Psychedelics have garnered a rather negative stigma in the past decades due to their widespread use in the 70s and the resulting war on drugs. The DEA, having designated most psychedelics as Schedule I drugs, sent the implicit message that psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca are dangerous substances with no beneficial uses. This paper confronts that notion and claims that psychedelics do a have a proper role to play in human spirituality and religious experience. Psychedelics can play an integral role in helping people find meaning in their lives through therapeutic and mystical experience. The terms “mystical” and “meaning” are vague, but we can define them as follows. Mystical experiences are rare moments of self transcendence …show more content…
It is no wonder that only 53% of the American population is satisfied with organized religion, and the category Spiritual but not Religious has seen tremendous growth in American demographics in the last decade. It seems as though religion is failing to provide something meaningful that people look for in religion. Before I continue, it is important to delineate what exactly I mean by religion, and more importantly, what religion ought to provide. Religion, as defined by psychologist Joseph Gaither Pratt is any system of beliefs and worship that provide a combination of four things: a means of self transcendence through mystical experience, a system of beliefs that explains the nature of reality and our place in that reality, a system of moral beliefs for the individual and community, and a set of traditions and mythologies that provide a cultural context. It is the combination of these four things that lay the foundation for a sense of meaning in peoples lives. The problem is that traditional religions can no longer provide these four things adequately in a modern context. Because of this we see the increasing secularization of modern …show more content…
However, mystical experience is only one of three components of religion. Since this paper only focuses on the mystical and aspect of religion, it cannot provide a full account of how to resolve the void left by traditional religions in modern society. However, the fruits of science and rational inquiry can partly fill the void. Physics and biology can potentially answer ultimate questions pertaining to the nature of reality and how humans came into existence. Likewise, rational moral philosophy alongside social psychology and neuroscience are modern tools at our disposal to tackle the complex ethical problems of a age. Lastly, the cultural context religion provided in centuries past has taken a backseat to social media, TV, pop culture, and consumerism in the developed world. It seems as though the three aspects of religion not addressed in the paper directly could be elaborated successfully. However, as we discussed, religion should also as a whole provide a sense of meaning in life, and this is where psychedelics can come into
Erika Dyck provides the reader and interesting view of early historical psychological research on LSD, lysergic acid diethyl-amide. This book is composed of Dyck’s scientific interpretation and dissection of earlier psychedelic psychiatry research by Humphry Osmond, and Abraham Hoffer. A Swiss biochemist named Albert Hofmann dissolved a minimal amount of d-lysergic acid diethyl-amide in a glass of water and digested this new synthetic drug in April 1943. Three hours later he begins to feel dizzy and his vision was distorted. Hofmann recollects this as a surreal journey as if what he saw was created by the famous paintings of Salvador Dali unexplained carnivalesque or at some moments even nightmarish hallucinations. The drug began gaining support from pharmaceutical companies as something that can possibly be beneficial for future scientific study. Saskatchewan soon became one of the epicenters harvesting break through biochemical innovation and experimentation with LSD from the 1950s to 1960s.
Boyer, B., Boyer, R., & Basehart, H. 1973. Hallucinogens and Shamanism M. Hamer, Ed.. England: Oxford University Press.
LSD has proved that the mind contains much higher powers and energies, beyond the average10% of the brain that a typical human uses. These powers and energies, under the right circumstances, can be taken advantage of to benefit human kind spiritually, creatively, therapeutically, and intellectually. LSD has given human kind the option to chemically trigger mental energies and powers. Arguments that LSD is potentially a dangerous discovery and mind control should be strictly prohibited by the government holds much validity, although there are benefits and arguments of personal freedom of neurology to consider. Whether LSD reflects negativity as a weapon and mind control drug, or radiates euphoria as a mind-expanding chemical and sacrament, the choice to engage in such an experience should be through personal reasoning. It is not the states and other bureaucracies’ duties to take control of the human brain and body.
Psychedelic drugs affect more then creativity, they are also known to have the ability to increase the users sense of spirituality and religion. In the academic journal, “Voice of The Psychonauts,” author Levente Moro explores the correlation between spirituality, and psychedelic drug use. He claims that when psychedelic drugs are taken in a “supportive” environment they have the ability to induce “deeply meaningful religious revelations and spiritual awakenings” (Moro et al. 190). Psychedelic drug use in hopes of spiritual revelations is not new, and has actually been going on for hundreds of years. The Native American Church has been known to traditionally use psychedelic drugs for spiritual experiences (Moro et al. 190). Some Mexican tribes are also known to ingest psilocybin mushrooms in order to induce religious awakenings (Moro et al. 190). To further prove his argument, Levente Moro conducted an online survey amongst 667 random people. His results suggested that people still take psychedelic drugs in order to have religious experiences, even though it is looked down upon in certain religious groups (Moro et al. 195). Levente Moro is not the only one interested in psychedelic drugs and religion. Many other scientists have also examined this theory. In the article, “Values and Beliefs of Psychedelic Drug Users,” author Michael Lerner also discusses the relationship between psychedelic drug use and spirituality. Lerner also believes that when psychedelic drugs are taken with the correct mindset, they have the ability to increase ones sense of religion. In order to test his theory, Michael Lerner had 183 volunteers fill out a questionnaire. Even though he conducted the survey amongst people from all over the world...
The Peruvian Amazon is widely known to be home to both many species of plants with hallucinogenic properties and a handful of indigenous tribes that inhabit the surrounding forest. An example for each of these, respectively, are the admixtures of ayahuasca and the people of the Urarina nation. Being a small society of just a couple thousand, the Urarina focus on hunting and horticulture. Their foraging for consumable Amazonian plants eventually led those with shamanic powers to discover the spiritual uses of various plants in the environment, resulting in their incorporation into religious practices within the society. To this day ayahuasca shamanism remains an integral practice within the indigenous Urarina society as the main medium for medicinal
Rituals are stylized, prescribed patterns of behaviour surrounding the use of drugs. They have to do with procuring the drug, administration of the drug, selecting the physical and social settings for use, activities undertaken after administration and ways of preventing unwanted drug effects. The frequently used maxim for psychedelics, “use in a good place at a good time with good people,” is an example of this. Two rituals that are in harmony with the maxim are the selection of a pleasant rural setting for psychedelic use and the timing of use to avoid driving while ‘tripping.’
Religion is considered as a pervasive force in this world. It shapes people as to how they behave and interact with almost everything present in the society. Influencing behavior, character formations, ideals, policies, standards are just among the dimensions and societal perspectives affected and impacted by religion. Because of these applications and implications in human lives and existence, religion should be understood deeply, particularly, on how it affects the world. Looking at the American perspective of the term "religion," it could be simply
“Of all the Buddhist groups in America, those focusing on meditation have been most attractive to young people from the drug scene, and it is these groups that have taken the strongest stand against drug use. The psychological literature as well as the literature on Zen abounds in descriptions of the altered states of consciousness experienced under the influence of LSD-25 and other hallucinogenic drugs. Descriptions of these drug-induced states often compare them with the experience of satori or enlightenment which may result from Buddhist meditation. Frequently the opinion is expressed that, under certain circumstances, the LSD experience is a satori experience. ”
A largely debated topic in today's society is whether or not psychedelic drugs should be legalized for medicinal purposes and if they should, how this legalization would affect the communities in which they’re being prominently medicinally used. Although many scientists have argued that psychedelics pose a mental health risk, closer examination shows that communities would have a significantly lower depression rate if certain psychedelics were legalized. Now to fully understand how psychedelics could be beneficial or the opposite thereof, you’ll need to understand how they work and what they are. What a psychedelic drug is, the immediate effects, both mentally and physically, and how communities might benefit and function with the sudden use of these drugs.
Religion is an ever-growing idea that has no set date of origin. Throughout history religion has served as an answer to the questions that man could not resolve. The word religion is derived from the Latin word “religio” meaning restraint in collaboration with the Greek word “relegere” which means to repeat or to read again. Religion is currently defined as an organized system of beliefs and practices revolving around, or leading to, a transcendent spiritual experience. Throughout time, there has yet to be a culture that lacks a religion of some form, whether it is a branch of paganism, a mythological based religion or mono/polytheistic religion. Many religions have been forgotten due to the fact that they were ethnic religions and globalizing religions were fighting to be recognized, annihilating these ancient and ethnic religions. Some of these faiths include: Finnish Paganism, Atenism, Minoan Religion, Mithraism, Manichaeism, Vedism, Zoroastrianism, Asatru, and the Olmec Religion. Religion is an imperative part of our contemporary world but mod...
Although in the modern world such drugs have developed an almost taboo status, it is impossible to ignore the tales of enlightenment reported by ancient cultures and even those rebels that use such drugs illegally today. While the American government has been one of the main influences on today’s society’s negative attitudes towards psychedelic drugs, they have granted some scientist and psychologists permission to experiment with such agents, and despite the controversy and varying results there seem to be many positive uses of psychedelic agents. These positive uses and the research that has been directed toward these uses will be reviewed in the following, as well as a brief history of psychedelic drugs.
In Introducing Philosophy of Religion, Chad Meister asserts “there are several components (that) seem to be central to the world religion: a system of beliefs, the breaking in of a transcendent reality, and human attitudes of ultimate concern, meaning and purpose” (Meister 6). Throughout my life, I feel that religion is one of the core social belief systems that people use to maintain what they feel is a good way to live. Giving them a sense of purpose or fulfillment during their earthly life, most hoping whatever beliefs that have will help them after death. Even though there are many different religions or religious value systems, everyone has most likely been exposed to one or more. There is only 15% of the world’s population that do not believe in one type of religion or another (Meister, 7).
Most of the contemporary problems bedeviling our society are because of lack of proper spiritual anchorage. Civil and technological differentiations embodied in the media have aggravated the situation. Technological differentiation has undermined religion by taking the place of spirituality in adherents’ lives.
For centuries, religion has been a topic of great debate and interest, stemming from the validity of ideals to reasons why people believe in it in the first place. Despite all the efforts over time to thwart religion, it has managed to remain as a prominent structure. One question that seems to always be brought to the table is how religion continues to exist in light of the continual advances of science. The reason religion continues to exist today is not because the furthering of science leads to disproving religion, but rather because religion addresses questions that currently not even the advances of science can answer, giving people a sense of unity and congregation based upon two key emotions: hope and fear. However, as with science, religion too evolves and grows over time, and unbeknownst to the individuals, eventually intertwines itself amongst the foundation of society to the point where it can no longer be separated.
Throughout history, religion has helped form the basic fabric of society. From an early age, religion provided the answers to any unexplainable natural phenomena. The question of why the world worked in a particular way was easily answered with “because [name of deity] made it that way.” Religion was everywhere; everyone had their own ideas about how the world worked and what their role was in the universe. Each likeminded group held that their religious beliefs were the root cause of their happiness and general satisfaction with life. Centuries of religious dominance eventually gave birth to a widespread idea that strong religious beliefs are essential to living a happy and fulfilling life. Even today, in a society dominated by scientific advances, religion finds a niche in catering to people’s spiritual needs. Indeed, despite the societal changes that have occurred in modern times, religion has remained largely unchanged since its early days. The belief that religion factors heavily into one’s life satisfaction and happiness has also remained much the same, despite today’s complex and ever-changing society. The problem lies where religion is viewed as a major way to achieve happiness, and this perspective can lead to blind acceptance of religion solely on the basis of its supposed universal benefits. Basically, a new way of looking at religion is needed: seeing it not as the end-all happiness tool, but as a small factor in a complex web of happiness and well-being.