We the Rationalists and Humanists of India want to clear our stand regarding Mother Teresa and her proposed sainthood. In the wake of the recent discovery of Teresa's letters proclaiming her spiritual doubts we feel that our views have a greater relevance at the moment.

Mother's was strong personality combined with deep compassion and an immense ability to work with singular determination. She justly got the Nobel Peace Prize and we express our respect for her.

               

 She worked for the spread of Christianity under the guidance of Vatican; if Vatican decides to confer 'sainthood' to her, we should have nothing to say. But, the criterion required for formally calling her a 'saint' calls for 'miracles' attributed to her. In the name of a great worker if we proclaim and establish the occurrence of miracles in this 21st century, it would be ethically wrong. 

We are fighting for the last more than 20 years for the spread of scientific spirit and rational thought process. We have seen that belief in 'miracles' and supernatural powers do immense harm to people. We have investigated into the 'miracle cure' of Monica Besra of West Bengal in 2003 claimed by Missionaries of Charity and found it baseless. Monica was treated in Balurghat Hospital and was under medication for 9 long months. She was not cured by Mother’s picture. This false propaganda was a criminal act (The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940), seriously damaging to our society. 

Hence, our request to the honorable Pope is to desist from this farce of 'sainthood' and stop spreading false stories of magic cure which would only mislead our poor common people. 

• MOTHER NEVER SHOWED MIRACLES IN HER LIFETIME.
• MOTHER DID NOT BELIEVE IN SUPERNATURAL.
• PLEASE DO NOT BASE SAINTHOOD ON ALLEGED MIRACLES. 

On behalf of: 

Science and Rationalists’ Association of India

Humanists' Association

 Protest against the spread of MIRACLE CURE by Humanists' Association & Science and Rationalists’ Association of India, 5th September 2007               

 Prabir Ghosh (General Secretaryof SRAI) and Sumitra Padmanabhan (General Secretaryof HA) with Kolkata TV 

 Prabir Ghosh with Kolkata TV

Rationalist Activists demonstrating in front of Mother House (Missionaries of Charity) in Kolkata 

                   

                                        Sunny, our pal 

   

 

 Demonstration with fire by Rationalist 

                                                  The protest

Picture by Sagar Das (Neel)

Hats off to rationalist association and prabir ghosh , the leader of the rationalist movement.
i strongly agree that Vatican may honour Mother Teresa for her work to propagate Christianity, rather than on false claim about her power of miracle healing. i doubt whether mother, herself had any faith on miracle healing as when she used to fall sick, she used to consult the best doctors and she used to get treated in best medical centres of calcutta.
IT TOOK FEW HUNDRED YEARS FOR VATICAN TO REALISE THAT EARTH IS ROTATING ROUND THE SUN AND NOT VICE-VERSA. let's see howmany years it takes for them to realise that nobody on earth has any divine, miracle power.
or may be it is not the ignorance of Vatican that's talking , it's the ploy of Vatican to accentuate the christian brotheran across the world.
Also 'Come : Be My Light' a book of letters written by Mother Teresa reveals that she was deeply tormented about her faith and suffered periods of doubt about God.
such doubts caused qualms and agony that reflects in her letters.lets me quote a few lines directly from her letter......
"Lord, my God, who am I that You should forsake me? The Child of your Love — and now become as the most hated one — the one — You have thrown away as unwanted — unloved. I call, I cling, I want — and there is no One to answer — no One on Whom I can cling — no, No One. — Alone ... 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 — I dare not utter the words & thoughts that crowd in my heart — & make me suffer untold agony.

So many unanswered questions live within me afraid to uncover them — because of the blasphemy — If there be God — please forgive me — When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven — there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives & hurt my very soul. — I am told God loves me — and yet the realit

of darkness & coldness & emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul. Did I make a mistake in surrendering blindly to the Call of the Sacred Heart?
— addressed to Jesus, at the suggestion of a confessor, undated "

the link to download the book "Mother Teresa & Sainthood" of Prabir Ghosh is broken.
Is there an alternative link?