The Missionary Position
Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice
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4.1 • 76 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
"A religious fundamentalist, a political operative, a primitive sermonizer, and an accomplice of worldly secular powers. Her mission has always been of this kind. The irony is that she has never been able to induce anybody to believe her. It is past time that she was duly honored and taken at her word."
Among his many books, perhaps none have sparked more outrage than The Missionary Position, Christopher Hitchens's meticulous study of the life and deeds of Mother Teresa.
A Nobel Peace Prize recipient beatified by the Catholic Church in 2003, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was celebrated by heads of state and adored by millions for her work on behalf of the poor. In his measured critique, Hitchens asks only that Mother Teresa's reputation be judged by her actions-not the other way around.
With characteristic élan and rhetorical dexterity, Hitchens eviscerates the fawning cult of Teresa, recasting the Albanian missionary as a spurious, despotic, and megalomaniacal operative of the wealthy who long opposed measures to end poverty, and fraternized, for financial gain, with tyrants and white-collar criminals throughout the world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An extended, nun-busting polemic from the The Nation columnist.
Customer Reviews
As always, great.
I love Ch. Hitchens, he can do no wrong to me, although in this particular book I felt that some examples could have been taken out of context and were not supported by additional, and much needed, evidence. Other examples were eye-opening. Letters to/from the court regarding Mr. Keating were amazing to read.
Thank you to Twelve publisher for having published it.
Unjust man
Mother Therese spent her entire life helping the desolate in the slums of India. Of all the 6 billion people on earth to attack! But typical. This vile reprobate naturally attacks only what is good in the world. Like Seutonius said of Nero that whatever was of any good Nero naturally felt aversion to it. Same with Hitchens.
Essential, though overpriced
This book is a revelation, a well-researched, well-argued debunking of the Mother Theresa myth. Yes, I'm an athiest but nonetheless held MT in high regard like most people on earth. I wasn't aware of the nature of her hospices and deranged version of "charity."
Note how critics here on iBooks and elsewhere never argue the substance of Missionary Position, but only its existence. Cognitive dissonance at its saddest, because presumably her hostels continue to promote suffering and those who refuse to deal with the truth are complicit (a point Hitchens makes early on). I'd love to read a point-by-point argument defending MT. Given the brevity of this book (see below), it wouldn't be a huge chore for those who'd defend her legacy.
1 star withheld because $12 is ludicrous for such a short book. It's about the length of a long New Yorker piece. The only new material far as I can tell is a weak foreword.