Being intellectually honest about any holy writings (including the scriptures used by Christians) makes me admit that they are carefully preserved by religious bodies. Religious bodies are interested in ORTHODOXY. Most religious bodies insist that only the specially anointed can understand what is written in the holy books.
But being intellectually honest requires me to admit to the problem of finding myself surrounded by peoples' stories even before I know HOW to read. So my mind is tainted as soon as I understand words. Of course religion is famous for this.
But if inspite of all my confusion about how poorly formed my intellect may be, how susceptable to delusion I am as a result, what happens if I have a personal event that is without peer and is of a category that demands acknowledgement--at least by myself. BUT the event is so at odds with my community's way of interpreting or "storying it" that my experience is rejected and I too am rejected. Aren't I forced to meet the issue of intellectual honesty in a whole new way?
Just because what occurred doesn't fit into any previous story line that I had been taught shouldn't I tell the truth as I knew it? Doesn't intellectual honesty at least require that I tell what happened even though I can't avoid using the story-words I learned from childhood?
The story of the man blind from birth who is healed by Jesus illustrates this point.
The blind man in John 8 did not know who healed him and he didn't know his healing would cause so much trouble. He just maintained the obvious--that he had been supernaturally healed . The healed man was thrown out of his religious community because he used the langusge of his community saying that the healing must have been done by a man of God. Since the event didn't fit the orthodox picture of truth as the religious leaders told it, the healed man was thrown away his testimony deemed worthless.
When the experience of the blind man is someone's own experience, intellectually honestly must be matched by humility. It may be painful to know that a wonderful event will get you a reputation for being delusional or a liar, but shouldn't you hold that ground? Not to say you have to convince anyone else of it or make a new cult about it. But shouldn't you NOT LIE about it?
Anybody have that problem?