The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice
by: Christopher Hitchens
List Price: $16.95
Prices subject to change.
Price: $11.53
You Save: $5.42 (32%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Amazon.com Review:
What's next--The Girl Scouts: The Untold Story? Howcould anybody write a debunking book about Mother Teresa and herMissionaries of Charity order? Well, in this little cruise missile ofa book, Hitchens quickly establishes that the idea is not withoutpoint. After all, what is Mother Teresa doing hanging out with adictator's wife in Haiti and accepting over a million dollars fromCharles Keating? The most riveting material in the book is containedin two letters: one from Mother Teresa to Judge Lance Ito--thenweighing what sentence to dole out to the convicted Keating--whichcited all the work Keating has done "to help the poor," and anotherfrom a Los Angeles deputy D.A., Paul Turley, back to Mother Teresathat eloquently stated that rather than working to reduce Keating'ssentence, she should return the money he gave her to its rightfulowners, the defrauded bond-holders. (Significantly, Mother Teresanever replied.) And why do former missionary workers and visitingdoctors consistently observe that the order's medical practices seemso inadequate, especially given all the money that comes in? (Hitchensacidly observes that on the other hand, Mother Teresa herself alwaysmanages to receive world-class medical care.)Hitchens's answer isthat Mother Teresa is first and foremost interested not in providingmedical treatment, but in furthering Catholic doctrine and--quiteliterally--becoming a saint.
Product Description:
Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, feted by politicians, the Church and the world's media, Mother Teresa of Calcutta appears to be on the fast track to sainthood. But what, asks Christopher Hitchens, makes Mother Teresa so divine? In a frank expose of the Teresa cult, Hitchens details the nature and limits of one woman's mission to the world's poor. He probes the source of the heroic status bestowed upon an Albanian nun whose only declared wish is to serve God. He asks whether Mother Teresa's good works answer any higher purpose than the need of the world's privileged to see someone, somewhere, doing something for the Third World. He unmasks pseudo-miracles, questions Mother Teresa's fitness to adjudicate on matters of sex and reproduction, and reports on a version of saintly ubiquity which affords genial relations with dictators, corrupt tycoons and convicted frauds.
What's next--The Girl Scouts: The Untold Story? Howcould anybody write a debunking book about Mother Teresa and herMissionaries of Charity order? Well, in this little cruise missile ofa book, Hitchens quickly establishes that the idea is not withoutpoint. After all, what is Mother Teresa doing hanging out with adictator's wife in Haiti and accepting over a million dollars fromCharles Keating? The most riveting material in the book is containedin two letters: one from Mother Teresa to Judge Lance Ito--thenweighing what sentence to dole out to the convicted Keating--whichcited all the work Keating has done "to help the poor," and anotherfrom a Los Angeles deputy D.A., Paul Turley, back to Mother Teresathat eloquently stated that rather than working to reduce Keating'ssentence, she should return the money he gave her to its rightfulowners, the defrauded bond-holders. (Significantly, Mother Teresanever replied.) And why do former missionary workers and visitingdoctors consistently observe that the order's medical practices seemso inadequate, especially given all the money that comes in? (Hitchensacidly observes that on the other hand, Mother Teresa herself alwaysmanages to receive world-class medical care.)Hitchens's answer isthat Mother Teresa is first and foremost interested not in providingmedical treatment, but in furthering Catholic doctrine and--quiteliterally--becoming a saint.
Product Description:
Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, feted by politicians, the Church and the world's media, Mother Teresa of Calcutta appears to be on the fast track to sainthood. But what, asks Christopher Hitchens, makes Mother Teresa so divine? In a frank expose of the Teresa cult, Hitchens details the nature and limits of one woman's mission to the world's poor. He probes the source of the heroic status bestowed upon an Albanian nun whose only declared wish is to serve God. He asks whether Mother Teresa's good works answer any higher purpose than the need of the world's privileged to see someone, somewhere, doing something for the Third World. He unmasks pseudo-miracles, questions Mother Teresa's fitness to adjudicate on matters of sex and reproduction, and reports on a version of saintly ubiquity which affords genial relations with dictators, corrupt tycoons and convicted frauds.
Alternate Versions:
Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category:
- Books » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » New & Used Textbooks » Humanities » Religious Studies » General AAS
- Books » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » New & Used Textbooks » General AAS
- Books » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » Qualifying Textbooks » General AAS
- Books » Specialty Stores » Political Parties » Purple Politics
- Books » Subjects » Biographies & Memoirs » Leaders & Notable People » Religious
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- A Case of Mistaken Identity?
In a scathing critique of Mother Teresa and her admirers, Mr. Hitchens asserts Mother Teresa's impeccable reputation and inevitable sainthood status to be granted by the Roman Catholic Church is an "illusion" concocted by uncritical observers.Mr. Hitchens purports to judge Mother Teresa's "reputation by her actions and words rather than her actions and words by her reputation."
"The Missionary Position" has the obvious flaw of not giving credit to any of Mother Teresa's lifelong charity ... Read More
Rating: 
- Difficult to review...
I struggled with how many stars to give this book, though the decision was always between two or three stars, never any more or less. (I'd love to be able to give it 2 and a half)...I suppose that before getting into my thoughts on the book, I should preface it with how I approached the work.
I am an Orthodox Christian who is studying the differences between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism.One of the ways that I think one can see the effects that the differences in dogma and practices ... Read More
Rating: - Mother T. Revisited
This little book provides an "alternate view" of the life and work of Mother Teresa.The balance it provides should be shared widely among her strongest fans as part of "setting the records (factual)" straight... that is, if one can remain objective in forming a new position with regards to her life long effort to support fundamentalist, Catholic views.
An easy read!
Rating: 
- "Missionary Position..." does not "straddle" the facts and is quarrelsome in tone.
The portrait or montage presented to the reader appears to have been based on "reverse engineering" of the facts to support a preconceived conclusion.I agree with the saying, "Let the truth be told and the truth will make you free."Furthermore, sometimes it is better to make an observation with a wink and a nod rather than a snarl and a shout.
Rating: 
- Hitchens is a farce as always
Every circus needs a clown. The American cable news have found their clown in Hitchens. Hitchens supports the war against civilians in Irak, destroys Elie Wiesel and now needs to go on a rampage against one of the fews saints of our century. A clown who does not deserve this whole circus. Shame on you Hitchens!!!
- A Case of Mistaken Identity?In a scathing critique of Mother Teresa and her admirers, Mr. Hitchens asserts Mother Teresa's impeccable reputation and inevitable sainthood status to be granted by the Roman Catholic Church is an "illusion" concocted by uncritical observers.Mr. Hitchens purports to judge Mother Teresa's "reputation by her actions and words rather than her actions and words by her reputation."
"The Missionary Position" has the obvious flaw of not giving credit to any of Mother Teresa's lifelong charity ... Read More
- Difficult to review...I struggled with how many stars to give this book, though the decision was always between two or three stars, never any more or less. (I'd love to be able to give it 2 and a half)...I suppose that before getting into my thoughts on the book, I should preface it with how I approached the work.
I am an Orthodox Christian who is studying the differences between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism.One of the ways that I think one can see the effects that the differences in dogma and practices ... Read More
- Mother T. RevisitedThis little book provides an "alternate view" of the life and work of Mother Teresa.The balance it provides should be shared widely among her strongest fans as part of "setting the records (factual)" straight... that is, if one can remain objective in forming a new position with regards to her life long effort to support fundamentalist, Catholic views.
An easy read!
- "Missionary Position..." does not "straddle" the facts and is quarrelsome in tone.The portrait or montage presented to the reader appears to have been based on "reverse engineering" of the facts to support a preconceived conclusion.I agree with the saying, "Let the truth be told and the truth will make you free."Furthermore, sometimes it is better to make an observation with a wink and a nod rather than a snarl and a shout.
- Hitchens is a farce as alwaysEvery circus needs a clown. The American cable news have found their clown in Hitchens. Hitchens supports the war against civilians in Irak, destroys Elie Wiesel and now needs to go on a rampage against one of the fews saints of our century. A clown who does not deserve this whole circus. Shame on you Hitchens!!!
