Believers and Their Disbelief: St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Mother Teresa, and Teilhard
- Format:
- Journal Article
- Year:
- 2008
- Journal Title:
- Teilhard Studies
- Issue:
- 57
- Language:
- Abstract:
Several modern-day Christians who were known for their devotion have left accounts of their troubled faith. I consider three of these: St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Then I tell of the troubled atheism of Jean-Paul Sartre. Finally, I use texts of Sartre and Teilhard to understand the unsettled nature of belief. Recently the private writings of several devout Catholics have come to public knowledge, and, amid their many statements of faith, these devout Catholics tell of fundamental difficulties with faith. Three such devout believers who had a troubled faith, all somewhat recent, are Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The atheist Jean-Paul Sartre also struggled—to believe there is no God. Both Teilhard and Sartre were philosophers of note, and I use their texts to understand why the ardent believer can still know difficulty or doubt.
- Who (Jesuits):
- What (Subjects):
- When (Centuries):
- Page Range:
- 1–26
- ISSN:
- 0739-2303