How many of you are religious?

I was raised Christian. My mother and grandparents had firmly planted the idea of a Heaven, Hell, and a God waving his fist in the sky, in my mind almost since the age of 4 years old. It's hard to say in what way LSD affected any of this, in a sense I still do believe in a Heaven, Hell, and a God, but not so much anymore in a literal sense of it being an external place awaiting us after "physical" death. Also, I no longer think of God as a particular person that resembles ourselves.

LSD didn't exactly just "change my mindset", in a flick, it was a progression of sorts through a series of trips. I was always into philosophy and alternative perspectives even before diving into the drug. It made me start questioning and really looking into the things I held as truth my whole life, with an added conviction. It was some of the worst anxiety in my life losing my firmly planted idea's of a God and Heaven afterward, my ability to place faith really took a hit. I almost felt as though I was going to disappear or go insane amidst a wave of anxiety.

I'm still trying to figure out whether diving into psychedelics was ultimately beneficial or not, as I'm still learning. I was never that "kind of Christian", I was always one who looked at the Bible as a sort of moral guide open for interpretation, not a book full of literal tales. The faith really used to keep me strong, the added idea of a Heaven afterward seemed reassuring. Life really felt as though it had more meaning when I really thought there was some sort of God. This all changed by about age 18. I don't know if LSD is entirely to blame, or if blame is even necessary, I don't mind anymore, but I definitely was given an added sense of doubt somewhere along the lines in the things I knew and believed. Holding doubt seems like it can be as beneficial as it can be harmful. There seemed to be a big chance, even through logical deduction, that the things we know as real, daily and habitual can be quite illusory and superficial. I'm being vague here but this is basically the best I can summarize my years of usage and experimenting with the psyche-exploratory-related drugs in a few paragraphs.

 

LSD started me on a spiritual path that includes beliefs and actions related to the universe, others, and myself. I've discovered that there are more people doing good (vs. having worthless opinions and beliefs - opinions and beliefs, shit) through Christianity and Judaism than through other religions - including the religion I'm closest to, Buddhism. Certainly many problems of the world can be attributed to religion, or more accurately, humankind's (actually, in this case, it's the gender-specific mankind's) perversion of religion. See the news for a few examples. Yet, on balance, much good has been done and much hope has been found.

My life has been dedicated to service and I thank God for the presence of people whose faith and religion calls them to lend a hand in the suffering of the world. My church school teacher is in his 80s and has supported literally 1000s of people through their dying - not in the sense of quoting the Bible or "bringing (them) to Jesus" but through loving and accepting presence and active competent actions to alleviate the physical suffering.

I've worked in hospice, with refugees, with abused children and I know that if you spend enough time in the presence of suffering, sooner or later you're gonna end up on your knees.

Do people actually think that psychedelics are about getting high, being awestruck, so on and so forth and then just going on with the previous lifestyle of acquisition, thing, sensation, non-contribution, etc.? We've been given grace, and it's a good thing to give thanks in word and action. Otherwise, we're wasting our precious time.

 

I grew up believing in god and going to church sometimes, not that often. Then started to think of how irrational it sounded, I was atheist from 6th grade up until a few days after I did acid the first time which was last year. Acid let me open up to the idea that anything is possible. Then the idea of a god really didn't sound that irrational. A few trips later I was having a mirror stare with myself listening to Pink Floyd. When I heard "If ya wanna find out what's behind these closed eyes, you'll just have to claw your way through this disguise!" I got some Alex Grey sort of visual over my face and I felt like I was starring into my soul. From this I formed the idea that a deeper part of us does exist, and it's possible that it'll carry on after death.

 

Gary Busey is god

 

The term 'God' is in itself, sacrilegious.

Anything worth talking about is sullied by talking about it.

The term Spiritual is a cliche.

How long will people go on misrepresenting themselves without realizing the consequences?

 

Religion controls people's actions by making them believe that they'll spend eternity in their respective hell if they don't follow the rules

I'm definitely not religious, even though I was raised christian. I believe that everything happens for a reason and that there are lessons to be learned in everything we experience. Religion forces people to do certain things and live a certain way, even if they don't want to, which means they're kissing "god's" ass because they are afraid of what will happen if they don't, and that's the wrong reason to do the right thing. I don't need religion to tell me how to live my life. I live my life based on my own personal morals, needs, desires, and empathies. Nothing else matters, in the end.

 

i used to be a atheist. then after taking acid i became spiritual. now that im sober i realize that ive only sped up my descent into madness.

 

The other side is no longer a mystery to me, the white light of truth stares me in the face everyday waiting for my arrival. The thing is its so utterly expanding, to leap is to leave everything you know behind, so I slowly crawl my way into the light, taking each step with caution. The infinite is a powerful force to encounter.

 

agnostic

 

This is an awesome thread. Thanks for making me address my spiritual outlook.

 

i've never been religous, but acid definitely put me in touch with the spirits and common energies of the world

 

I am of the religion of who knows? I have no faith and I am incapable of it, but I do not completely deny the endless possibilities of "the purpose of life" or what happens when we die. Of course I will point how incredibly unlikely most of them tend to be, but I only know that I do not know anything with certainty.

 

To have hope and faith is to believe in something that could be real, there is no hope and faith needed, because its something real and here, there is is no hope needed for what is already here.

 

Music is my religion, nature my God. LSD showed me how were all connected. This one special on LSD I watched summed it up great.

"Carpet-wall-ceiling-music-people."

 

Well Put!

 

it hasnt changed my religious views, but just how i mentally visualize the concept of our existance.
my first trip, i was just experiencing something so great that i couldnt put it into words and i called it "the thing". i understand how someone could feel a confidence in believing in a nameless god but "the thing" for me didnt lead to any sort of thought like that. it was just in the fundamental details of it that only cemented my beliefs in more.

 

i was born christian and after a few years of going to roman catholic schools i was totally digusted at the thought of religion and lost all my faith in god at a very young age.

then i became atheist. but the pounding of reality and the idea of an endless black chasm haunted me and compelled me to look into spirituality. after some searching i found some illuminating texts, but still i was so badly damaged by christianity that i was still disillusioned with the thought of spirituality.

then i found acid.

my first real acid trip was monumental. during the trip things got pretty intense until during the peak i was connected to infinite bliss and at the same time confronted by the angel of death(the grim reaper). now you can say all you want, but this wasn't just a hallucination. this was a real milestone for my understanding of spirituality and also the time that i was freed from my fear of death.

so i became spiritual. then after a few more trips my spiritual understanding was expanded more -- especially after meeting offworld entities while on salvia and studying the experience afterwards more closely on acid. i became more in touch with my ancient self, and after one trip found myself plunged headlong into the love of god.

then eventually i ended up having my last lsd trip to date, during which i was confronted with so much crazy shit that it is impossible to even explain. i was swept off by the web of synronicities and meaningful coincidences, and now i realise that trying to resist this is like being a fish out of water. :smilielol5:

underlying my current understanding is the understanding that we are all subject to our conscience and that we are obliged to follow our conscience and our heart, while respecting the boundaries of our fellow brothers and sisters and of nature.

i also came to realise that there is a natural order of things, a 'divine law' so to speak, but that it is impossible to follow the law perfectly under our own grace, but only if the grace is given to us to do so. and that all we can really do is live in love, because the law is too demanding.