Ancient mystery religions and the possible psychedelic roots of Christianity

Says the guy who appears to admit he’s experimented with heavy drugs.

 

Thats so funny you mentioned lucid dreaming. I’ve only had one lucid dream but it was absolutely amazing. I was very close to my grandmother before she passed (in 2000 when I was 18). Anyway I was dreaming maybe 10 years ago and in the dream I was at the mall with her and we were shopping. And at some point in the dream I realized I was dreaming. It fully occurred to me that she was dead and what was happening was purely imagination. My ability to change what was happening was limited. It wasn’t like I could start flying if I wanted to or something like that. I could only prolong it - I couldn’t change it in any meaningful way. So I just kept insisting to her that we go to more stores so I could spend more time with her. So we went to literally every store in the mall. There was no emotional moment when she said I love you or vice versa. It was just me dreaming of being at the mall with my grandma and milking it to the very last second. I woke up when we walked outside and I was an absolute wreck. Profound experience and the only time something like that has happened.

 

With regards to worrying and psychedelics the only iffy situations I’ve encountered were on mushrooms. Only twice and admittedly they were large doses and one time was in the red light district in Amsterdam (which is a decidedly poor setting for psychedelics) but still only mushrooms have given me what some would consider a “bad trip”.

Lysergic acid, on the other hand, makes me feel 10 feet tall and bullet proof. Almost to a fault. Never had anything even approaching a negative experience (and I’ve taken LSD upwards of 50 times). But apparently I’m the exception in that regard. Most people prefer mushrooms because it’s not quite as intense.

 

Fair enough. There are only two verses that come to my mind. You don’t have to respond, but they are food for thought. One is Exodus 23:7…that God will not justify the wicked. The other is when Jesus cursed the fig tree telling it that it would never grow fruit again…which brings into question how the fig tree, or more properly what it allegorically represents, can ever be fruitful in the eternal state when Jesus said it would never bear fruit ever again.

 

The fig tree was Israel. But then Jesus was anti-semitic.

*sniffs*

 

The fig tree was in reference to Israel in Jesus’ day, but he didn’t single them out simply because of their race or their nationality. They were unfruitful, and the same fate awaits anyone else who is unfruitful if we take Jesus at his word. At some point that becomes the eternal state of a person if they live long enough in unfruitfulness (understand it is an allegory for sin).

 

To the point, almost from its inception the *Biblical nation* of Israel is described as characteristically disobedient and referred to as an unfaithful spouse and a whore. Indeed, God divorces Israel and takes a new bride.

 

You think the world needs more people?

 

Interesting point. OT (Off Topic, not Old Testament) but I thought about the "eye for an eye" principle the other day in watching the genocide taking place in Gaza. Israel today is not practicing "an eye for an eye," it's practicing "ten or more eyes for an eye." And Biden and his team, in supplying arms for it, say, "Now you shouldn't be doing that."

 

The modern nation of Israel is no more relevant, in God’s economy, than is [insert country here].

 

agreed.

 

The gospel is not something that was cobbled together over generations. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3–5 (ESV): For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. That represents a formula or creed, something that was memorized to transmit the essential message of the gospel.

The following is the applicable timeline:
Crucifixion: ~30 AD
Conversion of Paul: 32-37 AD
Paul meeting with apostles in Jerusalem: 37-38 AD

Paul learned the formula at the latest by his journey to Jerusalem, but probably earlier. The vast majority of scholars believe the creed was developed by eye witnesses within a year or two of the crucifixion.

Various of the New Testament epistles were written before the gospels, beginning in the late 40s. The gospels themselves have been dated as early as the late 40s, but more likely in the 50s to 80s. They were written within the lifetime of witnesses.

 

Good points. It is not an insuperable difficulty to get back to the beginnings. I hold that all the scriptures which comprise the Bible we have were written in advance of 70 AD.

But that’s not going to convince Bible remodelers who can’t countenance miracles and/or the exclusivity of Jesus.