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The high and the Almighty

Posted on March 7, 2008 - Filed Under Religion

At my age, it’s difficult to remember exactly when I raised an eyebrow in catechism class at what appeared to be a redundancy in the Ten Commandments. After all, since God already makes it abundantly clear in the 7^th that adultery is a no-no . . . even if you’re a congressman, I suppose . . . is it necessary to have a 10^th that says, “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”?

Now it appears that my youthful skepticism was not exactly on shaky ground. In fact, someone has cast serious doubts on whether God really handed down any commandments at all when Moses was up high on Mt. Sinai.

In an article published earlier this week in a British philosophy journal, Israeli researcher and professor of cognitive psychology Benny Shanon points out that Moses must have been ‘high’ on psychedelic drugs when he claimed to have received the Ten Commandments from God.

According to Shanon, two naturally existing plants in the Sinai Peninsula have the same psychoactive components as ones found in the Amazon jungle . . . including a species of Acacia . . . and are well-known for their mind-altering capabilities. The drugs are usually mixed in a drink called ayahuasca, which he admits he has taken while he was in the Amazon jungle in 1991. Shannon says that the description in The Book of Exodus of thunder, lightning, and blaring trumpets are typical imaginings of people under the influence of these hallucinogenic drugs.

One thing is sure: Don’t expect this gentleman to grab a fire extinguisher the next time he sees a burning bush!

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