Which was first: Atheism or Religion?

[GrandizerII]

Precisely. One side is about intellectual honesty despite one's biases, the other side is about strongly conforming to one's biases.

I think accusations of dishonesty are going too far. There are definitely powerful experiences that could be called religious, and there is enough consistency in them for them to be meaningfully discussed by religious or spiritual people.

I'm of the thought that honesty/dishonesty comes in various forms. by adding intellectual before "honesty", I am specifying exactly what form of honesty I am referring to. It is not in contrast with that conscious practical form of dishonesty where you are telling a lie and you know it. It is in contrast with not acknowledging one's own biases and, therefore, continuing to go along with them as the basis for what to believe.

For the record, I was a Christian myself at one point and had my share of religious experiences as well. It was not insincere, but I was, in a way, lying to myself regardless.