Religion and drugs

[The Hash Nibbler]

Spot on Mongy, the attitude of people towards other people has to change now, when your dead it won't matter. Pretty convinient that all religions say you are rewarded when you die, in whatever form. Can't exactly come back and tell people it's a crock of shit can ya!!! . As a guy who grew up in a christian home and went to christian schools i would say when it comes to drugs they are a bunch of hypocrites, just like everything, If no-one see's you doing it, it's OK.

I think of the church as a bunch of dicks that took a fairytale too seriously and follow it by interpretation that suits them at that point in time and for their own means. Ignoring what they don't want to hear and highlighting what is in their best interest.

GH72

[tanglewood]

This is kind of what I meant with my original question. What I'm curious to know is are people who are attached to religious institutions influenced, when it comes to drugs and drug use, not by the faith itself but by the "church BS"? I certainly suspect the latter, and if that's the case how do we break away from that? I suspect through knowledge. And how does someone attached to a religious institution determine what to believe and what not to? If they turn up to church on Sunday and hear in a sermon that "drugs are evil" they are more often than not going to be positively influence by that, rather than the faith itself imo.

 

 

Let's look at it this way, Christianity has been around for 2 thousand years...and its roots go back even further to perhaps 3000 years? who knows? anyway this belief system that has been around for around 3 or more millenia, its beliefs and rituals etc. is passed down from generation to generation. by 'passed on' i mean that kids are DRILLED and BRAINWASHED with concepts and facts about christianity (or any other religion for that matter) and some of those facts are that the church has 'divine' powers or influence and anyone of authority in the church is somewhat of a 'unquestionable' character....simply because that person is involved with the church. so this system which does not allow one to think freely or question the actions of people of authority simply because of association with the church has been drilled and drilled and drilled into the minds of the population for 3000 years...so now its beliefs are just widely and fiercely accepted as fact and law and any words that come out of the mouths of prominent figures in the church (like priests/pastors) are just taken as completely true and competent.

 

I too was born into a christian family, went to church, got brainwashed until a few years ago when i realized that if i were to follow the proper christian belief there was not much room for any free, unbiased thinking. so that's where my faith ended but its only because i thought about it for a long time, and i was a rebellious stubborn kid, always arguing with elders and shit so i didnt 'succumb' to the bullshit so easily, and eventually common sense and logic won the battle over tradition and brainwashing.

 

therefore to answer your question snooch, a person that has come from a long line of brainwashing is not likely to just break away so easily from a faith. so when a priest says in his sermon 'drugs are evil' there is no impulse by the common brainwashed individual to question or ponder the statement made by the priest, even if the statement does not appear in the Bible or elsewhere in religious literature, because sadly generation upon generation of this brainwashing is extremely effective.

 

anyway thats my 2 cents worth...awesome thread btw

cheers

[Fibrofeend]

I respect people to believe in what ever they want.

As long as it does not involve harm or inciting harm to others.

humans really do make a chore out of living and dieing.

 

In relation to a quote earlier, yeah we spend so much time and energy debating, fighting even killing about what happens

when we finish up here, what to do and what not to do to get THERE and all that fucks up the here and now.

 

As far as religions go, the few people i have met in my life who claim to be follows of Islam have been calm and logical people able to talk about their beliefs and understanding of the Koran because they have done some study of it themselves.

 

I grew up going to church, old school first testament fire and brimstone BS was what i was subjected to.

My dads mum was fully into it, she was the most disgusting person i have ever met in my life to this date.

So much hate to my father which filtered down to me.

I have met many many so called Christians and when i have asked them have they actually opened the bible and had

a bit of a read through for themselves? the answer has been mostly NO.

Just like when i was growing up, the priest would say a few lines out of the bible while i follow. then would go on for days about HIS interpretation of it and i yeah i think most people just take that interpretation and make it their own.

 

THEY being the Govt, religious org ect dont want you to think about things for yourself, it does not make good economic sense.

I have always felt my whole life that all this has to come to some sort of conclusion one day?

Some great upheaval?

 

inner peace to all looking for it

[jabez]

There's this really good film called 'Luther', it's  basically about the man who translated the bible to the language of the people. Before that it was thought the bible should only be read by the elite. He also uncovered the corrupt belief of the catholic church that you could buy your salvation, as well a lot of other things. Anyway, it's a film that anyone that has any interest in how the elitist politics of the church operate, really should see.

 

Anyway, I guess I'd be lying if I said a lot of christians (jews and muslims) can't induce primative anger within me fairly easierly, with some of there wacky ideas.

 

But to be completely fair, not all are completely anti-drugs, or even if they personally think drug use is wrong, not 'all' of them think drugs are evil by nature.

 

The thing is, I can get a lot of my (Christian) family members to concede that cannabis should be legal for serious medical conditions and that drugs of addiction should be legally available though a doctors prescription.

 

It's just recreational and spiritual drug use which I usually have a really hard time convincing most christians is not evil.

 

From wikipedia

 

Anthropologist Sula Benet's evidence was confirmed in 1985 by Hebrew University in Jerusalem and etymological comparison show that the Holy anointing oil used by the Hebrews contained cannabis extracts, "kaneh bosm" (קְנֵה-בֹשֶׂם), and that it is listed as an incense tree in the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts of the Old Testament. Early Christians used cannabis oil for medicinal purposes and as part of the baptismal process to confirm the forgiveness of sins and "right of passage" into the Kingdom of Heaven. [1][2] The Unction, Seal, laying on of hands, the Counselor, and the Holy Spirit are all often synonymous with the Holy anointing oil.[3] Early Gnostic texts indicate that the Chrism is essential to becoming a "Christian".

 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_a...Redirected=true

 

Also, the muslim stance on drugs is not at all straight forward. The word which is used in the Koran which muslims use to say drugs are forbiden is "al-khamr" which actually translates to wine. So although as far as I can tell, most muslims do regard al-khamr as any drug. I'm positive that hashish and opiates are regularly used by Muslim people.

 

Don't know anywhere near as much as I'd like to about Buddhism, but I have read several times that some Tibetan Buddhists consider the cannabis plant as holy.

 

Then there's the Hindu religion. Cannabis is associated with the deity shiva, who brought cannabis to man for a gift as a joyful past time. 

 

Of course you also have the rastafari movement, I don't know if they like being classed as  a religion in the traditional sense though?

 

Anyway, all that matters is at the end of the day, the bible, koran and the toran are in no way anti-cannabis or even anti-psychoactive plants as far as I can see.

 

 

 

 

[Nooby]

Jabez,

 

Ask your Christian buddies which part of the Bible (or God's laws) is transgressed by using cannabis?

 

I bet you don't get an answer.

 

The way I see it Gen 1:29 "Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food."

 

We had a couple of other members here (littlebit and lightening) who also had some good points in that vein (haven't seen them around for a while though).

 

Basically what's happening is that your Christian mates have gotten the Bible confused with Churchianity and are allowing others to do the thinking for them. Maybe you could have some fun pointing that out to them? ;P

Edited June 17, 2010 by Nooby