lilithu
The Devil's Advocate
Who's sacred cow? A lot of UUs don't believe in universal salvation. (I do, but a lot don't.)If you really want to go after a sacred cow, you might challenge the concept of universalism.
Hosea Ballou argued that every gets into heaven right after death, but many subsequent Universalists argued that, for the sake of justice, there was a period of atonement first. So the Muslim view is really not that different. And if atonement means working off past karma, the Hindu view is not all that different either.You can start with the universalist assumption that a loving god wouldn't condemn anyone to an eternal hell but still reach conclusions other than universal salvation. If the hindus are correct, the we get to do it all over and over (and over and over) again until we get it right. If the muslims are correct, the unjust go to hell for atonement, but not permanent punishment; eventually merciful allah permits them to enter heaven.
I don't see universalism as saying "everyone gets into heaven." (Since I don't believe in an afterlife, that interpretation wouldn't make much sense.) I see universalism as saying that there is no one that is beyond redemption. Whoever you are, no matter what you've done, if you wish to make amends and be in right relations again, then you can start. It doesn't happen right away. But it's never too late to start.
I also see universalism as saying that whatever conception of "heaven" that we have, it must include everyone. There has to be room for everyone, even the people with whom we disagree, even the people who have been unkind, unjust. This is something that many people, including those who consider themselves liberal, cannot accept. Like I said, not all UUs are universalists. Many are not. Imo, universalism, if taken seriously, is by far more radical than unitarianism.