tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-527653137518453598.post5036850332150759953..comments2014-04-17T10:35:25.131-07:00Comments on Atheology: Notes and Drafts: Is UU missing the "new" New Atheist boat?Zachary Boshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381974131762307270noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-527653137518453598.post-30686631381110546372013-12-08T20:17:13.234-08:002013-12-08T20:17:13.234-08:00"Now, I know what he means, but the register ..."Now, I know what he means, but the register of this vocabulary seems to be a world removed from the science-infatuated, skeptically-inflected, irony-wrought idiolect of the new freethinkers. I can map his meaning onto my own ethical outlook, sure, but I fear I am not the typical case. For many more people among those he would be seeking to tell about UU, the ecclesiastical and vaguely supernaturalistic vocabulary of the UU tradition is likely to evoke a powerful response of suspicion and even disdain."<br /><br />That's some of the best analysis of this topic that I've read to date. Michael Werner wrote an entire book on the subject, but you nail it in a paragraph. As a Huumanist who shares some of the "we already exist" sentiment, it is nevertheless crystal clear that the New Atheist generation does not understand the language. The UUs come from a tradition of fierce intellectualism and loose and liberal use of theological language (that is also common in other liberal denominations and traditions), heavily influenced by the Ivy League theologians who intellectualized certain religious concepts -- chiefly the idea of "god" itself -- into symbols and non-supernatural frameworks of ethics etc. I've observed that some of the old-school folks are mildly frustrated and dismissive about the fact that the younger New Atheists don't understand what they're talking about. "Don't they know that I don't believe in that God either?" But they're so used to fluid spiritual language that they don't fully appreciate that many of the words we use in the UU realm, which very often do not mean to most people outside the UU realm what they mean inside of it ("sacred," "holy," "spirit," "faith,"), can be divisive and alienating.Ralph1Waldohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16201982282782288678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-527653137518453598.post-26099837197582173712013-12-08T20:14:15.942-08:002013-12-08T20:14:15.942-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Ralph1Waldohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16201982282782288678noreply@blogger.com