to have faith in? Was Jesus just blowing smoke when he said he was the only way to the Father? If a non-Christian can get to heaven their own way, then why did Jesus die on the cross?
I know that the subject of Mother Teresa is supposed to be "holy ground", but I see some real problems here. Indeed it does not matter who does not believe Christ is the only way to the Father no matter how many good works they have done. Click here to learn more about the supposed good works Mother Teresa did.
My problem is not even as much with Mother Teresa as it is with the mindset of society in general. The postmodern way of thinking seems to say that there are many truths. That truth is what you want it to be. We as a society are steeped in moral relativism. We have been taught from early on that what is true for you may not be true for me. And since there are no absolutes, then even the teachings of Christ have been called into question by some "evangelical" church leaders. They want to expand what it means to be orthodox. (I guess 2000 years of biblical teaching and learning just couldn't get it right for these guys.) So now we have guys like Brian McLaren trying to create a different orthodoxy.
Sorry, but I'll take the old orthodoxy anytime. When I see video footage taken at Mr. McLarens church and there is a symbol of Ra, the Egyptian sun god over the front of the auditorium, it gives me reason for pause. It is a strange perversion to call yourself Christian, and hold to pagan symbols as part of your worship. What they are worshiping is not the god of the Bible.
2 comments:
true.
I didn't say that the poor shouldn't be treated with respect and helped. The whole post has to do with the fact that Mother Teresa may have been a "good" person. But that will not save her. She thought that everyone who exhibited good tendancies would go to heaven. This is not what Jesus taught at all.
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