"Who would be so base as to pick on a wizened, shrivelled old lady, well stricken in years, who has consecrated her entire life to the needy and destitute? On the other hand, who would be so incurious as to leave unexamined the influence and motives of a woman who once boasted of operating more than five hundred convents in upwards of 105 countries - "without counting India"? Lone self-sacrificing zealot, or chair of a missionary multinational?" 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. How should we relate to Mother? As an essential salve to the conscience of the rich West, or an expert PR machine for the Catholic Church? In its caustic iconoclasm and unsparing wit, The Missionary Position confirms Christopher Hitchens as one of today's most devastating polemicists.
The Missionary Position
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What's next--The Girl Scouts: The Untold Story? How could anybody write a debunking book about Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity order? Well, in this little cruise missile of a book, Hitchens quickly establishes that the idea is not without point. After all, what is Mother Teresa doing hanging out with a dictator's wife in Haiti and accepting over a million dollars from Charles Keating? The most riveting material in the book is contained in two letters: one from Mother Teresa to Judge Lance Ito--then weighing what sentence to dole out to the convicted Keating--which cited all the work Keating has done "to help the poor," and another from a Los Angeles deputy D.A., Paul Turley, back to Mother Teresa that eloquently stated that rather than working to reduce Keating's sentence, she should return the money he gave her to its rightful owners, the defrauded bond-holders. (Significantly, Mother Teresa never replied.) And why do former missionary workers and visiting doctors consistently observe that the order's medical practices seem so inadequate, especially given all the money that comes in? (Hitchens acidly observes that on the other hand, Mother Teresa herself always manages to receive world-class medical care.) Hitchens's answer is that Mother Teresa is first and foremost interested not in providing medical treatment, but in furthering Catholic doctrine and--quite literally--becoming a saint.
-- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.
Pressestimmen
"Hilariously mean." (John Waters)
"Convincing . . . Hitchens argues his case with consummate style." (New York Times Book Review)
"Anyone with ambivalent feelings about the influence of Catholic dogma (especially concerning sex and procreation); about the media's manufacture of images; or about what one can, should, or shouldn't do for someone less fortunate, should read this book." (San Francisco Bay Guardian)
"A dirty job but someone had to do it. By the end of this elegantly written, brilliantly argued piece of polemic, it is not looking good for Mother Teresa." (Sunday Times (London))
"If there is a hell, Hitchens is going there for this book." (New York Press) -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Taschenbuch .
"Convincing . . . Hitchens argues his case with consummate style." (New York Times Book Review)
"Anyone with ambivalent feelings about the influence of Catholic dogma (especially concerning sex and procreation); about the media's manufacture of images; or about what one can, should, or shouldn't do for someone less fortunate, should read this book." (San Francisco Bay Guardian)
"A dirty job but someone had to do it. By the end of this elegantly written, brilliantly argued piece of polemic, it is not looking good for Mother Teresa." (Sunday Times (London))
"If there is a hell, Hitchens is going there for this book." (New York Press) -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Taschenbuch .
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11 von 12 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Von Ein Kunde
Format:Gebundene Ausgabe
I have always maintained that mother Teresa was a media creation, meticulously crafted by the catholic church using the imagery of the poor as a backdrop for emotional appeal. I have been to her warehouses for the "poorest of the poor" and was appalled at the lack of professional medical care, as well as the lack of toys for abandoned children. Christopher Hitchens has done this blind world a huge service by exposing this media morphed nun. Many, many Indian men and women are serving the needs of the poor in more productive ways than M Teresa. However, the western media finds it imperative to celebrate the work of an European Albanian nun, the image if the "white" savior in a savage land. Hitchens should be honored for exposing these lies.
10 von 11 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Von Ein Kunde
Format:Taschenbuch
As an extremely devout Orthodox Jew, I read Christopher Hitchens' account of "Mother" Theresa with a mixture of sorrow and anger. Sorrow because it is sad to see people's faith in an icon destroyed; anger at the Catholic Church for perpetrating one of the greatest hoaxes of the century. Hitchens is a superb journalist of the Tom Wolfe school. He gets his facts straight, and not one of his targets escapes unscathed. You will never be able to think about "Mother" Theresa the same way after reading this book. Dynamite!
13 von 15 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Von Stone Junction
Format:Gebundene Ausgabe
THE MISSIONARY POSITION is the ideal book for our times. Highly cynical and uncompromising, Christopher Hitchens has written the ultimate in hero-deflation, reminding us that nothing is ever as good as it seems.
Hitchens does not set out to destroy Mother Teresa; this is not simply an unfocused rant. Rather, by focusing on the words and actions of Mother Teresa, instead of her reputation, Hitchens has written a highly enlightening and engrossing treatise on the myths, the suspicions, the problems, and the downright lies that have been perpetrated both by Mother Teresa and those acting on her behalf.
The question must be asked, however; Is this simply propaganda? Can it be lumped into the many books Hitchens lists that are written in exalted praise of her devotion and charity? Well, of course it is. All books are propaganda to some extent, in that they espouse a particular point of view. Should that be used to dispose of Hitchens' research, as some other AMAZON critics have suggested? Hardly.
Of the many anecdotes Hitchens relates (both his own personal experiences and those of people who have worked alongside Mother Teresa), possibly the most startling is Mother Teresa's intervention into the trial of Charles Keating. Keating, you may recall, is the Savings and Loans magnate who personally bilked 17,000 people out of well over $250,000,000. Mother Teresa wrote a letter to Judge Lance Ito pleading for clemency, as Keating, through his $1,000,000 donation, had proved he was a friend to the poor. Hitchens then reprints the trial prosocutor's written reply to Mother Teresa, in which he lists Keating's many atrocities, and suggests that if she really wanted to help the poor, she would return the money. Unsurprisingly, she did not.
... Lesen Sie weiter... ›13 von 15 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Format:Taschenbuch
Most people will automatically be repelled at the idea of a book exposing the hypocrises and agendas of Mother Teresa, a woman described by many as a modern-day saint. Those who steer away will miss an excellent investigative novel that explores not only the motives of Mother Teresa, but the effect (or lack of) that she had on the world.
Do not fear that this book is simply a character assassination, either. Hitchens does not set out to slander or destroy Mother Teresa, and in fact even defends her in some instances, stating his belief that she was not a spiteful or evil woman, but simply did not do as much as good as she is thought to. A must read for anyone interested in the truth behind the legend.
Do not fear that this book is simply a character assassination, either. Hitchens does not set out to slander or destroy Mother Teresa, and in fact even defends her in some instances, stating his belief that she was not a spiteful or evil woman, but simply did not do as much as good as she is thought to. A must read for anyone interested in the truth behind the legend.
17 von 20 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Von Carl Skutsch
Format:Taschenbuch
Another reviewer said this wasn't a rant. Well, I'm afraid it is. But it's a very funny one. And Hitchens has some evidence behind his sharpened rhetorical knives. He points out the hypocrisy of many of Mother Theresa's actions, the poor care her hospitals give, when compared to other organizations, and the shady people she's chosen to be associated with.
Sure, she's dead; sure, she spent a lot of time with sick people; but that doesn't automatically make her a saint, as Hitchen's makes clear.
Still, this is a polemic not a biographical study (which is why I only gave it 4 stars). If you want an in depth history of Mother Theresa, this is not the first place to look.
Sure, she's dead; sure, she spent a lot of time with sick people; but that doesn't automatically make her a saint, as Hitchen's makes clear.
Still, this is a polemic not a biographical study (which is why I only gave it 4 stars). If you want an in depth history of Mother Theresa, this is not the first place to look.
12 von 14 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Von C. A. Lehman
Format:Taschenbuch
To the reader from Tennessee below, the reason it is important to read this book - and important to find out if Hitchens' allegations are true - is because Mother Teresa was a very powerful woman who set up a series of medical facilities which are still in operation. One of Hitchens' most disturbing criticisms - which has since been confirmed by former members of the Congregation - is that the millions of dollars' worth of donations sent to Mother Teresa by people like you and me were NEVER used to make these clinics more sanitary or to provide basic medical care for the indigent people who arrived at their doorstep. The reason, Hitchens says, that Mother Teresa is known for her work with the dying is that so many people died in her clinics! Listen, folks, if even *one* person died unnecessarily, that's one too many and more than enough justification for Hitchens to conduct this long-overdue investigation!
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3.7 von 5 Sternen
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5.0 von 5 Sternen
My summary of The Misioinary position
This book is so well written, Hitch a master of the English language and from that standpoint alone the book is so well worth reading. Lesen Sie weiter...
Vor 5 Monaten von toni clark veröffentlicht
5.0 von 5 Sternen
The story of a Media fake, which shows the power of the Catholic...
Christopher Hitchens, a proven intellectual, who insists on facts and rationality, has collected important information to make one's own estimation of the achievements of this... Lesen Sie weiter...
Vor 6 Monaten von R.P. veröffentlicht
5.0 von 5 Sternen
Heilige der Scheinheiligen
Was Tempo für Taschentücher, Tesa für Klebeband und Nescafé für löslichen Kaffee(ersatz), das ist Mutter Teresa für den Guten Menschen: ein... Lesen Sie weiter...
Vor 7 Monaten von Felix Richter veröffentlicht
1.0 von 5 Sternen
Gasp! I'm so shocked!
Imagine...a rich, Oxford-educated Englishman spouting anti-Catholic bigotry! It's so incongruous! Whoever heard of such a thing?
Am 24. Juli 2000 veröffentlicht
1.0 von 5 Sternen
Easy to criticize, hard to be charitable
While I normally admire Hitchens' work, and while I am sure that Mother Teresa, like every other human being, was not perfect, I am amazed as to what his purpose was in writing... Lesen Sie weiter...
Am 13. Juli 2000 veröffentlicht
1.0 von 5 Sternen
Easy to criticize, hard to be charitable
While I normally admire Hitchens' work, and while I am sure that Mother Teresa, like every other human being, was not perfect, I am amazed as to what his purpose was in writing... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 13. Juli 2000 von Danielle M. Maze
2.0 von 5 Sternen
All dogs are pink Lou is a dog Therefore Lou is Pink WRONG!
As a Catholic after recovering my shock at this book and the various reviews (AH HA NOW WE SEE THROUGH THAT CHARLITON etc...! Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 18. Juni 2000 von Peter Ingemi
5.0 von 5 Sternen
charity done in stupidity
A quick, pithy read, and quite truly a well needed critical glance at the manufacture of a saint. Even if we take it as a given that Mother Teresa was well-intentioned, there are... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 15. Juni 2000 von "freethoughtmecca"
4.0 von 5 Sternen
The Missionary Position
Great book. With a razor wit Chris Hitchens shows the dark side of the Mother Teresa phenomenon. Instead being a savior of the downtrodden and dispossesed Mother Teresa comes off... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 6. Mai 2000 von Rene Gomez
5.0 von 5 Sternen
hardly a saintly portrayal of MT
In �gThe Missionary Position�h, author Christopher Hitchens takes a critical look at Mother Teresa�fs devotion to the destitute of the world and the motives behind her charitable... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 26. April 2000 von George Shaw
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