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Does Any Religion Require Us to be Intellectually Honest?
- Thread starter Sunstone
- Start date
bicker
Unitarian Universalist
As I indicated on one of your other threads about intelligence, I think people get vacuously bogged down in word usage, sometimes, so stated as pithily as you have stated your question, I suspect that practically every religion will claim that they require intellectual honesty, and in doing so, provide no real illumination of any value, but rather simply provide a ready-source for launching assaults on that perspective based solely on the obvious, ever-present differences regarding the underlying theologies of the proponent and opponent.
Having said that, UU affirms and promotes, "a free and responsible search for truth and meaning", and specifically calls for us to "heed the guidance of reason and the results of science". Essentially, this can legitimately be put forward as a requirement for intellectual honesty in matters of faith, though no one else is required to accept the premise, the assertion, nor its relevance to the question.
Having said that, UU affirms and promotes, "a free and responsible search for truth and meaning", and specifically calls for us to "heed the guidance of reason and the results of science". Essentially, this can legitimately be put forward as a requirement for intellectual honesty in matters of faith, though no one else is required to accept the premise, the assertion, nor its relevance to the question.
Any religion worth respecting does. It almost goes without saying.
YmirGF
Bodhisattva in Recovery
And because of this, I would have to say, "No. There is no religious that currently requires followers to be intellectually honest, as that is why they rely on faith."
Well, that IS a common enough distortion, I will readily grant that.
But it is still an unfair assessment of what religion is all about.
But it is still an unfair assessment of what religion is all about.
While you certainly don't need to be intellectual to be a theist, I don't know of any faith that requires us to be stupid/ignorant either. 
While you certainly don't need to be intellectual to be a theist, I don't know of any faith that requires us to be stupid/ignorant either.
True enough, Christine, but the matter at hand is honesty, not ignorance.
The key words are "typically", and probably "religion" as well.
I've noticed that even many theists have a low opinion of religion, for all the wrong reasons. Apparently so many people have used it as an excuse for power games and irresponsible acts that the real meaning of the word has been lost in general use.
Myself, I want to clarify and separate the matters. Religion is not mindless lack of discernment any more than politics is corruption.
chinu
chinu
No
Who said it does?
Gaura Priya
IRL
The only religion I can think of is Unitarian Universalism, simply because it is the only religion that I know of that has an honest history of itself, and allows for individual and personal critique of other religions, and even its own in itself, in order for one to make sense of the world.
After all, religion served, to me anyways, a utilitarian function in many societies, and since then we have evolved enough to see that our former beliefs in many things incredible no longer have to be part of one's thoughts to be religious. We are allowed the freedom to believe, to question, and to doubt without the repercussions of shunning or anathema prominent in many religious traditions.
Intellectual honesty does not give spiritual honesty, and spritual honesty is had only by the power and light of the Holy Spirit.
YmirGF
Bodhisattva in Recovery
Now that is almost an instant classic. "Intellectual honesty does not give spiritual honesty" :biglaugh:
:biglaugh:
James.williamson.3
Member
Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: It transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural and spritual; and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity. -Albert Einstein
If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism. -Albert Einstein
Buddhists must be intellectuality honest with them selves to examine their own faults and desires in order to transcend them.
Please note that while there may be some branches of Buddhism that see Buddha As a Deity I am speaking of the Atheistic/Agnostic Branches of Buddhism.
If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism. -Albert Einstein
Buddhists must be intellectuality honest with them selves to examine their own faults and desires in order to transcend them.
Please note that while there may be some branches of Buddhism that see Buddha As a Deity I am speaking of the Atheistic/Agnostic Branches of Buddhism.
waitasec
Veteran Member
Now that is almost an instant classic. "Intellectual honesty does not give spiritual honesty" :biglaugh:
the things the "spiritually honest" say...