God loves a smoker

[bemildred]

FETHIYE, Turkey - Some religions are closely associated with drug-taking. Rastafarianism is famous for its use of marijuana, or lamb's bread as it is known, to help achieve oneness with God, Hindu sadus (itinerant holy men) regularly use bhang (a liquid form of marijuana extract), and certain shamanistic traditions use peyote and datura to induce trances and hallucinations to facilitate communication with the spirit world.

Hemp seeds, discovered by archeologists in Pazyryk, southern Siberia, have been dated to around the same time as use by the Scythians of cannabis (on the Black Sea coast) was recorded by Herodotus in the 5th century BC.

The three religions of the Book, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, are not well known for having drug cultures associated with them, so it comes as something as a surprise to learn that Islam, perhaps the most puritanical of the three, has a strong undercurrent of marijuana use throughout its long history.

The issue of substance abuse, intoxicants and Islam rose to the Turkish media's attention recently when police carried out a raid on the home of private citizen Nazif Kamil Orde in Istanbul for the benefit of current-affairs documentary program Arena. They smashed their way into the home of the man newspapers have nicknamed "the junkie teacher" - Esrarc Hoca - a self-styled imam who interspersed his lessons on Islamic philosophy with some strong tokes on a lit joint and encouraged the young followers sitting around his living room to do likewise. He extolled the virtues of cannabis and said no one could make him stop - smoking was his duty to God.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ID11Ak03.html

[unpossibles]

1. interesting

I have (jokingly) said that those three DO have a drug culture: Moses found a burning bush and saw God?

;)

Sorry if that offends.

[tridim]

3. I know lots of religious wackos that would benefit greatly if they smoked cannabis

At the very least it might help them relax a bit.

[waiting for hope]

4. LOL!!

Pat Robertson would be at the top of that list - maybe then his little "talks" with God would make more sense!

:rofl:

[bemildred]

7. The whole issue is a quite recent invention.

Although cultural elites have always liked to reserve the best goodies for themselves, hemp is a weed and a useful crop, and was never rare enough to be seen as special. The current hysteria about hemp began with Anslinger in the 30s, and the US' nascent police state's need to have witches to hunt.

[Warpy]

2. The use of psychoactive drugs dates back to the time

mammals (at least) first walked the earth. Watch a cat and catnip if you don't believe it.

I sincerely hope our species progresses emotionally to the point that the drug warriors of today will be regarded exactly like we regard the good people of Salem during the witch trials, the good people of Spain during the
Inquisition, and the good people of Germany in the 1930s.

Trying to criminalize things that are hard wired into our brains like the sex drive and a need for occasional psychoactive drugs is the business of the worst parts of religion combined with the worst parts of government.

The drug war is both cruel and futile. It's way past time to declare defeat and end it.

[unpossibles]

5. great post. Have you ever read "Natural Mind" by Andrew T. Weil?

it's great, and it's fairly unbiased about drugs, and how animals in general alter their minds all the time, whether through religion, meditation, drugs, children who spin in circles until they are dizzy, or what have you.

He also breaks down the myth that drugs cause crimes, using his experience as an anthropologist who lived with a tribe in Brazil (I think it was - it's been a while since I last read it) who uses 30-some substances both recreationally and ritualistically, and has no drug crimes at all.

The drugs themselves do less harm than the laws which attempt to regulate them, as evidenced by our own failed alcohol prohibition.

[bamacrat]

6. I think smoking pot does elevate your conciousness, and allows you to think higher.

No pun.

[liberal renegade]

8. it sure does

and that's what they're afraid of.....