Marijuana and

religious experience

Reverend Ernle P. Gordon

contributor

It has been known for a long time - 5,000 years - that indigenous people have utilised various substance to aid and deepen religious experiences.

We are certain that the Native American Indians have used certain herbs for this purpose; the Indians in the South America have not only introduced herbal medicines in their liturgical rites, but some say that the coca leaf that has produced the cocaine is an integral part of the religious ceremonies. We will discover similar evidence in Africa, Asia, Europe and in the Middle East.

If Howard Hamilton, the public defender, is desirous of strengthening his case in terms of the use of ganja in the sacramental rite of the Rastafarians, it is important that he becomes aware of the various studies done pertaining to psychedelic drugs and religion. There is such a document which is included in the Journal of Psychedelic Drugs (Winter, 1967-1978). Vol.1, No. 2 San Francisco: Haight - Ashbury Medical Clinic in Association with the Medical Centre Psychopharmacology Study Group.

Web site:

http://csp.org/chrestomathy/psychedelic-drugs-journal.html

There is also a book entitled, Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments, an Entheogen Chrestomathy written by Thomas B. Roberts, Ph.D and Paula Jo Hruby Ph.D.

It is also important to read books written by the "prophet" of psychedelic drugs and religious experience Dr. Timothy Leary. He is the author of The High Priest, Psychedelic Prayers and The Politics of Estasy.

Many people who have been involved in the drug-induced psychedelic experience feel that drugs of the LSD type induce a religious experience which serves as a basis for a profound change of attitude and behaviour manifesting in the state of certain underground groups. The symposium that was held, and which was reported in the journal in San Francisco, has answered medical prejudice, and it was felt that if someone desired to achieve a religious experience, and if this is the motivation for his/her drug use, then there must be an underlying reason for this desire. David Smith is suggesting that if any individual wants to achieve a religious experience, it is implied that, at least in many cases, there is a spiritual void in his/her life which has not been filled by other techniques more commonly offered in the society in which he/she lives.

Alternative

The document showed that the person who takes the psychedelic drug is, in effect, trying to find an alternative to what he/she apparently considered a negative or absent experience. An Anglican priest, Kenneth Leech, who wrote a book, Pastoral Care and the Drug Scene, has an excellent chapter entitled "The Spirituality of the Drug Scene", where he shows how Eastern Religious spirituality had a profound effect upon those who took psychedelic drugs because they reported that it was not just a question of enlightenment and self-illumination but a search for unity, for a "meta-egoic" experience in which the self loses itself into union with all existence. This is what LSD experience is all about.

Rev. Leech has a thought-provoking section of the chapter where he is critical of the psychedelic drug, which is worth reading thoroughly if we are going to allow marijuana to be used for religious purposes. He quotes Dr. Leary, Metzner and Alpert, who all agree that, "psychedelic experience is a journey to new realms of consciousness...Such experiences of enlarged consciousness can occur in a variety of ways; sensory deprivation, yoga, exercises, disciplined meditation, religious or aesthetic ecstasies, or spontaneously. Most recently they have become available to anyone through the ingestion of psychedelic drugs LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, DMT, etc.".

Marijuana

Dr. Leary, in his book The Politics of Estasy, has a chapter called, "The Seven Tongues of God", where he makes some far reaching statements about marijuana (ganja) and the 21st century. He stated categorically that drugs are the religion of the people. If we are serious about religion, if we really wish to commit ourselves to the spiritual quest, then we must learn to use psychochemicals.

He continued to argue that we cannot pursue the religious life today without using psychedelic drugs. There are specific drugs which are used to turn on a each level of consciousness and Dr. Leary spoke about the use of marijuana in the following context of consciousness:

a) The most effective drug that is a direct trigger for "the state of sensory awareness is marijuana". This eminent scientist was emphatic when he reiterated that in order to arrive at a certain level of consciousness, it is when we take marijuana that we know what our sense organs can tell us.

b) I was reasoning with a Rastafarian recently, and he told me that during his contemplative prayer sessions, he smokes marijuana and he has been discovering that he develops a wisdom that he cannot explain easily. Many Christian psychiatrists, who are experimenting with psychedelic drugs, request that it is better to take certain drugs within the sacramental rite, rather than looking to psychedelic drugs in terms of periodic recreational flirtations. In this context the Rastafarians would have to develop a culture of spirituality that seeks to protect pregnant women and children.

It is evident that there is urgent need for dialogue between the Christian and Rastafarian theologians to discuss at a deeper level the use of marijuana in the religious ritual in order to aid the transcendental experience. I would also like to ask the Rastafarian theologian if he/she has similar transcendental experiences which are as follows:

a) There is a sense of oneness with God or the universe, combined with a transcendence of time and space.

b) There is insight, a sense of mystery, and ineffability.

c) There is a profound joy, peace, and a sense of rejoicing and there is a lasting effect on thinking and attitude, although sometimes the experience is transient.

Distinction

In the New Anglican Book of Common Prayer, there is a distinction made between meditation and contemplation. Whenever I practice contemplation, I feel as if I am transported from where I am and taken into the celestial realms of the divine presence.

There is a feeling of peace and joy that cannot be explained in words, and so, I do not need to take marijuana or a psychedelic drug. People also tell me that whenever I am celebrating the Eucharist they sometimes see a light that is shining around me, and there are a few members who say that they feel a sense of healing power whenever they take the body and blood of Jesus at the Holy Eucharist?

Is it true therefore, that God is able to transform material things (bread, wine, marijuana) and use them for His divine purpose? I await your thoughtful responses.

Rector

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