Mother Theresa, Paris Hilton, and CS Lewis

it seems like everyone has their own opinion about Mother Theresa as of late.

not surprising as she was such an influential woman in her lifetime. however, this seems to come more from the viewpoint of the celebrity syndrome of American Pop culture. almost all of the blogs (with the notable exception of michael spencer) are less than complimentary of Theresa.

of course, in a culture where Paris Hilton can hold the front page for weeks, this comes as no surprise. most of the blogs i read can be summed up with this: Mother Theresa was not real, she faked her religiousness, and wasnt really as good a woman as we thought. it’s all about the latest scandal…but is that really fair??

i, personally, am not interested in the “latest” gossip. but i did think the topic was important enough to warrant some fair discussion. the real crux of the issue to me is the question of doubt. in our “plastic”, namebrand church, it is abnormal for anyone to admit that they are struggling, much less say they doubt God Himself. why is this so? for the most part, we have created an environment where legitimate struggles are not allowed. it is no wonder that today’s youth dont seek the answers in the church. the church doesnt allow the question. thus, no answer can be given.

intellectual honesty is something that Christian Philosopher Francis Schaeffer (founder of L’Abri) committed his lifetime to. he didnt discourage honest, difficult, gut-wrenching questions. these are the ones that we are ask ourselves, if we are honest. so the fact that Theresa doubted, doesnt mean she should become a victim of our pop culture criticisms. on the other hand, it is also true that there are some people who seem to have doubts more than others. is there some reason for this?

in comparing Theresa to predecessors of hers who had similar experiences with God, i think this question becomes more apparent. take, for instance, any of the great mystics. within their lives, you will find all kinds of doubt and many questions. is there a common thread? for one, it may be that those who tend to be in the mystical tradition are more emotionally inclined to begin with, but i think there is more to it than that. once someone has tasted an incredible experience with God, anything less seems empty and worthless. so one mystic had visions of Christ laying with her (not sexually). after such vivid closeness, what could compare?

i dont wish to judge Theresa in her own mystical experiences, likely they were legitimately from Christ. but in regard to mystical experience in general, i think it is normal for doubt to come as a result of “coming back down”.

CS Lewis wrote about this dilemma in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. One of the characters, Edmond, gets a taste of Turkish delight. from that moment forward, he constantly craves just one more taste of the sweet. this causes him to look fondly upon the White Witch (the book’s evil character) it is a driving influence in his actions. but in the end, he finds that the sweets do not satisfy. he becomes disillusioned and sees the Witch for who she really is. instead, Edmond finds true happiness and fulfillment as he repents and places himself under the authority of Aslan (the God figure).

now, of course, the analogy is limited however, sometimes, mystical experiences can be illusionary, like the Turkish Delights. they are not all from God, certainly. i think we should truly be careful when emphasizing mystical experience of God. and if that experience does not perpetually occur, the person will go through a withdrawal. it is like coming off a fix of heroine. the high was really high, but the low was really low. however, the ones that are from God will give satisfaction and joy. it is this kind of experience Edmond found in Aslan, and we find in Christ.