I do understand why atheist/humanist UUs feel very protective of their religious safe space.
I think I didn't express myself clearly. I have absolutely no problem with people not wanting elements of Christianity to be incorporated into UU services, or wanting those elements to be restricted to alternative services (for example, Christmas Eve). In particular, I think that Christian worship and/or the idea of "salvation" are hugely problematic in a UU context, although Christian stories or ideas may be acceptable if they are placed in a larger context by surrounding commentary.
When I said "what they want from religion is Not-Christianity" I was talking about people who don't have a positive vision of Unitarian-Universalism or a positive understanding of their own spiritual path. People who know and declaim about what they don't believe and don't want from church, without giving much thought to what they do believe and do want from church. If our view of UU begins and ends with "we don't have a creed, we don't worship God, we don't believe in sin or hell," then we're defining ourselves by absence, not by presence. And I think that leads to a shallow church experience.
no subject
I think I didn't express myself clearly. I have absolutely no problem with people not wanting elements of Christianity to be incorporated into UU services, or wanting those elements to be restricted to alternative services (for example, Christmas Eve). In particular, I think that Christian worship and/or the idea of "salvation" are hugely problematic in a UU context, although Christian stories or ideas may be acceptable if they are placed in a larger context by surrounding commentary.
When I said "what they want from religion is Not-Christianity" I was talking about people who don't have a positive vision of Unitarian-Universalism or a positive understanding of their own spiritual path. People who know and declaim about what they don't believe and don't want from church, without giving much thought to what they do believe and do want from church. If our view of UU begins and ends with "we don't have a creed, we don't worship God, we don't believe in sin or hell," then we're defining ourselves by absence, not by presence. And I think that leads to a shallow church experience.