Atheist group urges boycott of Mother Teresa stamp

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The stamp planned for the U.S. Postal Service.

New York City, N.Y., Jan 29, 2010 / 04:28 pm (CNA).- Following the U.S. Postal Service announcement that they are featuring the late Mother Teresa on an upcoming stamp, the atheist group Freedom from Religion has urged its supporters to boycott the stamp on the grounds that it violates postal regulations.

The stamp is scheduled for release on Aug. 26, which would have been Mother Teresa's 100th birthday, and is intended to honor the Nobel Peace Prize recipient for her humanitarian work. A press release from the U.S. Postal Service issued last month praised Mother Teresa for her 50 years of service to “the sick and destitute of India and the world,” as well as her “humility and compassion” and “respect for the innate worth and dignity of humankind.”

However, Annie Gaylor, spokeswoman for Freedom from Religion, told Fox News on Thursday that the stamp goes against a postal stipulation that prevents the Postal Service from honoring “individuals whose principal achievements are associated with religious undertakings.”

“Mother Teresa is principally known as a religious figure who ran a religious institution,” Gaylor argued. “You can't really separate her being a nun and being a Roman Catholic from everything she did.”

Postal Service spokesman Roy Betts responded to Gaylor by saying that there is a long history of individuals with religious backgrounds like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. who have been honored on stamps. “This has nothing to do with faith,” he stated in a reply to Fox News.

Gaylor claimed, however, that Dr. King “just happened to be a minister” and that “Malcolm X was not principally known for being a religious figure.”

“And he's not called Father Malcolm X like Mother Teresa,” Gaylor continued. “I mean, even her name is a Catholic honorific.”

Catholic League president Bill Donahue also reacted to Gaylor's arguments on Thursday, issuing a statement which said that Gaylor “sounds like a white racist when she dresses down Rev. Martin Luther King.”

Responding to Gaylor's claim that Martin Luther King, Jr. “just happened to be a minister,” Donahue said, “Really? We'd like to hear her explain that to African Americans at a Sunday service. Perhaps she can get the NAACP to recast King as a secular orator, and not as a black clergyman, during Black History Month, which starts on Monday.”

Gaylor also told Fox News that she opposed Mother Teresa's “anti-abortion rant” during her Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1979 and claimed that her humanitarian work was fraught with controversy.
“There was criticism by the end of her life that she turned what was a tiny charity into an extremely wealthy charity that had the means to provide better care than it did,” Gaylor argued.

Donahue countered Gaylor's claim, asserting, “What's really driving Gaylor's hatred of Mother Teresa, besides her virulent anti-Catholicism, is the saintly nun’s opposition to abortion.”

“She accuses the Albanian nun of making an 'anti-abortion rant' during her Nobel Prize acceptance speech. As a matter of fact, the 'rant' amounted to her saying that 'abortion was the greatest destroyer of peace in the world,'” Donahue stated.

“To understand why abortion hits a nerve with Gaylor, consider this,” he added. “Her mother, Annie Nicol Gaylor, founded the Freedom from Religion Foundation in 1978. And just two years after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion-on-demand, she released a book titled, 'Abortion Is a Blessing.' This is not the kind of book that someone who is reluctantly pro-choice writes: it could only be written by someone who sees abortion as a positive good.”

Postal Service spokesman Roy Betts reiterated on Thursday that “Mother Teresa is not being honored because of her religion, she's being honored for her work with the poor and her acts of humanitarian relief.”

“Her contribution to the world as a humanitarian speaks for itself and is unprecedented.”

Comments: 17

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Nah Nah
New York City New York USA 05/13/2010 07:13 AM EST

Catholics have sided, voted & raised money for the Communist Democrats and have told their members who to vote for - now are surprised when a Democratic & Union State denies Christian Requests to honor a God Fearing Woman and her suffering to help the same people Communist Democrats yell and scream they want to save? LOL Yes I can see why Catholics would be outraged...in Baptist Bibles, we learn "Run, Pray, Play with the Devil, You get burned by the Devil". How is that working for you now? Too bad the entire World has to learn the lesson we already knew with you. Get right with God and stop playing Politics.

Published by: wm
us 02/01/2010 03:16 PM EST

In 1996, the U.S. Postal Service issued the Hanukkah stamp, honoring the Jewish festival of lights. I don’t recall any atheists complaining about it. On Sept 1, 2001, the U.S. Postal Service issued the Eid stamp, honoring the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (annual pilgrimage to Mecca). The stamp was even featured on the White House website. Again, the atheists have no problem with it. But the regularly-issued “Madonna and Child” stamp and the Mother Teresa stamp are outrages. Uh-huh.

Published by: John Bishop
England 02/01/2010 03:01 PM EST

I'm an agnostic but have no real problem with a stamp honoring Mother Teresa - There are many more worthy battles agains oppressive religion that the good people at the Freedom from Religion organization could ply their rescources. However I can understand why they wage war on every front because I share their concerns about religions continued imperialistic and negative impact on the world. Certainly as with all of these debates there is an abundance of religious ignorance and arroganchere to feast on Nice try with that tired old 'all atheists are communist crap.' Stop being ignorant and open a book now and then - other than the bible - that is Communism was simply another version of an oppressive doctrine/ideology. Religion was banished because of the power and influence it had and could muster in people against the new authority. I do not believe in a mythical being floating in the sky as you lot do but this does not mean I am a communist and of the millions of people who do not subscribe to organized religion i nthe world - exactly how many are communists you fools. lets see all religions have used organized crime to convert torture or kill all in opposition. Every religion has a sordid past that includes acts of inhumanity in order to forward their oppression - sounda a lot like communism to me. This is typical of the religious ...demoinize anyone in opposition........and the Nazi party? How about Hitler being a practicing Catholic.....DUH

Published by: Nancy
Parkland, FL, USA 02/01/2010 01:23 PM EST

Atheism is a religion too. It is the religion that totalitarian regimes like the Nazi Party and communist countries tried in vain to shove down people's throats. Freedom From Religion is following in their footsteps to nowhere.

Published by: Barbara Edsall
Frazier Park, CA, USA 02/01/2010 12:07 PM EST

Lord willing, I will be standing in line at my local post office to buy as many Mother Teresa stamps as I can afford--while, of course, leaving some for others to buy! I bet Blessed Teresa is praying for Ms. Gaylor, Mr. Donohue and all concerned.

Published by: Pamela
Denver, Colorado 01/31/2010 06:24 PM EST

If our world was blessed with more people modeling their lives after the WORK and compassion of Mother Teresa and less towards the devisive ideas of one such as Ms. Gaylor...think how much better we would be. I wish for every Ms. Gaylor we had a million Mother Theresas.

Published by: Jean
USA 01/31/2010 02:11 PM EST

Let us pray for the conversion of Ms. Gaylor that she sees that she is trampling on our Amendment I rights. Mother Teresa is being comemerated for her works and winning the Nobel Peace Prize. She has a right to it as Martin Luther has a right to it. I afraid Ms. Galor is being silly considering Im sure that many Atheists are on a postage stamp to. Or at best Agnostics.

Published by: mjwi
Tacoma/Washington/USA 01/31/2010 11:55 AM EST

Martin Luther King, Jr. was not only an extremely devout Christian, he and his family have opposed abortion. Shall we recall all the stamps with his image emblazened on them, then? I didn't think so. Blessed Mother Teresa could no more separate herself from her faith, as intrinsic to her motivation to spread God's light through her service, then can Annie Gaylor separate her godlessness from her spreading darkness and misery. In fact, Blessed Mother Teresa said it best: "Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness."

Published by: Jim Carr
Blackwood, NJ, USA 01/30/2010 06:26 PM EST

Annie Taylor's attempt to disallow the use of Mother Theresa's image on a US stamp just proves the moronic agenda of the atheists. Mother Theresa is an iconic figure, not only in her Religion, but to the world at large. She is what all humanity should aspire to be, so to deny her the minor prestige of being pictured on a stamp proves that atheists are against goodness and morality in general. They must equate these qualities with religion, so to me she is saying, "we are against goodness, virtue, kindness, and morals, because the religions of the world foster these things." Ms.Taylor sounds as evil and vile as the much loathed Madalyn Murray-O'Hare.

Published by: Christopher
High Point, North Carolina, USA 01/30/2010 03:48 PM EST

This is ridiculous. You can't separate everything Martin Luther King did from his religion either, he did preach and his speeches were riddled with religious parts. Yet, the Atheists are not boycotting him or his stamps. Just because someone was religious does not mean that they could not have done great things. If we removed all religious people from history because they were religious, we wouldn't have a history. I think this is just more hate from Atheists who want to rid the world of anyone who is religious.

Published by: Mary
Fort Worth, TX 01/30/2010 12:48 PM EST

Let the atheists boycott the stamp. Who cares what they do? They are a very small minority with shrill voices who are trying to infringe on our rights to practice our faith. If they had their way, none of us could attend church or temple or synagogue. I never dreamed I would live to see the world in such turmoil over abortion and religion. Our First Amendment rights are slowly being eroded.

Published by: Môlsem
Lewiston, ID, USA 01/30/2010 10:42 AM EST

I fear Ms. Gaylor and Mr. Donahue neither come off well in this exchange, she by slandering the good name of Mother Theresa's creation, and he by loosely tossing around the word "hate." Hitler hated Jews. Ms. Gaylor may be as passionate for her cause as Mr. Donahue is about our Faith, and may lack respect for Mother Theresa, but I doubt she hates Mother Theresa. I will pray for both Ms. Gaylor and Mr. Donahue, that they may always be able to accept the human dignity of the "other" and give respect to that.

Published by: metoo
st. paul / mn / usa 01/30/2010 10:13 AM EST

To define works based on affiliation and not on the individuality of the individual persona allows subjective definitions of individuality. To base ones good works and personal philosophy as wrong and to be denied because of being aligned in some fashion with the ideal of an organization (OR even another person) means the accuser is attempting to subjectively define relationships rather than individuality as a cause for recognizing individual honor.

Published by: DLL
scituate mass 01/30/2010 01:09 AM EST

God bless the atheists as they are protecting the whole of society from God? They must have their own humanitarian stamp? The atheists must be the true humanitarians protecting all people from God who can only bless us all.

Published by: Rose
Temple, PA, USA 01/29/2010 07:21 PM EST

"You will know them by their fruits." Mother Teresa touched the hearts of all who heard her speak and saw her gentleness, love, and humility. I'm certain Mother Teresa is interceding for Ms. Gaylor and others to have a change of heart about abortion. Let us pray that Ms. Gaylor will experience a "Norma McCorvey conversion."

Published by: Benjamin
Edmonton 01/29/2010 07:08 PM EST

As taken from Wikipedia regarding the late Dr. King. "Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement" On top of that quite of few other websites quite pointedly noted that Dr. King was a Baptist Minister. As the Postal Service stated, Mother Teresa is being honored for her humanitarian work; just like Dr. King was honored for what he did for civil-rights.

Published by: John
England 01/29/2010 06:20 PM EST

Sigh... This militant brand of atheism, that worships Dawkins and Hitchens (I can't say I'm surprised the most hostile atheists are from my country - England is not a Christian-friendly country), just want to ruin everything for everyone, don't they? What next? Will they want Christians to wear identification armbands in public?

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