This is not intended to be “ITAG III” (or four, I’ve lost count), but I can predict that is what it is going to turn into…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080304/od_afp/israelreligionoffbeat;_ylt=AsL9yVbUQp8DYrmXv3rlTBA EtbAF
Quote:
JERUSALEM (AFP) - 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.
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Was Moses’ vision of god on Mount Sinai and the burning bush:
1) Supernatural (he actually saw god and a burning bush)
2) A legend or myth
3) An hallucination
An hallucination caused by drugs is “reasonable doubt” to the claim that Moses actually saw god. It is well known that certain drugs cause religious like experiences.
No doubt the qualifications of this researcher will be questioned. Perhaps someone can address a couple of the claims he made. Was drug use an integral part of religious rites back then? It’s common in some other religions, it’s not hard to imagine that it was used then, but imagining it is certainly not evidence. How about his claim that the bible says people see sounds? Does the bible really say that? That would seem to confirm drug use, as that is a common drug induced hallucination.
What is the most reasonable, logical explanation for Moses’ visions? Discuss why you believe your answer is the most reasonable.