The Washington Post reported of Teresa, “Her saintly reputation was gained for aiding Kolkata’s poorest of the poor, yet it was undercut by persistent allegations of misuse of funds, poor medical treatments and religious evangelism in the institutions she founded.” However, in her defense, what is wrong with her religious evangelism? After all, she was a Catholic nun! Not only is the Washington Post guilty of fake news, it also has an antireligious agenda.

Moreover, the British medical journal Lancet published a critical account of the care provided in Teresa’s facilities in 1994, repeating what many others have reported. Many former volunteers have testified of patients receiving no pain medicine and nuns washing needles in cold water to be used again!

It has been suggested that the Roman Church used Teresa’s image of compassion to support Catholicism and to distract from the priest pedophilia scandals around the world. I’m not sure that is a legitimate criticism.

Teresa was strongly criticized, even by some of the Roman Catholic media, when she endorsed Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s suspension of civil liberties in 1975. Teresa said of Gandhi’s India, “People are happier. There are more jobs. There are no strikes.” She was often careless in her statements.

Penn and Teller’s Showtime show whose title is obscene did an episode titled “Holier than Thou” in 2005 that criticized Teresa, Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama! Their main concern was her association with Keating and the Duvalier family as well as the quality of medical care given in her homes. That complaint has been made by many.

To her credit, Teresa was a long-time anti-abortionist and, after winning the Nobel Prize in 1979, she said in her acceptance speech that the “greatest destroyer of peace is abortion.” She also angered Bill and Hillary Clinton when she spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington in February 1994, where she argued that abortion was a mother murdering her own child! Peggy Noonan, the former speechwriter of former President Ronald Reagan, wrote that Bill and Hillary “sat there, in the glare of the hot lights, all eyes in the crowd fixed upon them, as they tried not to move or be noticed, conspicuous in their lack of response, clearly uncomfortable as the applause raged on.” Bill, Hillary, and Al Gore were as uncomfortable as a dog in hot ashes.

Teresa had theological problems as well as problems with principle. She was asked if she ever converted people (or only fed the hungry, lifted the poor, etc.) and she replied, “Of course I convert. I convert you to be a better Hindu or a better Muslim or a better Protestant. Once you’ve found God, it’s up to you to decide how to worship him.” That is heresy. No real Christian believes that.

But then, maybe I was correct on a London talk show when I suggested that she was not a Christian but only a Catholic. (Just as there are many Baptists who are not Christians.) Following her death, her letters to various confessors of the past 60 years were read and caused a major stir world-wide. Author Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk revealed Teresa’s emptiness since “the last nearly half-century of her life she felt no presence of God whatsoever.” He adds, “Neither in her heart or in the Eucharist.”

Teresa expressed her anguish, doubt, and fears when she bemoaned the “dryness,” “darkness,” “loneliness” and “torture” she was undergoing. The author wrote, “She [Teresa] compares the experience to hell and at one point says it has driven her to doubt the existence of heaven and even of God.”

In one letter Teresa wrote, “Where is my Faith — even deep down right in there is nothing, but emptiness & darkness — My God — how painful is this unknown pain — I have no Faith.” This was expressed by a woman who became a “saint” in 2016, but I am a Baptist who became a saint the day I trusted Christ. Furthermore, I have never had a similar dark, foreboding experience in over 65 years of being a Christian.

She lived in a period of darkness all her life and cried, “If there be no God — there can be no soul — if there is no Soul then Jesus — You also are not true.” As she smiled to the world, she wrote to another confessor, “I have come to love the darkness.” John 3 tells us that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.

My critics will be angry that I did not call her Mother Teresa but she was not my mother. My mother was Emma and while she was not an activist in the slums of Zanesville, nor did she lift the sick and poor from the gutters, she was a godly woman who knew Christ as her Savior. I am convinced she is in Heaven.

I’m not positive where Teresa is today.

Boys’ new book Muslim Invasion: The Fuse is Burning! was published by Barbwire Books; to get your copy, click here. An eBook edition is also available.

Many parts of the world were obsessed with the two deaths and as the 20th anniversary approaches, Europe is sweep up in a bizarre mania. “Diana-mania” is spreading from Britain (and advancing in America) to all of Europe as the death anniversary looms. I have written about both women in columns and in my yet to be published memoirs: Reflections of a Lifetime Fundamentalist: No Regrets! The information below comes from those sources.

Within days of Diana’s death, I had one of my best opportunities to present the Gospel while appearing on a British talk show dealing with Princess Diana and Teresa. Immediately following Diana’s death August 31, 1997, a Pentecostal church in London went public with her final destination and it wasn’t Heaven! The show’s producer asked me to discuss her death and asked if Diana went to Hell because she had been visiting nightclubs and bars the night of her death. When I was asked that question during the show, I hesitated a little since this was an extremely hot topic and so close to her death. I said, “Well, no one can be sure what happens in the final seconds of a person’s life. Who knows what sermons a person has heard or what a parent or preacher has taught them that might flash through the dying person’s mind at the last minute. So I can’t know for sure.” My answer was a little soft, and sure, but safe.

After softening up the audience all over Great Britain and the host who was also a columnist for the Daily Telegraph, I steadied myself and said, “Deathbed conversions are highly unlikely since there is only one such experience in the Bible and Christ is the One who won the dying thief hanging beside him, promising him that he would be with Him that day in Paradise.” I ended by saying, “I would not give much chance of Diana’s last minute conversion to Christ. Princess Diana is probably in Hell tonight.” There was a loud gasp from the audience.

I thought my appearance was over but the host said, “Well, what about Mother Teresa?” who had died six days after Diana’s death. I cringed. We had not discussed Teresa’s death in pre-show preparation. Teresa was a Catholic icon who spent her life in the ghettos of India. She was known as the “Saint of the Gutters” and it is one thing to suggest that an adulterous, boozing, former princess was in Hell but something else to suggest that one of the most kind, sacrificing, inauspicious do-gooders of history might not be in Heaven! Of course, no one can be sure about anyone except himself.

The talk show host continued, “Does that mean Mother Teresa is not in Heaven?” I gulped, thought for a second, and said, “Well, I can’t know any person’s heart but if Teresa trusted the Roman Catholic Church, or baptism, or her good and admirable works to get her to Heaven, she is not there.” The show’s host gasped! I felt like a skunk at a ladies’ tea party.

I told the host, “Good people don’t necessarily go to Heaven and bad people don’t necessarily go to Hell.” She was astounded and said, “Would you please explain that?” I was thrilled to do so. I made it very clear that people go to Heaven after placing personal faith in the shed blood of Christ.

I was on a roll so I continued, “In fact, there are people in Hell tonight who, while on this earth, lived a better life than some people in Heaven.” She was shocked again and said, “Will you please explain that?” I was thrilled to do so. I explained that some people are genuine Christians but are very nominal in their daily living while there were non-Christians who are more noble, kind, decent, and benevolent but have never experienced the New Birth by trusting Christ as Savior.

What a show! I reached more people in that one hour than D. L. Moody did in his London crusade–but without his results! In addition to making the plan of salvation very clear, even stark, I tried to emphasize that real salvation results in the change of the morals, mores, manners, and motives of the convert.

There is no doubt that evangelical and fundamental Christians can learn something from Teresa who ministered to the unwanted, unloved, and uncared for and Diana who appeared to be a loving mother. No one should be more concerned for the poor, disadvantaged, hurting, sick, hungry people of the world than Christians. I think we could be more involved than we are; although many of us give to world missions, feed the hungry, provide clean water, medical missions, go to mission fields, etc., but we could probably do much more without sacrificing the essential message that only Christ saves.

Moreover, the Social Gospelers have confused personal responsibility with the churches’ responsibility. A church must never get her eyes off the main goal of taking the Gospel to the world and then training for Christian service those who believe it, while having outreaches for the poor. However, as individuals we should also support outreaches to the poor and needy but we must use discretion since many secular organizations are not worthy of support. My wife and I have supported those individuals we know who deserve support, help for flood victims, earthquake relief, providing portable generators for native churches in Central America, and efforts to bring clean water to desperate African villages. Such activities are not the major job of churches.

Teresa did not appear sophisticated; however, she or her handlers were very astute in using the media for her own end—raising money for her cause. She had connections with rich, famous people who funded her charity according to Christopher Hitchens in The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice. Some of those “sugar daddies” were disreputable, unscrupulous people such as former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier (who plundered Haiti), Charles Keating, and other scoundrels such as Communist Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha who ruled for 40 years. Hoxha was married and although homosexuality was illegal in Albania, he is commonly believed to have had perverted relations most of his adult life. It is said that he used to take handsome Albanian soldiers to bed with him and then have them shot the next morning.

One egregious example is Teresa’s relationship with Charles Keating of the Lincoln S&L shame. Keating gave more than a million dollars to Teresa and flew her around in his jet. During his trial for fraud for bilking 23,000 investors out of their money, she wrote Judge Ito telling him what a good guy Keating was and asked for leniency in sentencing. Teresa advised the judge to “do what Jesus would do.” I’m not sure what Jesus would have done, but the judge gave Keating ten years for fraud. Keating served four-and-a half years in prison.

Following the trial, Teresa received a letter from the Deputy District Attorney telling her that the money Keating had given her was stolen from hard working people and suggested that she return the money. I would have suggested, “After all, that is what Jesus would have done.” The good nun never answered his letter nor returned the stolen money. After all, it was for the “poor.”

Teresa was also involved with Princess Diana who sought consolation when she was divorced. Teresa said that the divorce was unfortunate but was probably a good thing! However, Teresa took the opposite position when Ireland was debating what to do about their prohibition of divorce and remarriage. It seems the nun was an opportunist, especially when it fit her agenda. Her agenda was to raise money for her charity by schmoozing up to rich and famous people. She raised a fortune but never built a hospital, or hospice, or home for children in India but did build convents in more than 150 countries! There has never been an accounting of the fortune she raised.

CNN reported on Teresa’s charity declaring, “It’s true there’s no transparency–and very little information available–on the group’s bookkeeping. CNN‘s request to interview the current head of the organization was declined.”

But sainthood continued on the fast track and Teresa is now a beloved Roman Catholic saint.

Is a secular sainthood in the works for Princess Diana?

Boys’ new book Muslim Invasion: The Fuse is Burning! was published by Barbwire Books; to get your copy, click here. An eBook edition is also available.

In early September of 1997, a London talk show host asked me, “Well, Dr. Boys, does that mean Mother Teresa is not in Heaven?” I gulped, thought for a second, and said, “Well, I can’t know any person’s heart but if Teresa trusted the Roman Catholic Church, baptism, or her good and admirable works to get her to Heaven, she is not there.” The hostess and the audience members gasped!

I had been asked to do the show dealing with Princess Diana since some Christian groups in England were saying that the recently deceased Diana was now in Hell. After dealing with where I thought Diana was, the host hit me with the Teresa question since the Catholic nun (known as the Saint of the Gutters) had just died. It is one thing to suggest that an adulterous, drinking, former princess was in Hell but something else to suggest that one of the most kind, sacrificing, and famous do-gooders of history might not be in Heaven!

I told the host “Good people don’t necessarily go to Heaven and bad people don’t necessarily go to Hell.” She was astounded and said, “Would you please explain that?” I was thrilled to do so. I made it very clear that people go to Heaven only by placing personal faith in the shed blood of Christ.

I was on a roll so I said, “In fact, there are people in Hell tonight who, while on this earth, lived a better life than some people in Heaven.” She was shocked again and said, “Will you please explain that?” I was thrilled to do so–again. I explained that some people are genuine Christians but are very nominal in their daily living while there were non-Christians who are more noble, kind, decent, and generous but have never experienced the New Birth. I emphasized again that people go to Heaven because they trust Christ as Savior.

There is no doubt that evangelical and fundamental Christians can learn something from Teresa who ministered to the unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. No one should be more concerned for the poor, disadvantaged, hurting, sick, and hungry people of the world than Christians. I think we could be more involved than we are although many of us give to world missions, feed the hungry, provide clean water, medical missions, go to mission fields, etc., but we could certainly do more without diminishing the essential message that only Christ saves.

Teresa did not appear sophisticated; however, she or her handlers were very astute in using the media for her own end—raising money for her cause. She had connections with rich, famous people (sugar daddies) who funded her charity according to Christopher Hitchens in The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice. (Hitchens, an atheist, did an incredible television movie titled “Hell’s Angel” that exposed Teresa. He also claimed Teresa was “a fanatic, a fundamentalist and a fraud.” Well, not like the Fundamentalists I know.) Some of those “sugar daddies” were disreputable, unscrupulous people such as Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier (who plundered Haiti), Communist Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha, Charles Keating, and other scoundrels.

One egregious example is her relationship with Charles Keating of the Lincoln S&L fame, or more correctly, shame. When his savings and loan company failed in 1989, it left about 23,000 people holding worthless bonds and cost the federal government over $3 billion. Keating was convicted in both federal and state courts in the early 1990s of fraud, racketeering, and conspiracy and served four and a half years in prison.

Keating gave more than a million dollars to Teresa and flew her around in his jet. During his trial, Teresa wrote Judge Ito telling him what a good guy Keating was and asked for leniency in sentencing. Teresa advised the judge to “do what Jesus would do.” I’m not sure what Jesus would have done, but the judge put Keating in the pokey for four and a half years!

Following the trial, Teresa received a letter from the Deputy District Attorney telling her that the money Keating had given her was stolen from hard working people and suggested that she return the money. I would have suggested, “After all, that is what Jesus would have you do.” The good nun never answered his letter (nor returned the stolen money). After all, it was for the “poor.”

It seems the nun was an opportunist, especially when it fit her agenda. Her agenda was to raise money for her charity by toadying up to rich and famous people. She raised a fortune but never built a hospital for children in India but did build convents in more than 150 countries! There has never been an accounting for the fortune she raised.

CNN reported on Teresa’s charity declaring, “It’s true there’s no transparency–and very little information available–on the group’s bookkeeping. CNN‘s request to interview the current head of the organization was declined.” But the sainthood continued.

The Catholic Church requires two “miracles” to confirm “sainthood” and one of the two alleged miracles is bogus. Monica Besra said she was healed of cancer by praying to Teresa; however, her husband admitted on video that she was healed by medicine not prayers to Teresa. In fact, some physicians claim that she did not have cancer but a cyst caused by tuberculosis. Furthermore, in an interview with Time magazine, Besra’s husband said, “It is much ado about nothing. My wife was cured by the doctors and not by any miracle.” But it seems Pope Francis was determined to have a miracle even if the facts are otherwise. Now, Besra’s husband has denied making the allegations.

The Washington Post reported of Teresa, “Her saintly reputation was gained for aiding Kolkata’s poorest of the poor, yet it was undercut by persistent allegations of misuse of funds, poor medical treatments and religious evangelism in the institutions she founded.” Moreover, the British medical journal Lancet published a critical account of the care in Teresa’s facilities in 1994, repeating what many others has reported. Many former volunteers have testified of patients receiving no pain medicine and nuns washing needles in cold water to be used again!

To her credit, Teresa was a long-time anti-abortionist and, after winning the Nobel Prize in 1979, she said in her acceptance speech that the “greatest destroyer of peace is abortion.” She also angered Bill and Hillary Clinton when she spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington in February 1994, where she argued that abortion was a mother murdering her own child! Bill and Hillary “sat there, in the glare of the hot lights, all eyes in the crowd fixed upon them, as they tried not to move or be noticed, conspicuous in their lack of response, clearly uncomfortable as the applause raged on.”

Teresa had theological problems as well as problems with principle. She was asked if she ever converted people (or only feed the hungry, lifted the poor, etc.) and she replied, “Of course I convert. I convert you to be a better Hindu or a better Muslim or a better Protestant. Once you’ve found God, it’s up to you to decide how to worship him.” That is heresy. No real Christian believes that.

But then, maybe I was correct on that London talk show when I suggested that she was not a Christian but only a Catholic. Just as there are many Baptists who are not Christians.

My critics will be angry that I did not call her Mother Teresa but she was not my mother. My mother was Emma and while she was not an activist in the slums of Zanesville, nor did she lift the sick and poor from the gutters, she was a godly woman who knew Christ as her savior. I am convinced she is in Heaven.

I’m not sure of “Saint” Teresa’s present location!

Boys’ new book Muslim Invasion: The Fuse is Burning! was published recently by Barbwire Books; to get your copy,  click here. An eBook edition is also available.