The Conflict of Cannabis and Religion
Can you be Considered Religious and still use Cannabis? from CannabisNet on Vimeo.
The main question we’ll be addressing today is whether you can smoke cannabis and be religious at the same time. I know, it’s not a light topic but when you read my stuff, you should know by now that I don’t address light topics often.
The reason for this piece is due to me stumbling on a few religious websites who decided to chime in on the cannabis debate. For the most part, the consensus from the religious clergy is that ‘cannabis is bad’.
However, even within the religious context there is no direct scripture that talks against “smoking weed” or anything of the sorts.
Now obviously I can’t talk about all religions because I am no theologian, however I have been religious at some point and understand the mindset of the religious. More importantly, I also study different religions (not for religious purposes but rather to understand the mechanics of human belief) and throughout my research I have not found any direct scripture that negates the use of the plant. Quite the contrary to be precise.
The Official Position of “CHURCH”
Roughly 80% of the religious websites I have found that speak about cannabis (not because they want to, but because they have to) are negative about usage. From a prominent catholic site, the position essentially said that the social cost is a direct result of legalization. By social costs, this includes traffic fatalities, rise of use, rise of “abuse disorders” [whatever that means] and so forth. Of course this is not true, however this is what some of them believe.
From the “Christian” perspective, it’s more about ‘being about your wits’ for the Devil comes like a lion in sheep’s clothing or some jazz like that. Of course, the scripture in question talks about being wasted on booze, however for the Church to transfer the meaning from one ‘idea’ to another is just another day in the office.
Within Islam, there is a small minority that deem it “permissible” and many others that deem it Haram. This is due to some sects within the religion having a strong view on any narcotic and thus is strictly forbidden.
For Buddhists, the fifth precept addresses to “avoid intoxicants” however many spiritual texts such as the Buddhist Tara Tantra, list cannabis as an important aide [sic] to meditation and spiritual practice.”
The list goes on and the message sits somewhere within the “negative view” spectrum of the cannabis debate from the official ‘clergy’ of each particular religion.
All in all, they pretty much say “no to weed”.
The Individual Believer Conundrum
So now that we know what the church says, and again I’m not saying all churches, we need to ask what the individual does with this information. You are essentially provided with two options:
- Do what the church says and be a good little believer
- Do what you want and be a “offender” within your faith
On one side, you know that cannabis has medical value. You also know that cannabis allows you to relax without feeling horrid as if with alcohol or any other intoxicant. It feels good, it responds to your body and you enjoy it. How can this be bad?
On the other side, we have extra-dimensional ideologies that create a reality within our minds that says if you do consume this plant you will not get your “prize” at the end of the game of life. You have rules to follow to ensure your passage into a next life, or fucking virgins, or singing for all fucking eternity in golden houses in the clouds, or what have you.
You have to decide of what “feels good in the moment” is worth the risk of “losing out on the prize”. Additionally, if you do decide to ‘break the rules’ and are discovered by your fellow believers, you will mostly likely be reprimanded and ostracized depending on the severity of the religious nature of the believers. Hell, in some places they’ll simply off you.
This is the conundrum each believer faces, as it’s two paradigms from vastly different spaces colliding in real time.
Why Religions don’t like The Reefer
Religion, in my humble opinion, is merely a mechanism of control. I’m not saying religion is ‘evil’; some people need it. I’m saying that the function of religion within society is to keep people at bay; to follow a moral code which works in conjunction with government to create the illusion of order and safety.
As was discovered by the CIA in the late 1950’s, cannabis is not a good plant to use if you want to control the way people think.
Religion is a form of mind control. The spiritual leader has a direct line into the core of your being. Whatever they say is “spiritual law” and in some cases, that trumps actual law. This mind control requires obedience to work. There is no room for doubt or questions.
Cannabis is an introspective plant that inspires users to question and analyze life around them. This means that things like routine, actions, thoughts and so forth will becoming more apparent to a frequent user. Eventually this leads them to question their very ideas and ideals.
Religions can’t have people questioning their reasoning or motives. If everybody started to realize that a ‘spiritual leader’ knows just as much as you do about life and the afterlife, no one would fork out 10% of their livelihood to sustain those ‘other guys’.
What Should a Person do?
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether you decide to abide by your religious principles or whether you abandon them. In the end there is only one person who lives your life.
I simply exposed why “religion” doesn’t want you to smoke weed, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t be religious and smoke weed at the same time. You just have to live with your situation and improvise as you go along.
I personally abandoned all notions of ‘spiritual leaders’ and started to look at people as…well people. The Pope, the Elder, the Guru, the Pastor…they are all just people and have the exact same experience of life as you and I. So make your own religion, mix and match them together and just enjoy this ride…and smoke weed if you want to.
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