The Early Development Of Human Consciousness

This paper has presented a definition of religion, as well as an examination of its parts to determine if the definition is adequate to apply appropriately. Secondly, this paper has examined several practices and experiences common to both major religions of the worlds, as well as indigenous religions. Lastly, the key critical issues of the study of religions and reasons for their consideration have been identified and discussed.

In his book Future of an Illusion, Sigmund Freud utilizes his method of psychoanalysis on religion by comparing the relationship between human and religion to that of a child and his parents. Freud effectively demonstrates that religion is a product of the human mind. After exposing religion as a an illusion, Freud concludes that humanity will be better off when it has forgone religion. This paper will argue that Freud's assertion that religion is an illusion is correct because of it's blatantly traceable evolution through the history of the human civilization and psyche.

Religion is a species-specific human universal phenomenon, complex, full of paradoxes, and found in all cultures. Social scientists and anthropologists since the late 17th century have attempted to rationally answer questions about religion, and while we can't evaluate the veracity of religion’s claims, we can attempt to understand its functions.

In Adam Barton’s film, The Stoned Ages (2011), researches the historical use of drugs and the institutional response upon the use of drugs by the masses. The Stoned Ages (2011) exposes an overwhelming discovery of drug use by people of ancient times and a connection of persistent patterns world-wide. Human beings have been in pursuit of expanding psychological capabilities from the beginning of human evolution (Barton, 2011). Social advancements depicted in The Stone Ages (2011), have derived from the use substances such as psychedelic mushrooms, during ancient rituals; permitting individuals to communicate with sacred Gods. Barton (2011) also discovers the use of drugs among Ancient Greek politicians as well, illustrating the wide use of drugs among people around the world and therefore theorizing the concept of drug use as an element of human behavior (Barton, 2011). According to Marc-Antoine Crocq’s (2007) research article summarizing the existence of drug use throughout the history of human-kind; “Schematically, psychoactive substances have been used (1) in religious ceremonies by priests; (ii) for medicinal purposes; or (iii) massively, as staple commodities, by large segments of the population in a socially approved way” (Crocq, 2007). Explained in Barton’s (2011) documentary however, the use of drugs had dire consequences caused by elitists’ hunger for power; Christians forbade the use of drugs with severe tactics of enforcement and lethally persecuting those who

Since then conservative ideology and federal laws have prevented research or studies into entheogens and the human mind. To understand whether or not entheogens can produce religious experiences it important to understand the parameters and definitions that make up the typology of religious experiences, the effects of entheogens like lysergic acid diethylamide on the human mind, and previous case studies that tried to understand the relationship between entheogens and religious experience.

“Religious belief evolved by group-selection, tribe competing against tribe, and the illogic of religions is not a weakness, but their essential strength” these words spoken by Edward Osborne Wilson an American Biologist speaks volume in our daily lives, George Lucas in his science fiction film Star Wars Episode 1V: A New Hope, explores the theme of religion. Religion means to have faith in something. It explains the things we are unable to see. To find true religion, we must have “ Force” and believe.

Throughout history the access to the metaphysical world has been of interest for a variety of cultures and religions across the world. Over the years, men have claimed to have travelled to or seen a of glimpse of the spirit world. It has been evident that in many cultures the use of herbs and other organic substance has assisted in this journey through the metaphysical world. The psychedelic experiences of many of these substances are what have been given these individuals experiences that are beyond reality, possible due to hallucinations. Most recently psychedelics have been strongly associated with the counter culture of the 60’s. However, the evidence of psychedelic use dates back to many ancient societies. The psychedelic compound, DMT,

Religion is a guideline for social conduct; additionally one may conclude of the gospel, and superstitious practices are the closest perceptible occurrence humans can term ‘magic. ' There are several definitions of the word religion because no one seems concise. One proper definition, according to Merriam-Webster, is “Religion is a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices” (Merriam-Webster, 2015). One might think that this distinguishing definition is most suitable for the purpose of this assignment. This paper will discuss the interviews of three different people who associate themselves with a particular religion. Hiawatha Macomb, Maxine Hawthorne, and Christian X will answer questions about their beliefs concerning religion, spirituality, faith, and perceptions about religion. In brief, the participants will have honest discussions about their beliefs in God and the supernatural.

Hallucinogens: a general group of pharmacological agents that can be divided into three broad categories: psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. Hallucinogenic drugs have played a role in civilization for thousands of year. It began with naturally occurring hallucinogens, such as the peyote cactus plant and wild mushrooms. Now there are man made drugs that have the same or more intense affects. These include lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), MDMA (ecstasy), and dextromethorphan (DMX, often found in cough syrup). Within this essay, I will cover the history, production, and affects of hallucinogenic drugs.

The belief in Gods has always existed throughout human’s recored history. Whether it be the Greek Gods: Apollo, and Zeus, or the Judeo-Christian God, believed by Christians in modern day society. The belief of God has always existed among humans, however, assuming God does not exist, what explains the cultural evolution of such a false belief, namely religion? I shall argue that the reason this false belief is successful is because it manipulates human nature better than any other belief by these three points: an avoidance of death (the soul), a sense of worth (knowledge), and a sense, or need of belief (faith).

Nevertheless, the major connection between religion and psychiatry evolved when the church began emphasizing the care of the sick (Boehnlein 13). The increase in attention on medicine and healthcare in the church allowed for expansion of knowledge as well as resources used to help heal various illnesses. Christianity was the powerhouse of medicine, maintaining, and monopolizing the medical field (Boehnlein 14). This monopoly allowed for the expansion of knowledge as well as strengthened the argument that connected God with medicine and health. As a result, religion has encouraged major expansion in the world of medicine. Throughout history, religion and medicine coexisted as a way to justify any illness by saying it was a punishment from God. Katherine Darton solidifies this statement when she states in her article, “Notes of the History of Mental Health Care,” that during prehistoric times, there was no separation between magic, religion, and medicine (Darton). The lack of separation between these various areas was the result of a lack of knowledge about science, and it resulted in many people left untreated or treated

Psychedelics are an uncommon topic brought up in medicine. Because of the status of psychedelic drugs being restricted for recreational use, in developed countries such as The United States of America and The United Kingdom, it is hardly studied and looked at (Wolfson, 2015). However, with prior history with psychedelic drugs such as Methamphetamine, Psilocybin and Lysergic acid diethylamide, there is proof that these drugs have positive effects on treating mental disorders. Only because of modern connotations, these psychedelic drugs are being rejected in medicine. However, in other parts of the world such as Africa and The Amazon Rainforest, some of these drugs are regularly used for spiritual and religious rituals (Kavenská, 2015). Regardless

In Shamanic rituals, psychoactive substances are used as entheogens; drugs used in religious contexts to enter the “trance,” previously discussed. Shamans from diverse cultures even speak of “opening a hole in the head to allow spirit to come in.” In Shamanism, it is believed that drugs expand one’s consciousness, allowing the user to understand the greater context of his existence. Thereby, the shaman can release his personal emotions and biases, as they become irrelevant in the grand scheme he witnesses. However, there lies a distinction between recreationally using a drug and doing so in a Shamanic ritual. The words and songs the shaman sings when preparing and taking the drug in, cause the drug to become more powerful due to the union created between the shaman and the plant spirit. It is believed that while power animals are available to anyone, plant spirits only help shamans. Additionally, the music, which accompanies Shamanic rituals allows the shaman to avoid frightening experiences caused by the drugs that initiate his

Psychedelic substances are an extremely controversial subject in Western science. They are most likely the first psychoactive substances encountered by human ancestors and their impact on our culture is often underestimated. Although they are full of scientific insight into the fields of anthropology and neuroscience, psychedelics are usually met with apprehension due to political motives and unprofessional research conducted during the 1960s counterculture. Although there are certain risks involved when using psychedelics, they are in no way to be classified as having “zero medical properties”, which is exactly how they are represented in current drug scheduling. In fact, there is an enormous body of literature suggesting that psychedelics

Research studies have shown efforts to distinguish differences between religious and nonreligious individuals in areas of physiological studies. In an article called The Neural Correlates of Religious and Nonreligious Belief (Harris, Kaplan, Curiel, Bookheimer, Lacoboni, and Cohen 2009), the topic of physiological studies attempts to discover differences between religious believers and the non- religious is expanded. The researchers intend to discover the difference in brain activity of religious believers and non-religious believers when presented with questions of fact and questions of fiction. This critique will present the researchers main questions, the methods used, the results of the experiments, and conclusions. The study’s strengths, validity, consistency and weaknesses will also be assessed throughout this critique.