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The Spectacle Blog
You’d think the Freedom From Religion Foundation would have something more productive to do with its time than this. The group is blasting a new stamp by the U.S. Postal Service featuring a photo of Mother Teresa — because everyone knows an MT stamp would result in a state religion.
The Foundation objects to Mother Teresa’s affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church. Ironically, I can’t find any objections from them to a stamp honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., for his work on racism. MLK was an ordained minister who frequently invoked the name of Jesus Christ.
The difference is that MLK advocated many leftist causes and Mother Teresa was a staunch pro-life advocate. Leftists often use religion as a tool to achieve their ends (our current president does it well), but speedily condemn anyone on the right who speaks into the political sphere from their religious convictions. And thus the hypocrisy continues.
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Pingback| 1.22.10 @ 5:07PM
Twitter Trackbacks for The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : Stamp Anxiety [spectato links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Jim Hlavac | 1.22.10 @ 6:36PM
Aw, Mother Theresa is bad? What a bunch of ....
Meanwhile, to celebrate our diversity, indeed, our Postal Service should put a picture of Mohammed on a stamp -- just so I can join in the love! And why not Jim Jones, too, so that I can feel the love of Kool Aid. Ah, maybe the Taliban shooting missiles into 1500 year old Buddhas? What a picture! Now there's something worth celebrating.
And we know, surely, that every letter recipient immediately goes to the stamp, to see if it offends, or diminishes anyone whatsoever, and rejects and returns such offensive materials as an honor to a woman who gave it all up to help those even less fortunate than her. And so we can be so pure and clear in our separation of church and state, so threatened by a tiny picture of a dearly departed lady who regardless of her religious affiliation would probably have helped the poor of Calcutta. Egads, have these people nothing better to do than to worry about the pictures on stamps? Is this the extent of their attack upon the culture of good works that M. Theresa did promote? Why don't Freedom From Religion go found a foundling home of lepers, and the poorest of the poor, the untouchables, of that great humanitarian religion of Hinduism which seems to think that some 150,000,000 people are "untouchable." What a love fest they offer! But the F.F.R.F. -- a home guys? So that they might find succor, instead of a lawsuit. What a waste of money. Haitians, probably Catholics all, suffering in unimaginable horror, and these bores are spending their money to prevent a stamp! I'm flummoxed at the depth of hate for good people that these folks have -- because the love is from a Catholic Perspective. I'm not a Catholic, my family not since Jan Hus was burned at the stake in 1415, but still, we can't find anything bad to say about Mother Theresa. Why, she's a Nobel Prize winner I do believe, and a hundred other non-sectarian honors. Certainly, the US shouldn't even talk to any Muslim state, for they have conflated religion and the state to a new degree. But I bet that F.F.R.F is against such "anti-diversity" commentary. So sue me. Get a life folks.
Linda Schaefer | 1.22.10 @ 8:14PM
In honoring Mother Teresa's legacy with her image on a stamp is to honor a Catholic nun who not only served the poor in Calcutta but who opened homes across the United States. She gave dignity to those who had lost it and responded to the call from millions who saught consolitation in a world of desolation. She opened homes in Haiti, Cuba and across Africa. We on the left (myself included) are tired of being labeled as "liberals" with a religious agenda. I went to India, responding to a call from Mother Teresa. She called many regardless of faith or polititical agenda. Let's honor a woman who was truly a saint because she lived among the lowly and was the icon of humility.
Interested Conservative| 1.22.10 @ 9:33PM
I think your reply answered my question. No disrespect to Mother Theresa, but what is her connection to the US?
I'll admit ignorance as to any USPS policy on non-citizens or foreigners on stamps, and she's certainly worthy of the honor, but is she a bit too far afield for a stamp?
As for the "controversy", what will they say when Billy Graham's stamp is issued. Better yet, how about a series of great American religious figures - run the gamut from Jonathan Edwards to Mother Seton, and on to the recent past.
Bob| 1.23.10 @ 2:32AM
While I think groups like the one attacking the stamp pretty much always act hysterically when they pretend any sort of religion at all in the public square is somehow going to put us on the slippery slope to theocracy, I must say I completely agree with keeping Mother Teresa off of a stamp.
I collect stamps and when I found out she was being honored, the first question that came to mind was "Why". Her connections to this country are tenuous, at best, and putting her on a stamp would be no different than honoring Princess Di or Rigoberta Menchu (if she were dead).
As for being worthy of the honor, that is very disputable and she is, frankly, undeserving of most of the accolades she received. I laud her anti-abortion efforts and that is it. I know people are probably skeptical of what Hitchens has to say about her (given his atheism and disdain for organized religion), but if you actually examine his criticisms and the criticisms of others who don't worship her, it is some pretty compelling, and very, very damning stuff. If what they write about her is true, and I have no reason to doubt it isn't, frankly, she was a pretty awful person. I challenge anyone here whose first instinct is to bash anyone who dares question her saintliness to read what he has to say about her. I would be surprised if you didn't look at her a little differently.
ds80| 1.23.10 @ 2:57PM
Please tell us who "worships" Mother Theresa. Are you ignorant? Or did you intend to disparage Catholics? Hitchens (and Dawkins) are well-known for loathing religious belief ... using them as your source pretty much guarantees your conclusion, now doesn't it?
Interesting how atheists and Christianty-phobes get so worked up over a dead person's picture on a stamp
Margie| 1.23.10 @ 1:09PM
The Freedom from Religion Foundation! Ha! A joke in itself. Wonder if they get government funds!!
And there IS NO "Separation of Church & State" in the First Amendment to the Constitution. That's right folks. It ain't there!
Just read it. It says (in reality) that the GOVERNMENT cannot impose a Religion over the PEOPLE. But in typical form, the Left in this country has TWISTED it to suit themselves. In typically convoluted, twisted, mentally sick fashion.
As far as I know the only requirement for putting someone on a stamp here in the U.S. is that they have to be dead.
I don't know anything other than Mother Theresa was a Missionary and lived her life as such. I don't know what this Leftist Hitchens said either, but I don't have a habit of trusting Leftists.
This is a free country so if you want somebody on the stamp, nominate them or whatever you have to do and be done with it!