"But religion does provide access to a community that transcends space and time," he said.

Audience members came to see McLennan for a variety of reasons, but most felt that his ideas are particularly relevant today and to them personally.

"Eighty percent of the members of my church grew up Catholic," said Ken Mattsson of Cambridge, a member of the Arlington Street Unitarian Church. "But the institution where they grew up was too stifling."

"I'm 55 and most of the people my age are dealing with what he's talking about," said Kali P. Lightfoot, who added that she feels traditional religions do not support women.

Panelist Laura Nash, director of the Institute for Value-Centered Leadership, poked fun at the tiresome stories of individuals who had found religion, praising McLennan for having created an interesting narrative of the religious experience.

"There's a lot of searching out there, and unfortunately most of it has been put in print," she said.

At the reception and signing after the panel, an hors d'oeurves table featured papadamas and matzoh bread.

The panel had been publicized in the Boston Globe and Harvard Gazette, and the divinity school fielded over 80 calls asking about it in the last few days, according to Nancy E. Nienhuis, the school's program coordinator.