510 The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross - Book Review

Sacred Mushroom and the Cross - Book Review..... " ‘Christianity’ under its various names had been thriving for centuries before that. As we may now appreciate, it was the more original cult that was driven underground by the combined efforts of the Roman, Jewish, and ecclesiastical authorities; it was the supreme “heresy” which came on, made terms with the secular powers, and became the Church of today." (Allegro, XX) During our third show we discussed the above book and explored some of its assertions. One topic addressed on our podcast is Allegro’s obsession with sexualizing the Bible, another one is his portrayal of the “Yachad” or the community of Qumran, as Gnostics Christians not apocalyptic Jews as they were. On one side of the debate David discussed the lack of evidence regarding biblical figures creating potions or amulets. In support of the book claims Ryan discussed the parallels between ancient religions and the use of plants and fungi by indigenous groups. According to the majority of scholars the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls were extremely religious individuals who were more extrict than the Pharisees. Their community was interested in internalizing rules and regulations of the Torah which forbid the practice of the magical arts (Exodus 22.17). Another aspect of the conversation is the idea that anyone can be a mystic or a prophet, which is unique to Christianity. An article in “Christianity Today” about Mormonism discusses how that religion is becoming very popular in Africa because in that culture it is common for people to proclaim themselves as prophets without any mitigation of religious institutions to sanction their religious experiences.