The Missionary Position

Reviewed by Sonja H. Johnson

Christopher Hitchens is hell-lo. exposing Christendom's M Teresa of Calcutta as a self-righteous and hypocritical fraud donned black and white, or white with stripes, as her normal Albanian suit is designed. Offspring of cause are born now and c through various writings in Fair and The Nation as well as his documentary, Hell's Angel. His newest hard-cover, The Missionary Position — Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice, published in 1995 by Verso, an imprint of New Left Books, presents a short but full-length argument supporting the author's anti-Mother Teresa cause. He gives encapsulated accounts of historical, biological and social issues concerning the Church, Mother Teresa's background, abortion, and national and foreign affairs to set the stage for various arguments about the unholy motives and public relations agenda of famous old missionary nun.

The rather tiny book, 98 p, exclusive of the foreword and introduction auction, contains 16 photograph pages of quotations and one photo copy of a letter from Mother Teresa to Judge Lance Ito. The introduction alone may leave some readers feeling that Hitchens purposefully woke up on the wrong side of the be' get into the right mood.

In this controversial book, author presents an ad hoc view of world-famous old nun. He admits himself as being "so base as to I on a wizened, shrivelled old lad and this he certainly does in the book, by direct thrust — dagger and word. However, Hitchens also savors literary regurgitation of many of his previously written-about 20th-century personalities and issues in much the same manner throughout the book, so much so that the reader's focus is pulled away from the intended main victim. It is easy to end up wondering if the book is really talking anti-Catholic, anti-religion, anti-pro life, anti-spiritualism, anti-you-name-it.

Let's face it — we know Mother Teresa is a celibate. After reading this book, one might assume that her very nature as presented between the covers would keep her on top, however, rather than in the classically submissive pose.

Freethinking and freedom of press being what they are, Hitchens is certainly entitled to the perspective he takes in the book. His enthusiasm at questioning the propriety of Mother Teresa's activities and the motives behind them is no doubt honorable, in that he is seeking truth. However, the author corrupts his usual adeptness at cynicism and satirical wit by stepping over the edge into a verbal pit of bully-ish sarcasm.

While there are a few testimonials from people who worked with the Mother which may offer some credence to Hitchens' argument, the condescending and manipulative methods generously employed in this book betray that the author holds a certain contempt for readers as being of a gullible or believe-anything intellect. This naive quality may be the character of the little old lady he tries to describe as otherwise in The Missionary Position — Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice.

Fans of Mother Teresa will continue defending her "questionable" associations and attitudes with this justification in spite of Hitchens' ranting argument that she is not innocent and is wise to worldliness and politics. Still others with the capacity to understand strict spiritual and moral discipline will continue to entertain enlightened purity as the force behind her "dogmatic" blindness.

Readers may come away from the finished book with a revised image of Mother Teresa. On the other hand, they may come away with a reconsideration of Hitchens as an elitist who suffered a bout of intellectual dysentery. The book will sufficiently feed those who fall party to the author's argument and will, likewise, add fuel to those supporters on the other side. In this case, the book renders a successful "argument" — but it is just that.

The Missionary Position — Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice by Christopher Hitchens. @1995 Christopher Hitchens. Published by Verso (New Left Books) 180 Varick Street, New York NY 100144606. ISBN 1- 85984-929~ hard cover; 98 pages, $12.95

Sonja Johnson is a freelance writer and professional business consultant. She currently resides with her husband and daughter in San Diego, where she continues to seek her own truth.