Sep
22nd
Mon
22nd
Many times during the debate, Hitchens ranted (it’s not too strong a word; I was there) against religions. And just as often, Msgr. Albacete responded, “I couldn’t agree with you more.” What did Msgr. Albacete mean by that? He didn’t really spell it out in any detail, so let me try: Hitchens is upset at the moral and intellectual failings of the various religions, but he doesn’t realize that God is not really implicated in those failings. He is offended by the inadequacy of our attempts to outline God’s will — and especially at the lameness of the metaphors we use to describe Him. Finally, and ironically, what Hitchens is is not an atheist at all, but a Puritan — and I have good news for him: When he meets the real God, he will not be disappointed. He will not feel “oppressed” by a celestial “Big Brother;” he will find the one in whom we cannot rest “until we rest in thee” (to quote another famous person who converted). And he’ll finally have mercy on believers — we were, after all, doing our best.
