Perhaps, she did do some substantial good by improving the lives
of those in the slums, the argument here is that religion is the
driving force behind this? One question I would like to ask is that
since Christians believe that the next life will be better when you
suffer on earth, why even bother to help those dying in the slums?
A desire to gain points on what some would call the entry to heaven
merit system?
I dont think there is this merit system. If one has this merit
perception, in the eyes of the Almighty, doing it for such "credit"
doesnt really work like that
I have always been wondering about the subtleties of a
purpose-driven life vs a spirit led life.
" When we talk about suffering,Christian believers are not
immune from suffering. In fact, sometimes it seems that sincere
Christian believers suffer more than others! God has promised us
many things, but He has not promised us immunity from suffering in
this life. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord
delivers him out of them all." (Psalm 34:19). "Yes, and all who
desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." (2
Timothy 3:12). Suffering will be a reality for us in one form or
another until Jesus returns. "
The issue of suffering is a complex one, since there are many
kinds of suffering, many possible reasons for each kind, and often
many perplexing mysteries. Our faith in the goodness of God may be
tested through sufferings, and our responses to suffering in this
life have the potential to make us or break us.
"When we suffer, our response is very important. We need to
remember that God still loves us, and while there is life, there is
hope. The subject of our response to suffering needs to be explored
further and developed with further teaching. Briefly, if you are
suffering because of your sins, repent.
If you are suffering because of mistakes, seek to learn and gain
wisdom. If you are suffering because of sickness, give thanks to
God for His promises and learn how to receive
the healing God has for you.
If you are suffering because of the sins of another Christian,
confront him or her according to Matthew 18:15-18, forgive him or
her and seek wisdom from God.
If you are suffering persecution from unbelievers, offer your
suffering to God, pray (James 5:14), give thanks to God and rejoice
(James 1:2-5; 1 Peter 4:13)!
You are also called to love your enemies, pray for them, and
bless them. (Matthew 5:44).
If you are suffering because the events of life seem to be
conspiring to frustrate you, seek God about it, be patient in your
wilderness experience and look forward to the promised land of
blessings God is leading you into.
Don't allow discouragement and bitterness against God to enter
your heart. Learn from the experiences of the children of Israel.
Also try to get as many as possible to pray for you and your
situation. This will help, but you still need patience."
lol.. I know talking about it is easy, hell, the doing part is a
where most of us really fail.
Trapped between the material needs and the spiritual needs, its
extremely hard.Who is really willing to give up their all to be
with those that have none.
"A lot of our suffering is due to our own unwise choices. But we
are actually guaranteed by God that we will suffer persecution if
we truly want to live for Him. Sickness and disease - both physical
and emotional - can generally be overcome in this life by faith in
God, but suffering will remain part of our lives on and off until
we pass beyond this temporal existence into what God has prepared
for those who love Him."
Above is mostly cut n paste from here.
But looking at Mother Teresa's point of view, she was driven by
the teaching of Jesus, to simply "help the unfortunate".
Even if the driving force was religion, her being there is
already testament, that belief gives her that much faith to
persevere and continue doing what she did for a long time. And
doing what she did also shows that religion allows one to continue
doing what that really believe in when forsaken by the rest of the
world.