Do you believe drugs brings us closer to God?

[EyesSizeOfTheMoon]

I've always debated whether or not this could be true. I mean I've been under the influence of many substances and the one thing they all have in common to me is that feeling that everything is peaceful and right in the world. Like im in a heaven almost.

I always wonder that if certain drugs open a sort of portal to the brain where it allows us to get just a little taste of what God has in store for us ( if you believe in the whole heaven and hell story ). You always hear of people getting these realizations and spiritual experiences under the influence so it makes me wonder do drugs bring us closer to God? Ive read up on many different near death experiences where the person seems to always get the same exact feeling and vision. They say that every pain they had in there life physically and emotionally just completely vanishes and all they have left is the feeling of complete and utter peacefulness. And this uncontrollable sense of love and happiness for everything.

When I smoke a good strain of pot or take a really clean pill of ecstasy I get that same feeling that they're describing. I don't think about any of the problems I have in that moment and just appreciate life a little more. Whether it be the nature around me or the people in my life, even strangers. Even physically I just feel like im floating on clouds or something loool. So whats your opinion on this whether you're with or against this idea

 

[sirmoonie]

You presume a lot (like heaven is peaceful), and give drugs WAY too much credit. If they were a conduit to god, the Ten Commandments would have looked a lot different, and Sunday mornings around the globe would be a helluva lot more fun.

 

[EyesSizeOfTheMoon]

You presume a lot (like heaven is peaceful), and give drugs WAY too much credit. If they were a conduit to god, the Ten Commandments would have looked a lot different, and Sunday mornings around the globe would be a helluva lot more fun.

Lol well I didn't mean that god personally put this stuff here for us to be with him but like....idk alskhflsadg lol it was just a thought while I was high.
I mean if you think about it doesnt it seem that people become a lot more spiritual after using say a psychedelic drug then they were before.

I also kind of feel closer to nature. Like i know now why hippies were so passionate about keeping the earth safe after smoking some pot. because before I was just like what are these tree huggers talking about??? lol

 

[Bardeaux]

Psychedelics have definitely opened me up spiritually. I feel alot closer to my environment and my place in it. I'm still an atheist, or atleast a very skeptical agnostic but I can feel a deeper appreciation for my life and lifestyle compared to just a few years ago. Mainly I've been drifting further and further from traditional western values such as materialism and religious fervor, replacing them with a thirst for knowledge and understanding of myself and the universe.

Or maybe I'm just getting older

 

[CoffeeDrinker]

I think drugs can make it easier for someone to lower their normal inhibitions and experience life more freely with fewer artificial constraints imposed by society. I think they can free someone from the fear of being foolish, the fear of being different, and they can make people more "in the moment," which is a very important aspect of spirituality. I think that experimentation with altered states of mind is very helpful in the spiritual journey because it allows one to be humble and realize that there always exists a different point of view, even in light of the same set of facts. I think a reliance on drugs will almost invariably lead to delusional thinking, depression, and lots of other negative impacts on one's mindset, so there must always be a balance.

I think that one can get closer to god without the use of drugs at all, and I think that an overuse of drugs can set one back further than if they had never used in the first place.

 

[EyesSizeOfTheMoon]

I think drugs can make it easier for someone to lower their normal inhibitions and experience life more freely with fewer artificial constraints imposed by society. I think they can free someone from the fear of being foolish, the fear of being different, and they can make people more "in the moment," which is a very important aspect of spirituality. I think that experimentation with altered states of mind is very helpful in the spiritual journey because it allows one to be humble and realize that there always exists a different point of view, even in light of the same set of facts. I think a reliance on drugs will almost invariably lead to delusional thinking, depression, and lots of other negative impacts on one's mindset, so there must always be a balance.

I think that one can get closer to god without the use of drugs at all, and I think that an overuse of drugs can set one back further than if they had never used in the first place.

Definitely well put. Especially the inhibitions part because I feel I'm waaaay more confident in being myself than constantly worrying about what society thinks. Of course like everything else in life, drugs should have a balance or it'll lead to ones self-destruction

 

[Lysis]

I don't know how anyone can think that chemicals bring you closer to nature. I think people grasp for reasons that drugs are a good thing.

 

[JJ-180]

IMHO psychedelics do not express spirituality or expand the mind-they simply lower the threshold of criticality-"Wow, craaazy,man"- I am a Muslim and in Islam all intoxicants(khamr) are haraam- and before anyone asks, I never said I was a good Muslim.....

 

[n3ophy7e]

When I smoke a good strain of pot or take a really clean pill of ecstasy I get that same feeling that they're describing.

It is just the drugs releasing high levels of certain neurotransmitters in your brain which in turn makes you feel really really good. Plain and simple.
If you are a religious person, you can use those good feelings and clarity of mind (or whatever you experience) to further develop the strength of your faith.

I don't know how anyone can think that chemicals bring you closer to nature.

Hallucinogenics definitely bring me closer to nature. But it's a heightened appreciation thing, not anything to do with supernatural forces or making me a better person or anything like that.

 

[sjsheather]

Drugs and god get too much credit

Very nice point. Agreed. By their very nature, both drugs and god can only do some much for you, and most of it is entertainment value. Anything substantial in terms of progress must come from the individual, or the individual acting with those in close relationship.

Many people rely on drugs and/or god to an undue extent, and wind up in a worse state than they started.

 

[Bearlove]

Hallucinogenics definitely bring me closer to nature. But it's a heightened appreciation thing, not anything to do with supernatural forces or making me a better person or anything like that.

Home grown mushrooms really do it for me - having a walk around a park etc when your tripping off something you have grown and cared for from spores just really opens your eyes and makes you appreciate 'nature' in a different way. (tree hugging hippy :D)

 

[k.kat]

I think it depends on what drug you were on some would some wouldnt

 

[Jabberwocky]

no. as i have no god. plus if god does exist he's got hell in store for me.

all drugs do is make you realise that your brain can do a lot more than you think it can (ok they make you feel awesome too). so in some sense they bring you closer to yourself. as man is apparently the image of god, i guess getting insight into yourself is getting insight into god.

 

[Legerity]

I think that drugs allow us to experience levels of consciousness that are otherwise difficult or impossible to achieve. Some experiences are so beautiful that they seem to open us up spiritually and help us connect with others. Drug use can also have the opposite effect if abused, they can close our mind and limit or consciousness rather than expand it.

Psychedelic experiences can be so transcendent and insightful that it's difficult not to think that it is opening us up to something greater than our individual selves. I had an incredible Ayahuasca trip yesterday as part of a traditional church ceremony, and I have no doubt that these experiences offer more than just a fun time. Lots of people go into trances, shaking, dancing, etc. There does seem to some other "realm" that is being explored.There are so many insights that can then be brought into our lives so that the experience is not lost but actually changes who we are.

 

[HippieChick]

You presume a lot (like heaven is peaceful), and give drugs WAY too much credit. If they were a conduit to god, the Ten Commandments would have looked a lot different, and Sunday mornings around the globe would be a helluva lot more fun.

Amen! Pun intended.

 

[Sweet P]

I doubt it. I'm something between an agnostic and a deist. If there is a higher power or "god", I think it totally transcends our universe, doesn't answer prayers or give revelations, has no interest in our day-to-day lives, and can't really be known at all. Drugs just alter your state of consciousness.

 

[malakaix]

An experience is whatever you make of it, it's your 'choice' to give it meaning or none at all, like with anything in life.

 

[High Yogi]

I believe that this entire universe is one god expressing himself over and over again in various different forms and expressions. Part of his creation, and even him, are these natural and psychedelic substances which do exactly what they are suppose to do and that is to dissolve our ego, allowing us to get a glimpse of the lord that is. By consuming these substances(psilocybin and dmt) there is some sort of cosmic giggle because knowing is known in a certain peculiar, yet familiar fashion. When you realize that all is one, you are one even with the substance you consume, the experience you have and the things around you, a certain alignment takes place in the plane of consciousness.

 

[iPKNHRD]

. o .

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

Does a box full of tools bring one closer to a completed home improvement project? Depends what tools and who's using them.