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Did psychedelics reinforce or change your religious thoughts?

slyvan wanderer

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Did psychadelics reinforced or changed your religious thoughts?

Did psychadelics reinforced or changed your religious thoughts?


Such as if you were critical of organized religion, psychadelics reinforced this or if your were a devout Christian (and did take them), did they reinforce faith in Christianity?
 
Pot and alcohol have had little effect on my metaphysical beliefs. Shrooms and e are a very different story. Both of these substances made me realize that I was completely missing the point of religion, and in fact, so are most people who fancy themselves pious.

I now see that religion is only a training exercise for the mind. The rites and rituals have no intrinsic value. There is no angel with a clipboard and a checklist, watching our every move in church and awarding points to those who run through the rigamarole most accurately. No, the truly wise church- or templegoer realizes that the real goal is the temperance, patience, quiet heart, feelings of awe, and tightly bonded communities that such disciplines foster. The chanting, recitation, sitting, standing, and processing are nothing but smoke screens. Once this realization is made, these virtues can be aimed for by ANY means, and the religious rites are not needed anymore. I remember thinking on shrooms one time that it's a shame so many religious people get lost in the hall of mirrors which is religious dogma. It's like buying a ticket, but then framing it on your wall instead of using it to gain admission to an awesome show.

I've also come to realize, while rolling, that God is a process and an event, rather than an entity. Like fire, in a way. I came to realize that God is an emergent property of human intelligence. God is nothing more than the vibes and actions generated whenever two or more sentient beings gather to be compassionate towards one another. Whoever said "God is Love" was pretty much spot on. In light of this, thought I, it's absolutely ludicrous to fight over/for God. God can't be fought for any more than a fire can be made with water.

So yes, in short, I've made some profound realizations about religion and spirituality while on drugs.
 
Psychedelics have had a huge impact on my thoughts around religion. Before tripping, I was a die hard athiest, a victim of dogmatic secularism. psychedelics have allowed me to think about the world in a much more relativistic fashion, and appreciate that their is such a thing as religious experience (Though it's not the superficial crap your fed at church). Psychedelics have transformed me from an athiest to an agnostic.
 
I would say that my partying experiences have both expanded my mind and the type of people that I associate with...many of them open minded and diverse in their thoughts & ideas. The combination of the two has definitely had an affect on the development of my spirutal self. I've always believed in a higher power (wasn't sure what) but now I can say that I resonate well with Taoist & Buddhist beliefs. I still don't tie myself too much to either though. Always reading to expand my horizons. I'm currently doing some reading on the connection between spirituality & science. Interesting stuff.
 
I realized that being an atheist is *almost* as stupid as being a religous zealot. Definetly turned me into an agnostic, and gave me a much better sense of what God would be if indeed there is a God. Once I realized that it would be possible for a God to exist that did not fit in with any of the major religions I was much more open to the idea. I realized that my major problem was not with God, but with religion. As MyDoorsAreOpen said, most "religous" people miss the point of God entirely. I feel that psychedelics have shown me how to live a life that a God would consider worthwhile.
 
I've taken lots of acid, salvia, mushies and all that. They have reinforced my beliefs that drugs are the work of Satan. Even before I was Christian, I could feel the evil, though it sure was fun!

Who's seen that John Safron vs God episode where he's exorcised? The exorcist was saying that drugs allow demons to enter you, I definatley concur. John Safron sure had a lot of demons!
 
MyDoorsAreOpen said:
Pot and alcohol have had little effect on my metaphysical beliefs. Shrooms and e are a very different story. Both of these substances made me realize that I was completely missing the point of religion, and in fact, so are most people who fancy themselves pious.

I now see that religion is only a training exercise for the mind. The rites and rituals have no intrinsic value. There is no angel with a clipboard and a checklist, watching our every move in church and awarding points to those who run through the rigamarole most accurately. No, the truly wise church- or templegoer realizes that the real goal is the temperance, patience, quiet heart, feelings of awe, and tightly bonded communities that such disciplines foster. The chanting, recitation, sitting, standing, and processing are nothing but smoke screens. Once this realization is made, these virtues can be aimed for by ANY means, and the religious rites are not needed anymore. I remember thinking on shrooms one time that it's a shame so many religious people get lost in the hall of mirrors which is religious dogma. It's like buying a ticket, but then framing it on your wall instead of using it to gain admission to an awesome show.

I've also come to realize, while rolling, that God is a process and an event, rather than an entity. Like fire, in a way. I came to realize that God is an emergent property of human intelligence. God is nothing more than the vibes and actions generated whenever two or more sentient beings gather to be compassionate towards one another. Whoever said "God is Love" was pretty much spot on. In light of this, thought I, it's absolutely ludicrous to fight over/for God. God can't be fought for any more than a fire can be made with water.

So yes, in short, I've made some profound realizations about religion and spirituality while on drugs.

You and I think extremely alike.
 
Christian Soldier said:
I've taken lots of acid, salvia, mushies and all that. They have reinforced my beliefs that drugs are the work of Satan. Even before I was Christian, I could feel the evil, though it sure was fun!

Who's seen that John Safron vs God episode where he's exorcised? The exorcist was saying that drugs allow demons to enter you, I definatley concur. John Safron sure had a lot of demons!

I am dense...are you serious?
 
Use of shrooms, dxm and marijuana i feel has had a significant impact on the way i look at life. I used to be an atheist without giving it a lot of thought, just didn't believe in anything had no proof to me. But now I appreciate what it means to feel religious and then realized the details don't really matter(much like MDAO said).
 
slyvan wanderer: Why did you start this thread if your just going to mock someone who gives you an answer? I would never do the same no matter how ridiculous or laughable I thought your beliefs were.

Anyway sylvan lets hear your reply...

Did psychadelics reinforced or changed your religious thoughts?
 
I feel the same way as CS. Taking LSD and Shrooms only deepend my faith in Christianity. It also deepend my knowledge of evil mind fuckery.
 
i first tried LSD when i was 20. i'm not sure if it was my age, the people i was hanging around, or the LSD that brought on my bitterness towards God. it did happen tho at exactly the same week i did LSD tho. i suddenly had this attitude:

"who the fuck is God to tell me i have to believe in him?"
and
"oh nice choice there God. either believe in you and go to heaven or not believe in you and go to hell. yea .. thanks alot!"
i developed such a bitterness towards the authority that God represented. i wanted to think that if there was an actual hell that i wasn't going to go there if i died, however.

then when i was 22 years old i got saved. i completely changed. it really was like i was blinded before but after i became a christian i could see. i went through a several years, about 8 years of no drugs and growing in faith as a christian.
then...
i did drugs again.
i did ecstasy, i did some lsd again too and shrooms.

to me, the drugs were not really a spiritual experience at all. i have read trip reports and how people have these spiritual experiences and awakenings or spiritual growth or break throughs.
the times i took drugs after i became a christian weren't spiritually enlightening whatsoever. they were more just a physical experience;feeling the physical effects of the drug in my body.

hey Christian Soldier: i dont believe that a person can be posessed with an evil spirit after the Holy Spirit endwells them. they can be opressed, but i dont think they can be posessed like a nonchristian can be.
 
hey Christian Soldier: i dont believe that a person can be posessed with an evil spirit after the Holy Spirit endwells them. they can be opressed, but i dont think they can be posessed like a nonchristian can be.

Yeah that's true, I'll find the scripture quote in a few minutes.
 
hey the more i muse over this question, the more i dont even think it's possible? i dunno, but can drugs reinforce ones faith in God? when i think of something reinforcing my faith in God i think of times when i've prayed and God has answered my prayers. or times when i've lived disobedient to God and my life was unpeaceful.

i guess it's reinforcing in that psychadelics do not provide a since of spiritual fulfillment because that part of me is already spoken for. it belongs to God.
 
The chanting, recitation, sitting, standing, and processing are nothing but smoke screens.
Smokescreens, sure.

Maybe they're actually the good part. Old dead Yawheh might be stinking up the place but it doesn't mean we can't enjoy the candles or stained glass.
 
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