Jesus 'healed using cannabis oil' (The Guardian)

[IChing]

Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles
Monday January 6, 2003
The Guardian

Jesus was almost certainly a cannabis user and an early proponent of the medicinal properties of the drug, according to a study of scriptural texts published this month. The study suggests that Jesus and his disciples used the drug to carry out miraculous healings.

The anointing oil used by Jesus and his disciples contained an ingredient called kaneh-bosem which has since been identified as cannabis extract, according to an article by Chris Bennett in the drugs magazine, High Times, entitled Was Jesus a Stoner? The incense used by Jesus in ceremonies also contained a cannabis extract, suggests Mr Bennett, who quotes scholars to back his claims "There can be little doubt about a role for cannabis in Judaic religion," Carl Ruck, professor of classical mythology at Boston University said.>>>snip

"If cannabis was one of the main ingredients of the ancient anointing oil _ and receiving this oil is what made Jesus the Christ and his followers Christians, then persecuting those who use cannabis could be considered anti-Christ," Mr Bennett conclude

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,869273,00.html#article_continue

[nankerphelge]

1. WWJD?

Smoke out?

[MADem]

16. WWJS?

Or would he make brownies??? Now that would be a REAL heckuva job!!!

[NanceGreggs]

2. I always figured ...

n/t

[Tesla]

3. I always thought I had "healing hands", now I know why!!!

Where is that Reflexology Book I had.......

[Acryliccalico]

73. Me Too!...........n/t

:hippie:

[salvorhardin]

4. Didn't I read this in High Times

A decade ago?

[Vinnie From Indy]

20. I think it was part of an advertisment

I think it was either the "Gates of Heaven" rolling papers or the "I see Jesus" floor bong in seven assorted colors.

[Vinnie From Indy]

21. dupe

dupe

[occuserpens]

5. Can somebody shut GU up, please? n/t

[TheBaldyMan]

49. what about GU's freedom of speech or freedom of the press

or is Bushco's version of Freedom(tm) the only one that's valid nowadays.

[occuserpens]

71. Please, check the update

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2028807&mesg_id=2029264

[ebayfool]

6. That empty, popping sound you hear in the distance?

Fundy freeper heads exploding ... all over the country!
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Good thing they're so empty, or it would be messy.

[Jamison]

40. LOL They would deny it of course!

"Jesus never used that stuff b/c it was brought to Earth by Satin to destroy all of mankind!!!1!!111!"

[TheBaldyMan]

48. if their brains exploded they wouldn't blow their nose n/t

[Demeter]

7. Please!

Must everything be turned to propaganda and all things corrupted?

[baldguy]

8. I always knew JC was a cool dude!

[wildcat78]

10. I thought you guys said that the Bible is just folklore?

If it is just folklore, then this article is just a fabrication. But, if you say the Jesus used cannibis oil to heal, then you have to acknowledge that Jesus was a historical figure and all what is reported in the Bible is true. Then, that means, the crucification and resurrection really happened and the only way to salvation is through Jesus!

Yes, Jesus is a cool dude!

Acts 4:12

[StClone]

13. Jesus existed

Atheists can believe that.

[Ladyhawk]

39. This atheist doubts even the existence of a historical Jesus.

Too much of New Testament mythology is borrowed from other religions pre-dating the so-called "time of Christ."

[satya]

41. Watching "The God Who Wasn't There", this atheist is with you, Ladyhawk.

http://www.thegodmovie.com/dvd.php

Saw it advertised right here on DU and picked up a copy a few weeks ago. Helped to tie together a lot of threads for me.

[Ladyhawk]

42. I'd like to see that. It's on my Netflix list, but Netflix says the wait

is LONG. :)

[Ladyhawk]

47. It was really hard for me--raised as a fundamentalist--to face such

information. As a fundamentalist, I would not have exposed myself to this film, but after my own doubts festered, I started seeking information and came to the inescapable conclusion that belief in a deity is a fantasy. If you have spent your life relying on a god and expecting to live life eternal in heaven, this reality is a bitter, bitter pill to swallow. It doesn't surprise me that religionists defend their religions to the death because to accept the possibility they are living a lie; the possibility there is no afterlife; the possibility they are, in fact, alone--is simply overwhelming. Gut-wrenching fear motivates them to put their fingers in their ears and say, "My religion is true! My religion is true! My religion is true!"

Unfortunately, this defensiveness creates a lot of problems for people who have a different religion or no religion at all. Taken to an extreme, the defensiveness leads to Muslim jihad and asswipes like Robertson and Falwell condemning anyone who doesn't share their delusions.

After admitting the truth to myself, I spent a long time dealing with it. The destruction of an entire world view is painful. Facing the fact that when one dies, one's existence simply ENDS is terrifying, especially if you had been led to believe otherwise. Religion both heightens natural fears (of being alone, of not being in control, of dying) and allays those fears by promising help from a deity and life eternal. It's the ultimate addiction, an addiction which is not only condoned by society, but encouraged.

Until we can all face reality and stand up to the fear, problems created by religion will continue and we will all live in a more violent and uncertain world.

[Fovea]

14. In the new testament texts they mention annointing with oil

It appears that the oil in question contained cannabis.
Ergo, if there was a historical Jesus, who used the annointing oil of his time, he used cannabis.
And apperently so did everyone else who used this type of oil. But since they have found pot among the effects of a 50 thousand year old Russian woman's remains, this is not so surprizing.

Only a warped soul like John Ashcroft can only annoint with crisco.

I don't think that your argument about how mj advocasy here on DU supports the idea that the only way to salvation is through Christ is very tight. I applaud your faith, but not your logic.

[FreedomAngel82]

24. I have no idea

I've always figured it was just regular oil like you use in the old fashioned candle lamps. Know what I'm talking about? :shrug: I haven't really studied much about the oil quite frankly.

[Beam Me Up]

34. Oils and essences were a very significant commodity in the "old days."

There were all kinds of them traded and used for all sorts of purposes from ritual religion/magic to healing which, in those days, often had a spiritual component. You could sort of think of it as "liquid incense" that could be applied to the skin, often very aromatic. The Egyptians had special ones used for mummification, for example. Many of them contained drugs such as opium--just as the better brands of "snake oil" once did in early America.

[antigone382]

37. Well said

There may have been an historical Jesus; there was certainly a time period when he was supposed to have existed so we have the history of the customs of those times. We know that our calendars are based on his years spent here.

But 2,000 years from now, which writings about ** will you believe? Will everything written about ** be truthful? Assuming you could go forward 2,000 years, would you believe ** was the Second Coming, as some have actually claimed, or even a "man of god" - or will you believe the writings which portray him as an evil murderer?

Oops, bhg here, hogging girl's login...Sorry

[crispini]

23. Wow, that's amazingly flawed logic.

Take a logic class, why don'tcha?

[misanthrope]

25. Does that mean...

...that George Washington really threw a coin across the Potomac River then?

[Warren DeMontague]

26. Er, uh.. right.

Yes, clearly, either EVERYTHING in the bible is true, from the cartoonishly ridiculous account of the creation and the implied 6,000 year age of the Earth, or NONE of it is true, and a teacher or rabbi named (or called later on) Jesus never existed, much less used cannabis oil to help people.. Mmmm hmmm.

But thanks for stopping in to proseltyze, buddy. Enjoy yer stay.

[blonndee]

29. Um, "you guys" who? I think the others have covered

the extremely flawed logic you're depending upon.

I teach freshman comp and even my froshies wouldn't try to get away with such a weak argument.

[High Plains]

33. Hmm, more like Revelations 4: 20 n/t

[JVS]

43. Yeah, isn't the consensus that there is no evidence he existed?

[nashville_brook]

63. this study, and any like it look at judaic anthropology

what bennett is saying is that IF JC existed, and IF JC ran with medicine people, THEN JC would have most likely incorporated CANNABIS OIL in "annointing" modalities.

they would have also used many other compounds and modalities. you don't have to be orthodox in faith to examine the texts and learn something about the context of the narrative.

[BlueJazz]

9. Hallelujah!!! Brother!...I was an Atheist but I surely feel the spirit

..of Jesus..ah.."rolling" me toward his Glory!

[IChing]

11. sorry folks it's old but I wanted to include it on the Senate post

I alerted the mod on my mistake.

[fooj]

12. Makes perfect sense to me.

:smoke:

Peace.

[savemefromdumbya]

15. That explains a lot - the walking on the water!!!!!

[TahitiNut]

17. Now the Book of Revelation makes more sense.

It seems John was doing a bit of bad cannabis on Patmos ... apostlizing as it were.

[IChing]

18. "We need to love one another"

makes more sense now.
but of course that saying always made sense.

[Vinnie From Indy]

19. If the Last Supper would have occurred today...

the table would have been littered with cheetos, pizza boxes and Twinkie wrappers. At least they wouldn't have to go to the liquor store to get wine. I wonder if JC lived today if he would turn water into a nice Belgian ale? Would it be a sin to ask him to turn a twig into a nice Cuban after dinner?

[Midnight Rambler]

44. "When supper was ended, he took the bong and loaded it..."

"...and gave you thanks and praise, passed the bong to his discples and said, 'Take this, all of you, and hit it. This is my bud, the bud of the new and everlasting covenant. It shall be smoked by you and by all so that sins may be forgiven... *smoke* dothisinmemoryofme!'"

:smoke:

[verse18]

67. Unless the Last Supper was on a Sunday.

"At least they wouldn't have to go to the liquor store to get wine."

Where I live you can't by wine on a Sunday becuase JC wouldn't want you to.

[Erika]

22. Women in labor were commonly given cannabis for pain relief

in those times. Now we just pay the drug companies billions of dollars for pain and stress medication.

We could grow our own at a very minor cost.

[Beam Me Up]

35. ding^^^ One of the many real reasons its illegal.

[nashville_brook]

56. good point -- midwifery was always the center of medical knowledge

something about necessity being the mother of invention.

also see this thread on Albert Hoffman turning 100:

Father of LSD, now 100, and his 'problem child'
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x183868

his ergot research was inspired by midwifery medicine.

[Beam Me Up]

60. Double Wow!

1: I hadn't made that connection, although I knew that one of the reasons Hoffman was researching ergot was because it had been used to staunch bleeding by midwives. VERY interesting.

2: I didn't realize Hoffman's birthday is January 11-- That's MY birthday too!! :party: :hippie: :hi:

[nashville_brook]

61. i got into midwifery lore in college

which sounds really weird because i didn't set out to learn about it. not a girly girl in that way. it came from reading medical anthropology; working at a health food store; and doing biodiversity work. i already knew about the sociology of medicine, but then i met some really cool midwives who really sharpened the focus.

when you think about why it is that we know the things we know -- well for me -- it reminds me of how much we don't know. how much has been held back for political reasons. this is the case now with Junior's War on Science. there's always been a war on science. and a war fought with "drugs."

[nashville_brook]

62. the science war used to have a female face

now they are going straight to the Source and putting God's face on it.

Intelligent design VERSUS creationism. cretinism. there's no fight here. no one teaches The Origin of Life in high school science class. the kids who wonder about The Origin of Life or either being indoctrinated in church or experimenting on their own. in science class you hopefully learn thinking strategies. the war on drugs AND the war on science are wars against thinking strategies. it's an offensive affront to freedom regardless of how many bong hits you did last nite.

[nashville_brook]

64. see top of greatest page: war on science still has a woman's face

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=75750&mesg_id=75750

[Warren DeMontague]

27. NO HE DIDNT! He drove a Hummer and drank Schlitz Malt Liquor.

And he sure as shit didn't recycle the cans when he was done. He just threw 'em on the side of the road to Nazareth, and laughed menacingly at the disapproving frowns of those Judean sierra club elitist tree-huggers.

I'll tell you @%(*^(@ing hippies something else: HE DID NOT HAVE LONG HAIR like some fairy peacenik, either, dammit!

[norml]

28. Holy Smokes!

Praise the Lord and pass the Cannabis!

[shrike]

30. I thought Jesus didn't exist

At least that's what I keep reading on DU.

Now he's a mythical guy who used a real-life oil. I suppose in some circles that's an improvement.

[OneBlueSky]

31. have you seen Jesus in "The Book of Daniel"? . . .

yup . . . he's stoned . . .

[peanutbrittle]

32. JC would be labeled a domestic terrorist nowadays n/t

[Beam Me Up]

36. All of the great ancients were stoners. Ever here of the Kykeon?

Kykeon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kykeon

Kykeon (Gr. ??????, from ?????, "to stir, to mix") was an Ancient Greek drink made mainly of water, barley and herbs. It was used at the climax of the Eleusinian Mysteries to break a sacred fast, but it was also a favourite drink of Greek peasants.

Kykeon is mentioned in Homeric texts: the Iliad describes it as consisting of barley, water, herbes and ground goat cheese (XV, 638–641). In the Odyssey, Circe adds some honey and pours her magic potion in it (X, 234). In the The Homeric Hymn to Demeter, the goddess refuses red wine but accepts kykeon made from water, barley and pennyroyal.

It was supposed to have digestive properties. Hermes recommends it in Aristophanes' Peace (v. 712) to the hero who ate too much dry fruit and nuts. Aristocrats shunned it as a peasant drink. Theophrastus depicts in his Characters (IV, 2–3) a peasant whose thyme breath inconveniences his neighbours at the Ecclesia.

In an attempt to solve the mystery of how so many people over the span of two millennia could have consistently experienced revelatory states during the culminating ceremony of the Eleusinian Mysteries, it has been posited that the barley used in the Eleusinian kykeon was parasitized by ergot, and that the psychoactive properties of that fungus triggered the intense experiences alluded to by the participants at Eleusis.

Various modern attempts to duplicate the kykeon using ergot have yielded inconclusive results.
For more on the possibilities of the Kykeon's psychoactive properties, see entheogenic theories of the mysteries.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

38. No surprise at all.

He managed to heal me!

[thecai]

45. "Man Made Alcohol, GOD Made Pot"...

...GOD is perfect, man is not". (author?)

[KnaveRupe]

46. "The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross"

by John Allegro, Doubleday 1970

Early Xtians were part of a mushroom cult! The "body of Christ" was a 'shroom.

THAT explains that whole Book of Revelations!

[G_j]

50. Ministers claim to have anointed the chairs for Alito hearings

mm..

http://mikethemadbiologist.blogspot.com/2006/01/at-least-its-not-crisco.html

Friday, January 06, 2006
At Least It's Not Crisco...
...or K-Y jelly. From the Wall Street Journal via Salon:

The Wall Street Journal has just reported that three Christian ministers claim to have snuck into a Senate hearing room in order to anoint the chairs that will be used for Samuel Alito's confirmation hearing next week.

"We did adequately apply oil to all the seats," the Rev. Rob Schenck tells the Journal. Schenck and his colleagues insisted that they aren't taking sides in the confirmation fight. But Schenck said that God is "interested" in "what goes on" in Alito's confirmation process.
<snip>

[fujiyama]

51. So they found the real

Jesus Juice!

:smoke:

[sweetheart]

52. stoner?

Excellent, cannabis was widely used in jesus' time.

But beneath that, there is a subtle dig in the
article suggesting that jesus' enlightenment could be just a big bong hit.
Here, methinks they are swiftboating profound christianity in to a
frame that few people respect. Why? Is it the secular wish of the
author(s) to take a dig?

Or are they just making another valid argument for us to
finally drop the war on plants.

[Berry Cool]

53. Let's take a closer look at this.

First, the High Times article. It's simply another attempt by marijuana users to make marijuana use look good by co-opting a religious figure. Is that a surprise to anyone, that High Times should be publishing pro-cannabis propaganda? LOL.

Second, if you're an atheist and don't believe Jesus even existed, why would this article change your opinion of that? A person who never existed can't have used cannabis to heal anyone.

Third, if you're a Christian, why would this article change your opinion? You take your belief on faith (you don't need scientific proof of anything you believe--in fact, scientific proof would run counter to your faith). You believe Jesus had the capacity to heal without using any sort of earthly substances that a doctor or healer would have used at any point in history. You would believe that because he was divine, he did not need any of those. Not cannabis, or anything else. So this article would not change your opinion of that, either.

So, in essence, the article makes a difference only to people who, well, sorta kinda believe there might have been a Jesus once, but he was just a man, and if he healed, he only did it the same way a doctor heals. He never raised anyone from the dead, for example--they only SEEMED dead.

And, if that's what you believe, and you're sitting around smoking a joint and reading High Times, you'll read it and say "Hey man, Jesus was a cool dude! Pass the Cheetos!"

Otherwise, don't expect to see a whole lot of Christians out there rending their garments in agony because there's "scientific proof" that Demon Cannabis was used by Jesus. And don't expect to see a whole lot of atheists (except for brainless ones) suddenly coming to the conclusion that "Jesus existed, and he was cool 'cause he was a stoner, man!"

[sweetheart]

54. The guardian

Is a liberal paper read by all segments of society in britain,
the vast majority atheist. Those who are of faith in britain, are,
like true christians of their american bretheren, not bothered by
cannabis revisionism.

So the remaining target is the more public visible christians who
may be perhaps less sure of their faith, hence the need to wave it
around. These persons are the sure target of this propaganda, as
the silent majority of atheists can have some fun watching them twist
on their tory-drugs-war rack realizing they torture jesus.

Yet the net result, as with BBC newscasting, is to diminish respect
for religion, in this case christianity. To mistakenly read a
guardian article like its published in the high times is to
misinterpret its spin by mistaking context.

[mr blur]

65. One of the reasons I like the paper so much:

"Yet the net result, as with BBC newscasting, is to diminish respect
for religion, in this case christianity.

I'm not sure that's their intention but, hey, whatever works...

Britain is a secular society, despite the claims that it's a "christian country". What that means, I think, is that it's not actively anything else

[sweetheart]

68. I agree with you on that one!

When the BBC's religion editor is an atheist, i think the message is
all pretty clear. As a buddhist, could i really care? No, but buddhism
is closer to deism and theism than atheism. And then i sympathize with
all religious persons that the public voice, however seculrar the
state and the agencies of state, that a public broadcasting media would
disenfranchise religious persons... i don't think its right.

Religious persons i know watch either cable TV or don't watch TV,
because of this bias.

And i'm glad secular society is not actively anything else.
Yet society is not secular, just government, and i'm part of society.

[Cults4Bush]

55. This rings like you have something against marjuana users.

"It's simply another attempt by marijuana users to make marijuana use look good".

Maybe you have your own propaganda/agenda that you are trying to push. Why did you go off on Sweethearts post out of all of 'em? You could have just repsonded to the OP with what you had to say.

You have totally harshed out my Sunday morning high... sigh.

puff puff give

[nashville_brook]

58. see the LSD discussion for more of this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x183868#183883

[nashville_brook]

57. sometimes articles just exist

i don't see this as hemproganda.

the article reports new archaeological info. high times picked it up b/c it's of interest to their readers. it could just as easily be reported in a medical or pharmaceutical journal.

[Warren DeMontague]

70. You ought to do a little more research on the history of world religions

and the undeniable links they have had to chemically attained 'mystical' states.

While you're patting yourself on the back and laughing self-congratulatorially at those 'cheeto-passing stoners', you might want to consider that humans have historically altered their consciousness for religious and spiritual purposes (as well as simple entertainment reasons, although it's a measure of how twisted some of our 'religious' dogmas have become that some folks seemingly can't even conceive of some overlap there.) since the beginning of time, and mind-altering entheogens have been central -this is a historical FACT, Jack- to religions as varied as hunter-gatherer shamanic cults.. to the pagan religions of old Europe.. to the Native American Peyote cults.. to, yes, ALL the major Western Monotheistic Religions.

So, by all means, maaaaaaaaan.. I would urge you to "take a closer look" at this.

[nashville_brook]

78. entertainment vs. spiritual experience

maybe this is why postmodern culture seems so empty. we are given television when we crave spiritual communion.

[Warren DeMontague]

79. I think you're on to something there.

people in modern society know something is missing, IMHO, but given the sterile, strip-malled environs of modern America they seek to fill the gnawing void at their core by either buying stuff or hocking their upper brain functions to mindless televangelist hucksterism.

I'm technically an Atheist with Taoist leanings (or a Taoist with atheistic leanings) but I got a good chunk of my 'spiritual communion' -and that's exactly what it was- through seeing the Grateful Dead over the years. I realize I was lucky.

[nashville_brook]

59. i don't get -- reducing His Wisdom to bong hits

i get that he hung with the womenfolk and knew a little about plant use. we know now that "healing" with plants ain't no big deal. it seemed magical to pre-modern people but we should be totally cool with it now.

he didn't KNOW about cannabis from smoking it -- he knew about from cavorting with midwives. so, the most offensive thing here to an orthodoxtian would be cavorting with women...maybe even having SEX with them. whether or not they used cannabis medicinally would have had no social impact...to them. a first century jew or roman couldn't make any sense of our drug prohibition unless you showed them the balence sheet. actually, that stands for any rational person pre or postmodern.

[IChing]

66. I place this article because of this LBN story that got moved to GDP

Which I think had more merit, but the two articles got seperated.



Ministers Say They Blessed Seats (oil )Ahead of Alito Hearing (WSJ)

Edited on Sat Jan-07-06 06:27 PM by IChing

WASHINGTON -- Insisting that God "certainly needs to be involved" in the Supreme Court confirmation process, three Christian ministers today blessed the doors of the hearing room where Senate Judiciary Committee members will begin considering the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito on Monday.

Capitol Hill police barred them from entering the room to continue what they called a consecration service. But in a bit of one-upsmanship, the three announced that they had let themselves in a day earlier, touching holy oil to the seats where Judge Alito, the senators, witnesses, Senate staffers and the press will sit, and praying for each of the 13 committee members by name.

"We did adequately apply oil to all the seats," said the Rev. Rob Schenck, who identified himself as an evangelical Christian and as president of the National Clergy Council in Washington.

Rev. Schenck called the consecration service the kick-off in a series of prayer meetings that will continue throughout the confirmation hearing. >>>>>>snip

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB113649645107138940-Ku05eyOWs5xFbqD33aaAarliwqo_20060112.html?mod=blogs
I wonder if they use cannabis oil?
new link to this story is here:http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x78536

[nashville_brook]

77. so, the Alito annointing won't work without the poot

there's some good news.

[Initech]

69. What would Jesus inhale?

[occuserpens]

72. Nothing funny

Please, check http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2028807&mesg_id=2029264

[Warren DeMontague]

74. What isn't funny is that we blow $40 billion a year on a "War on Drugs"

waged mainly against pot and pot smokers- and that's not even counting the costs of our ridiculous incarceration rates for non-violent drug offenders.

I think it's extremely likely that Jesus (if such a person existed) and Early Christians may have been cannabis users, and so what if they were? The hysteria and demonization around that particular plant doesn't date back much farther than W.R. Hearst... who we KNOW existed.

[HR_Pufnstuf]

75. ahhh, so he was a long-haired hippy freak.

I always wondered why his followers didn't wear his hairstyle, a la Elvis fans.

[nashville_brook]

76. Rastafarians a lost Judaic tribe... cannabis connection is nothing new