Description
On a 2001 trip to the cathedrals of Europe, anthropologist John Rush and his wife entered St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice and encountered a mosaic depicting Jesus surrounded by mushrooms with an Amanita muscaria cap in his hand. Examining the space with new eyes, they discovered images of mushrooms and mind-altering plants all over the Basilica. Intrigued, Dr. Rush spent seven years researching and reflecting on the profound effects hallucinogens had on the founding of all three major Western religions. He concluded that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are political constructions evolving out of the use of not only Amanita muscaria, but a plethora of mind-altering substances.
Failed God: Fractured Myth in a Fragile World reexamines the scriptural stories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as told in the Bible and Qur’an and reveals them as “concocted mythical charters stemming from drug-induced romps with the super-natural.” Rush shows how mind-altering substances played an instrumental role in the birth and development of Western religions and explains how they contributed to reports of “prophetic” experiences, including angry and disturbing messages from the divine. With chapters on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Rush fully addresses the effects of mind-altering substances on each tradition, convincingly discrediting the idea that they stem from actual human interaction with the divine. He also shows how an intoxicated and over-zealous Apostle Paul corrupted Jesus’s simple message of human decency, forming an oppressive religious system based on fear. In a thought-provoking conclusion, Rush asks how we can continue to attribute authority to traditions that were so clearly irrationally founded and incompatible with today’s world.
Contents
Preface vii
I. Introduction 1
II. Judaism 79
III. Christianity 169
IV. Islam 315
V. Conclusion 391
Bibliography 437
Index 445
Author’s Profile 453
Comment
“John Allegro argued Jesus was a mushroom. Rush has proven him correct.”
— Jan Irvin, author of The Holy Mushroom and coauthor, with Andrew Rutajit, of Astrotheology & Shamanism
“Dr. Rush shows us the basics of our origins, our reality, religion and existence. A fantastic ride describing who we are—how we came to be—and why. Origins of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam correlated with art, culture and the power of the mushroom. This Fungi was a large part of art that we base all things on. This book is fantastic, but not for the set in stone type. Dr. Rush may show you a side of society any influence that you have never even considered. An absolute fave in my library.”
— S. Kennedy
“This book must be approached with a very open mind since the author has very strong view points about religion and religious practices. If you can’t be impartial about a direct assault on your religion this book is probably not for you.”
— B. Matthews