Drugs and Religion

Drugs and Religion

  • Submitted By: toast
  • Date Submitted: 11/29/2008 3:00 AM
  • Category: Social Issues
  • Words: 935
  • Page: 4
  • Views: 513

When Drugs and God Collide

In his book Cleansing the Doors of Perception, Huston Smith says “In his trial-and-error life explorations, peoples almost everywhere have stumbled upon connections…that induce dramatic alterations in consciousness.” People have been using plants, herbs, and chemicals to alter their state of mind. While in modern day many people are using it to escape reality or to have a good time, that was not always the way people looked at these substances. For all of history, past and present, people have been reaching out to the spirit world and achieving religious experiences from the use of drugs.

One of the well known drug-religion relationships I with the Native American tribes. This culture believes so strongly in the idea that mind altering substances help them get closer to God that their religion, technically known as The Native American Church, has come to be called the peyote religion. This hallucinogenic drug has been used for decades in religious ceremonies that include prayer, songs, and water rituals. This drug is not only believed by these people to bring healing, guidance and to communicate with the dead, but also to communicate with God. There is a strong belief that this drug personifies God and that Jesus being with them has a direct link to this drug. Without this drug they could not be one with Jesus, the closeness to God would not exist and they might not be able to experience the guidance or healing that God can provide. Quanah Parker, who is credited with adopting the use of peyote into their religion, believed so strongly that this drug was the connect between his people and God that he is quoted saying “The White Man goes into his church and talks about Jesus. The Indian goes into his Tipi and talks with Jesus.” This simple yet powerful quote fully explains how strongly the Native Americans believe in God having a connect with peyote. In a world where governments try to ban hallucinogenic drugs, this...

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