I'm a Christian, and I still believe one can have valid positive spiritual experiences through cannabis and psychedelics. The Bible mentions cannabis several times, most prominently as part of the holy anointing oil in Exodus 30:23. The Hebrew word is kanneh-bosm, also rendered as kannabos/kannabus in Aramaic. The oldest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible made an error, mistranslating it to calamus. That is why in current translations you'll see "sweet calamus" or "aromatic cane" instead. And yet if you try making the anointing oil using calamus, it won't have the disease curing properties that are attributed in the Bible. But with cannabis oil, it will. (Watch "Run from the Cure" for reference.) The Bible also makes reference to cannabis as an incense that was to be used as a burnt offering for God. God only discourages its use when it is used for idolatry. It is all about the mindset and intent you have when using it. Just like music or film can be used for either good or evil. The term ganja actually literally means "Garden of Jehovah". On the subject of psychedelics, magic mushrooms were given to Moses and his followers by God to seek spiritual enlightenment. Manna matches the description of magic mushrooms. Before current versions of the Bible described manna as a "flake-like thing", the King James version and prior described manna as "a small round thing, as small as the hoar [grayish-white] frost on the ground". (from Exodus 16:14) Manna is also described as breeding worms if left out for too long, and melting when the sun grows hot. It even says it is prepared over cow dung. These descriptions match magic mushrooms perfectly, and there are mushroom motifs present in certain ancient Christian artifacts. Psychedelics like psilocybin mushrooms work by shutting down parts of our brain that are involved with filtering our senses. According to a National Geographic documentary, scientists estimate that our brain receives around 11 million bits of information per second, but only processes 200 bits per second under normal reality. So taking such a substance allows us to experience more reality and gain access into the spiritual realm. Once again, this can be either good or bad depending on the person's mindset, setting and dosage. Neither cannabis nor psychedelics have been shown to be physically addictive whatsoever, and are actually very non-toxic. This is opposed to alcohol, tobacco and other hard substances. Current research has shown that psychedelics have been successful in treating things like depression, cluster headaches, destructive behaviors, addictions, end-of-life anxiety, PTSD, etc. And I don't even know where to start in describing the long list of positive uses cannabis has. So the point I'm trying to make? I've seen a video about the guy in the article, and while he certainly means well, I feel the way he goes about things contributes to the whole "all drugs are bad" mentality. We need to look at these substances through the responsible eyes of both scientific and spiritual truth. I've certainly realized a lot about myself as a result of my experiences. In the past, I was very depressive, selfish and didn't realize how my actions affected others. I also had suicide in the back of my head. Right now I'm still in an uncertain place in life, but I'm fighting the negativity inside me instead of giving into it. Suicide is 100% a deception, and I know I have a purpose. And before one says that these drugs are a replacement over God, the most satisfying and blissful highs I've had were when I made God the center of them. I could go on, but you get the point. Just wanted to spread some truth. Peace and love!
