According to the forum’s hosts, Newsweek editor Jon Meacham and Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn, religion riles its vilifiers when it makes truth claims without evidence — at least evidence that would hold up in a court of science. The conflict seems to stem from a difference in understanding as to what evidence and truth truly are. This discrepancy of perspective was clear in a statement made by Monsignor Albacete: “Religion is a different form of knowledge that has its own evidence.” “The credibility of the gospels is crucial,” he said. “Faith without evidence: I don’t know what that is.” When rattling off his gripes with religion during the question-and-answer session, Hitchens argued that believers seem to love God out of a requirement, not out of freedom. “The compulsory love of someone you must fear is something of a celestial North Korea,” said Hitchens. But Monsignor Albacete discovers truth in religion’s ability to connect with his daily life. “If I can’t relate doctrine to why I care about what I care, then it is all just theoretical matter and you can substitute the Great Lizard for Christ for all I care.” Humans have always tried to find patterns and explanations for why things are the way they are. And religion can provide a relevant avenue for doing so, just as science does.
