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Originally Posted by Meier_Link
I became highly religious myself for a few months after taking a lot of acid.
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This isn't the first I've heard of this... anyone else out there have religious-acid experiences?
As for my own story...
man, it's a doozy. I'll *try* to summarize. I was raised in a relatively areligious (is that a word?) home by a Buddhist mom and lapsed-Catholic dad, got interested completely on my own at 14, was very devout for about 7 years (high school and then chose on my own to attend an evangelical college, quite the formative time), then started questioning the logic and compassion of American evangelical Christianity and insitutional religion in general. That was an interesting four years.
I'm now 25 and in grad school, studying anthropology (which does wonders for an objective look at religion), still wondering about the absolute but growing more and more content in not needing to know it all and just enjoying the ride. I tossed many of the rules and regulations out the window and feel much more like I am back to my childhood "faith" of being agnostic. I don't need to believe in heaven, hell, etc but I do still feel the presence of ____ whatever IT is, when I leave enough room inside myself to be aware of something greater. And that's about all I need these days. Maybe that will change, maybe it won't... we'll see.
Those who practice religion: I have many friends who are still very strong Christians and I don't look down on them at all. They are very intelligent people and I respect them for their beliefs and life experience, as long as they don't push themselves on me and try to make me feel like a lost sheep or something. Which they don't, at least the ones who are still my friends.
But yeah, studying anthropology, I definitely see the function of religion, and it's not always some horrible twisted thing. It can be quite beautiful. In fact the only things I really miss from my past are singing in church, of all things, and being around a group of people who are sincerely seeking a more just way to live and treat others in this world (I was not around the type of Christians who were hypocrites or that incurred bitterness; they really lived what they preached, which made it harder for me to walk away from them.)
I also find that my own experience enables me to understand those who still believe strongly... so I am glad for my past and wouldn't trade it for anything. (Yes, even the long years of fervent virginity!)
