The one thing Hitch doesn’t understand, Billy, [1] and apparently, you don’t either, is that a constant reexamination of the faith as part of the process. Indeed, such questioning is Biblically acknowledged, in Mark, I think.
Here’s the secret; That questioning process is one that all believers go through. such internal questioning, such internal battles, are the underlying theme of the relationship between Christ and his disciples, for example. Who among us, after all, doesn’t have self doubt? Frankly, it’s the ones that don’t go through the questioning process, that scare the cookies out of me.
Mind, we’re not just talking about religion, in that sense. I mean, I’m not trying to get preachy here, by any stretch of the imagination. But to expect that somebody could face what she did both in her personal and professional life and not have internal questions about her stance on life, and her faith is ludicrous. Fear and self doubt are natural, and indeed, frankly, they are among the largest motivators in human existence. Even Christ himself had them.
If you want this writ large, here you go;
Without such allowance for internal questioning, you end up with what we see in the Middle East currently… and unquestioning mob. Far as I’m concerned, even from the view of a nonbeliever, that allowance for questioning is a major difference between the two cultures that should not be so lightly discounted as Hitchens does.
Oh… and let’s also acknowledge, that Hitchens has his own reason for the vitriol he directs at the Church… reasons which would seem to stretch well beyond the boundies of logic.