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An "expert witness" can be defined as: A witness, who by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience, is believed to have knowledge in a particular subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon the witness's specialized (scientific, technical or other) opinion about an evidence or fact issue within the scope of their expertise, referred to as the expert opinion, as an assistance to the fact-finder.

According to God's testimony-- as an expert witness in all matters pertaining to Christianity --people lacking eternal life are lacking it because they lack God's son; in other words: they are quite christless; and His testimony applies to Christians as well as non Christians.

†. 1John 5:11-12 . . This is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His son. So whoever has God's son has this life; and whosoever does not have this life, does not have His son.

How many christless Christians am I talking about? Well, for starters: as of 2014 there were approximately 1.226 billion Roman Catholics worldwide who were taught that nobody, not even the Pope, obtains eternal life until they pass on. Well, if 1John 5:11-12 is true-- viz: if God knows what He's talking about --then all 1.226 billion of those Catholics in 2014 were christless. And that was a very serious situation.

†. Rom 8:9 . . Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ.

This means that every time a Catholic in 2014 said: "the Lord is my shepherd" they were saying something about themselves that wasn't true.

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Teresa was uncommonly perceptive. She was somehow aware that the place in her soul for God was blank, that there was no God in her; and that He was not there. I dare say most Christians don't know, nor do they care to know: preferring instead to leave it up in the air and wait to find out later on down the road at the great white throne event depicted at Rev 20:11-15. But it is God's wishes that each individual Christian take the initiative to certify the presence of Christ in their souls now instead of waiting till later.

†. 2Cor 13:5 . . Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? --unless, of course, you fail the test.

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Here's a supernatural aspect of Christianity that isn't talked about much.

†. Rom 8:15 . . For you have not received a spirit of slavery again to fear; but you have received a spirit of adoption, whereby we call out: Abba, Father!

Abba is an Aramaic word. It refers to one's male parent but not as an ordinary noun. It's a filial vocative.

For example: When my son points me out to one of his friends and says "That's my dad over there." he's not using dad as a vocative. But when he shouts "Hey dad, I'm over here!" then he's using dad to get my attention. That's a vocative.

Rom 8:15 is saying that the spirit of adoption compels "we" to call out to a father rather than a mother. So then, people who feel compelled to call out to Jesus' mom instead of his Father, are not the Father's children because the spirit of adoption would never compel them to do that.

The spirit of adoption, as it turns out, is the spirit of God's son.

†. Gal 4:6 . . As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of His son into our hearts, crying out: Abba, Father!

The spirit of His son compels the Father's children to pray to Jesus' Father, never to his mother because Jesus was not in the habit of praying to his mother; rather, he prayed to his Father. So then, people compelled by the spirit of His son will address their prayers to Jesus' Father same as he did, and this is the "proof that you are children". Ergo: people in the habit of praying to Jesus' mom evidence the fact that they are not the Father's children.

What does that tell us about Mother Teresa and her devotion to Jesus' mother? Well obviously the reason she was in the habit of addressing prayers to Mary was because she didn't have the spirit of His son in her heart; and Teresa knew it too.

"The place of God in my soul is blank-- There is no God in me-- He is not there-- God does not want me"

People lacking the spirit of His son are not His son's sheep.

†. Rom 8:9 . . If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

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Critics like Christopher Hitchens typically focus upon Teresa's missionary practices. Well; in my opinion, a focus in that direction is entertaining but not all that useful in a study of Christianity. I chose to focus upon the supernatural aspects of Teresa's religion instead because it's the supernatural aspects that matter the most; for example:

†. John 14:23 . . Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

Did Jesus and his Father make their dwelling with Teresa and express their love for her in ways she could understand and appreciate? No; that poor woman endured virtually five decades yearning for even the slightest glimmer of their presence.

And then there's this too:

†. 1John 1:3 . .What we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with His son, Jesus Christ.

Teresa's fellowship with the Father and with His son Jesus Christ wasn't even marginal; it was non-existent.

And these:

†. John 14:16-18 . . I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

†. Rom 8:16 . .The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Teresa longed and longed for a connect with Christ and his Father in the manner described in those two passages but it never happened; which gives me a strong reason to suspect that Teresa didn't make it to safety when she passed on.

†. Rom 8:9 . . You are in the Spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

Now, of course an irreligious critic like Hitchens wouldn't be interested in the supernatural aspects of Teresa's religion because it's all just myth and hocus pocus to guys like him. But those of us serious about connecting with Christ and his Father would quite naturally be very interested because in the backs of our minds we all fear the event depicted at Rev 20:11-15 and the possibility of facing death akin to a foundry worker falling into a vat of molten iron.

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When Steve Jobs expired in 2011, Apple fans the world over mourned his passing. But the reality is: they didn't mourn Jobs because relatively few people were ever close enough to him to know the kind of man he was. No, the world mourned the loss of an iconic image rather than a man. But even though the truth about Jobs' despicable personality is now widely known, people still admire him regardless because to despise Jobs is to despise innovation, and the iPhone, the iPad, and the iPod-- who in their right mind could possibly despise any of that?

It's the same with Mother Teresa. Relatively few people were ever close enough to know her mind the way it really was. But even though the truth about Teresa's deplorable spiritual condition is now widely available, people still think she's the cat's meow among Christian missionaries due to her power over their minds as an iconic image; much the same way that Che Guevara has become a cultural symbol for every kind of rebellion imaginable in spite of his Marxist politics.

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Were I a seminary professor, I would make Teresa a mandatory subject for aspiring missionaries; but not as a role model; rather, as an example of going about a right thing in a wrong way: primarily to emphasize that the one thing you do not want to do is go out on the mission field before being very certain that Christ has not only called you, but will also partnership you.

There was a point in Paul's missionary journeys when he wanted to go to a region called Bithynia; but God stopped him (Acts 16:7). Had Paul pressed on independently, without God's approval, he would have been grossly insubordinate in spite of the fact that it is Christ's wishes that his message be spread abroad throughout the whole world in accordance with Matt 28:18-20.

There was nothing intrinsically wrong with Teresa's ambition to be a missionary. Her wrong was in going it alone after once she realized that Christ was not in it with her. Bottom line is: What Teresa did in India, she did not do in faith; rather, she did it independently by sheer force of will.

If you've done any background on her, then I don't have to tell you that Teresa was a little bulldog. Once she set her mind to a task, Teresa was a D-9 Caterpillar tractor and not easily deterred once she put things in gear.

Teresa's personality is neither rare nor unusual. All the really great achievers are just like her; and known for persisting in the face of adversity, ill health, and overwhelming personal problems. Nobody ever got rich by a half-hearted effort, nobody ever got to the moon by a half-hearted effort, and nobody ever climbed Mt. Everest by a half-hearted effort. The old saying; No Pain-No Gain, is still true whether you're struggling with your weight, your career, your finances, the 100 meter backstroke, investing, or organizing a neighborhood watch.

An outstanding example of the "Mother Teresa" attitude is found in US Navy SEALS. They are a breed of men who absolutely refuse to be beaten . . at anything. I once heard an ex-SEAL say, that if a group of SEALs were playing hop-scotch, it would soon turn violent because they don't like to lose.

At first, Teresa was confident that Christ wanted her in India; but it wasn't long before she began to realize that he was not in it with her. However, she stuck it out anyway because Teresa was tough, and she was determined to fulfill her dream. But it is not God's wishes that Christ's followers serve him in the strength of a Navy SEAL; rather, in the weakness, and the meekness, of a slave's mentality.

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†. Heb 11:6 . .Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that He exists

The word "must" indicates an essential requirement.

The word "impossible" indicates something that simply cannot be done; viz: there's no way around it.

Seeing as how Teresa was never really convinced there's a God out there, then nothing she did during the whole fifty years abroad as a missionary pleased God; viz: as a spiritual journey, none of it counted.

Teresa complained of being abandoned by Christ and referred to him as "the absent one". She also complained that "the place of God in my soul is blank-- there is no God in me" and "I am told God loves me; and yet the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul."

That right there tells me Teresa was grossly insubordinate.

†. John 14:18 . . I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

†. John 14:23 . . Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

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†. John 5:24 . . Amen, amen, I say to you: whoever hears my word, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.

†. Heb 11:6 . .Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that He exists

According to Teresa's private letters; written to spiritual counselors during her five decades in India, she was never really sure there's a God out there.

Teresa's deplorable spiritual condition is shocking, and very difficult to believe, but it's a matter of public record now in a book called:

Mother Teresa / Come Be My Light
The Private Writings of the "Saint of Calcutta"
Edited with commentary by Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C.
ISBN 978-0-385-52037-9

Father Kolodiejchuk is not one of Teresa's enemies. When the book was published, he was director of the Mother Teresa Center and a postulator for her sainthood.

In reality Teresa was an agnostic; which can be defined as a person who does not have a definite belief about whether God exists or not.

Well; according to John 5:24 and Heb 11:6, agnostics should prepare themselves for the worst when they cross over to the other side. I've no doubt Rome's theologians know this but went ahead and canonized her anyway.