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Moses was high on drugs: Israeli researcher
Breitbart, drudgereport ^

Posted on 03/04/2008 6:46:14 AM PST by crusty old prospector

High on Mount Sinai, Moses was on psychedelic drugs when he heard God deliver the Ten Commandments, an Israeli researcher claimed in a study published this week. Such mind-altering substances formed an integral part of the religious rites of Israelites in biblical times, Benny Shanon, a professor of cognitive psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem wrote in the Time and Mind journal of philosophy.

"As far Moses on Mount Sinai is concerned, it was either a supernatural cosmic event, which I don't believe, or a legend, which I don't believe either, or finally, and this is very probable, an event that joined Moses and the people of Israel under the effect of narcotics," Shanon told Israeli public radio on Tuesday.

Moses was probably also on drugs when he saw the "burning bush," suggested Shanon, who said he himself has dabbled with such substances.

"The Bible says people see sounds, and that is a classic phenomenon," he said citing the example of religious ceremonies in the Amazon in which drugs are used that induce people to "see music."

He mentioned his own experience when he used ayahuasca, a powerful psychotropic plant, during a religious ceremony in Brazil's Amazon forest in 1991. "I experienced visions that had spiritual-religious connotations," Shanon said.

He said the psychedelic effects of ayahuasca were comparable to those produced by concoctions based on bark of the acacia tree, that is frequently mentioned in the Bible.


TOPICS: Judaism
KEYWORDS: ayahuasca; crackheadprofessor; judaism; moses; projection; religion
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To: crusty old prospector
Even if Moses was stoned - and I don't believe that for one second - then how does this putz explain that the entire Jewish people witnessed the giving of the Law? Its in the Bible, along with:

Moses' exhortation near the end of Deuteronomy for the people to obey G-d's Law, since they had personally witnessed what happened at Mt. Sinai.

The Bible also says that nothing must be added or subtracted from the 5 Books of Moses;

that they would never be forgotten by the Jewish people (so that no one can find some "secret" scroll in a cave and say "here's the Word of G-d, and because it was hidden you never heard of this before";

and that parents should teach their children what had happened (integral to the not forgetting part, above);

and [most important of all] that no other nation would EVER make the claim that ALL of the people had a simultaneous Divine revelation.

How could all of the above claims be made if the head guy was stoned? Because if he made such claims, then he'd have really been stoned (in the Biblical sense, not in the LSD sense). If it didn't happen, there'd be no Jews today because the event would be obviously false...nor would there be any Christians or Moslems.

This is all crap - it is some hungry for attention and money psychologist making up something for his own personal gain. On top of everything, this idiot makes it abundantly clear that he has not the slightest familiarity with the Bible.

61 posted on 03/04/2008 7:06:57 AM PST by Ancesthntr (An ex-citizen of the Frederation trying to stop Monica's Ex-Boyfriend's Wife from becoming President)
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To: caver
"the rest of us don't know"

If you want to amend that to make it singular rather than plural be my guest.

I don't exactly see a cacophony of support for your position but if you want to report it to the mods you can go right ahead. If they "zot" it I'll issue you a public apology in big bold print. Put up or shut up.

62 posted on 03/04/2008 7:06:59 AM PST by Artemis Webb
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To: PBRSTREETGANG

Great movie. :D


63 posted on 03/04/2008 7:07:01 AM PST by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue.)
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To: the OlLine Rebel

I always looked forward to “Jesus of Nazareth” at Easter when I was kid. Maybe we can get the networks to do “The Passion of the Christ” this year?


64 posted on 03/04/2008 7:07:11 AM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: crusty old prospector
Maybe that's where Obama came up with this... Obama says Sermon on Mount Ok's same sex unions.
65 posted on 03/04/2008 7:07:53 AM PST by Dinah Lord (fighting the Islamofascist Jihad - one keystroke at a time...)
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To: Larry Lucido

Ah, but the liberals will be sadly disappointed because they thought it literally means, “Burning Bush”—setting the President on fire!!

Those wacky libs, always smoking something or the other and claiming it as ‘truth’! ;-)


66 posted on 03/04/2008 7:08:05 AM PST by pillut48 (CJ in TX --Soccer Mom and proud Rush Conservative with no dog in the presidential race now *sigh*)
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To: Utah Binger
He must have found some powerful aphrodisiac out in the sacred grove too.

Thirty three wives and counting.....

67 posted on 03/04/2008 7:09:07 AM PST by colorcountry (To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: poobear

What religion is this guy? The Church of the Holy Mushroom?


68 posted on 03/04/2008 7:09:14 AM PST by Blood of Tyrants (G-d is not a Republican. But Satan is definitely a Democrat.)
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To: crusty old prospector
Benny Shanon took ayahuasca, a powerful psychotropic plant while in Brazil... that fact and this article proves that drugs can cause problems years after imbibing...

verdict = freak...

69 posted on 03/04/2008 7:10:22 AM PST by xtinct (I was the next door neighbor kid's imaginary friend.)
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To: Isara

who are you going to believe, me or God?

methinks he might have even confused the two


70 posted on 03/04/2008 7:10:47 AM PST by Mom MD (The scorn of fools is music to the ears of the wise)
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To: MortMan

One of the funniest movie scenes EVER!


71 posted on 03/04/2008 7:11:19 AM PST by TLI ( ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA)
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To: Dinah Lord

What a prophet that Man is. Maybe somewhere on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus also addresses Universal Health Care.


72 posted on 03/04/2008 7:11:48 AM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: colorcountry

At that age only Mabel five fingers taught him the way.


73 posted on 03/04/2008 7:12:04 AM PST by Utah Binger (Statesmanship requires having no religious hangups; being owned by no one)
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To: crusty old prospector

Yes, that would be nice.

But since “Ten Commandments” was a legitimate movie, not “TV”, and also old, I always wondered why don’t the networks show in prime time, at that time, “Ben-Hur”? All these decades, I’ve never seen it that way.

It’s also that much better than TenC.


74 posted on 03/04/2008 7:12:56 AM PST by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue.)
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To: colorcountry; Utah Binger; Enosh

Now you’ve done it! You have referred to “He who must not be criticized”....I know your teflon garmies are on order, but until you actually receive them and don them, you will be severely reprimanded and your posts will self-destruct in 10....9.....8.......


75 posted on 03/04/2008 7:13:05 AM PST by greyfoxx39 (TEFLON......IT'S NOT JUST FOR COOKWARE ANYMORE.)
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To: Sudetenland
So if this was occurring, then mass hallucination is not beyond the realm of possibility.

OK, let's assume there was a mass hallucination at Mt. Sinai. Why, then, would the Bible indicate that G-d said that no other nation would EVER receive a national revelation like Israel did at Mt. Sinai? What is the point of saying this? If you were Moses, or Moses and a bunch of close confidants trying to start up a new (and lucrative) religion, WHY would you put something like that in the text? Because, you see, if only ONE thing in the entire text is wrong, then it isn't the Word of G-d, it is just a bunch of crap, end of religion. That claim is not only unnecessary to the text, but it (claims made in the future) is something that cannot be controlled by any humans.

Oh, BTW, in the last 3,300 years, not one nation has made a claim of national revelation. That's not "never," but its a pretty good record, wouldn't you say?

76 posted on 03/04/2008 7:14:14 AM PST by Ancesthntr (An ex-citizen of the Frederation trying to stop Monica's Ex-Boyfriend's Wife from becoming President)
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To: crusty old prospector
Moses was probably also on drugs when he saw the "burning bush," suggested Shanon, who said he himself has dabbled with such substances.

Somehow I have the feeling he has done more than "dabble."

77 posted on 03/04/2008 7:14:27 AM PST by Ditto (Global Warming: The 21st Century's Snake Oil)
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To: crusty old prospector; All
http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/

Go to ethnobotanical uses, then type acacia into the search window.

The Phytochemical Database shows lots of ethnobotanical uses for various acacias (people may recognize Gum Arabic and Gum Catechu in the list) but entheogen is not listed.

I think it’s only recently that people have been using acacias like Maiden’s Wattle for entheogenic purposes.

78 posted on 03/04/2008 7:14:41 AM PST by DBrow
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To: crusty old prospector; Ezekiel

ping


79 posted on 03/04/2008 7:15:19 AM PST by Lijahsbubbe
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To: Sudetenland

“ergot which produces and alkaloid very closely related to lysergic acid.”
As I recall, the Dancing Plagues?????


80 posted on 03/04/2008 7:15:29 AM PST by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ("Don't touch that thing")
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