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How much of our religious doctrines come from the consumption of psychotropic substances? I recall a theory that the author of Revelations may have been influenced by ergot in his rye bread but what do you think about the possibility of drugs influencing religious doctrines?

Surfpirate 9 Dec 3
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11 comments

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0

I think not. Blaming drugs for religion is an excuse to avoid recognizing that we humans are ignorant and fearful in most cases and that is the origin of religion.

1

More than a mere possibility imo, since smoking the seeds of the Hemp plant, using and smoking Opium as well ergot from tainted grains were well know in the times B.C.E.
For example, Macedonia Hemp seeds were a prize commodity in the Mediterranean-Middle East as was Opium.
The Pontifex Maximus, Head Augur of the Temple of Jupiter in Rome was required by the Laws written in the!2 Tables of Roman Law to 'imbibe' in both Opium and smoking Hemp seeds BEFORE giving Judgements, etc.
Cleopatra, the last Queen of Egypt, well known as an Opium Addict and a Hemp seeds smoker.

1

Revelations 13:17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, .... for identification

Some psychotropic substance can give a person a view that we are being restricted in capitalism slavery to have identification for taxation and government control?

Or, is it that because the message in Revelations uses higher intellectual understanding in use of metaphor and riddles that people of low intelligence does not understand and thinks the message is a bunch of doped up meaningless writings?

Word Level 8 Dec 4, 2020

Fe, Fi, Fo Fum - something wicked this way comes - - it's - - it's
Q-ANON! 😀

@Surfpirate yea, low intelligence not understanding.

1

In ancient times if you/your actions were schizo your were a PROPHET....nobody had any concept of anything else. Whether the psychosis came from chemical imbalances within or without is a moot question, no?

True, we still elect people with mental health conditions to this day. The departing POTUS is a classic narcissist and sociopath.

@linxminx 10 to 15 thousand years ago, humans were switching to farming away from tens of thousands of years as hunter gatherers. Eating grains is well known to exacerbate or trigger schizophrenic episodes in susceptible individuals. Gluten is a lectin, which is a sticky protein that plants evolved to protect themselves from predators. Lectins attack and "gum-up" many tissues including nerve tissue, so we could say that schizophrenia is plant's revenge. These lectins are also hugely involved in joint degeneration and dementia. The bible often sounds as if written by the demented. Ezekiel saw god in a cloud??? OK, I have real estate in Pango Pango. I HAD an evangelical friend who tried to use the Ezekiel card on for proof that god exists. Had to show her the door. A republican, BTW. How shocking.

1

Drugs are not new. A man once told me that alcohol is called "spirits" for a reason.

Drugs are older than humans in nature but alcohol doesn't really do the trick when it comes to religious doctrine, no doubt it is great for the after party though.

1

Those magic mushrooms can really affect the brain. I'm pretty sure the Author of Revelation had to have partaken of some kind of mushrooms....LOL

1

I think you are right about the author of Revelations. I remember watching a BBC documentary about it on BBC years ago. They reckoned the author had ingested magic mushrooms.

3

I would put that up at 100% that it had some influence, but not the only influence. It's well know that the oracle at Delphi would huff the volcano vent fumes, shamans use psychotropic substances (Nordic had mushrooms, AmeriIndian tribes in the SW used peyote, etc.).

3

Like anything else there's probably many different reasons.I personally think power grabbing and greed is the main reason.

7

Why blame drugs when simple mental illness can suffice? Not to say it didn't happen, but peoples brains not working right isn't a new phenomenon.

1of5 Level 8 Dec 3, 2020
3

It’s entirely possible. Anyone who has done PCP, acid, or mushrooms knows what hallucinogenics can do.

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