The Wacky World of Drugs (touch, kinda)

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Alright, let’s talk about DRUGS. They’re a money sink, they make our brain look like a fried egg, and most egregiously, they are responsible for the deaths of Heath Ledger and Philip Seymour Hoffman. And yet, despite all the horror, drugs are still a growing epidemic in this country. Why? Because they “make you feel good”. Though what that means can vary drastically from drug to drug. But the kind we’re particularly interested in here are the ones that can make you talk to god.


Yes, that’s right, for only a few dozen bucks a night, YOU, can commune with God! (I’m legally required to inform you that this last sentence was sarcastic and I do not in fact endorse the use of (most) drugs, even to talk to God.) This can mean a lot of things as there are many different ways in which people have claimed to communicate with God. Sometimes it’s one way communication, sometimes it's back and forth. Sometimes there are visuals involved, sometimes it’s audible, sometimes it’s communication directly through a person’s brain. Inevitably it will look different for everyone since everyone has a different perception of who God is or whichever higher power they are communicating with.


Now, I’m no psychologist so I can’t speak to any of the actual scientific reasoning behind this, or make a case for whether or not it’s actually possible to be communicating with God or if it’s all just psychological. What I’m more interested in is the much less useful philosophical side of things. Specifically, is the use of drugs acceptable as a religious experience? It may seem silly to justify the use of drugs on a religious basis, but there is precedent for this sort of thing. Religion is frequently accepted as a reason for exemption from certain laws. For example, religious establishments pay taxes differently from other organizations, certain rules around dress code/diet are frequently accommodated in the name of religion, and so I don’t think it completely preposterous for someone to make a case that their drug use should be found acceptable on the basis of religion.


Of course, this doesn’t necessarily indicate that the health risks associated with certain drugs will cease to exist on the basis of religion. Drugs are still a very dangerous activity to partake in and should be handled with the utmost care. That being said, many of the drugs that are most frequently associated with having religious experiences, namely psychedelics, do not pose as much of a threat in terms of addiction and overall health detriment as other harmful drugs. Frankly, much more research needs to be done before any conclusive answer can be come to on the potential use of drugs in religion as the topic is still considered very taboo by a majority of the country. This does show signs of changing though as there are more and more cases being made for the legalization of certain psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin mushrooms which are already legal in Oregon. Hopefully we will learn more soon and can continue exploring the unknown and wacky world of drugs in association with religion.

Comments

  1. DevaanshJuly 27, 2022 at 5:55 AM

    It's interesting to note how drugs can change our perception of reality, and how this shift can be very interesting field of study.

    Researchers have done experiments using psychedelics like LSD and have concluded that near death experiences(and a lot of meditation states) are very similar- with sensory deprivation often causing the brain to start creating it's own stimuli in-order to keep functioning.

    Ironically, this quote reminds me of something JBK told me about... "when you talk to god, that's prayer ; when god talks to you, that's schizophrenia."

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