Julia Thompson wrote: > > Deborah Harrell wrote: > > > How many here who consider themselves religious, > > spiritual, or otherwise somehow connected to the > > Divine have had that feeling of "universal > > connectedness" or "sacred presence" (drug experiences > > disqualified in my book) ...
But traditional methods such as fasting, sleep deprivation, frenetic dancing, sensory deprivation, self-flagellation, etc are all O.K.? Unfair!
Personally, I tend to give a lot less credibility to spiritual experiences which reportedly occur under such conditions than those which occur unasked-for in the middle of an otherwise normal day to a person with no history or subsequent diagnosis of mental illness when that person is neither hungry, thirsty, fatigued, or under the influence of substances legal or illegal . . .
> If there is a "spirituality gene" and some people are lacking, if they > feel deprived, might they be more inclined toward drug experiences to > achieve such feelings?
Perhaps, but how can one be sure those are genuine spiritual experiences (assuming at least for the sake of this discussion that such experiences are possible) rather than the effects of the drugs?
-- Ronn! :)
God bless America, Land that I love! Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam… God bless America! My home, sweet home.
-- Irving Berlin (1888-1989)
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