Extatic Intoxication in Religion
- Source: American Journal of Psychology (Vol 28 No 4 1917)
- Author: James H. Leuba (Wikipedia)
Summary
Prejudices abound!
Before the mid-20th century, when scholars began to look at indigenous cultures as valuable, many early writers dismissed the use of psychoactives in religion as “primitive beliefs”. James H. Leuba was one of those writers.
Herein, Leuba derides the Soma of the Vedics, the alcohol of the Dionysians, and the cannabis of India. Thankfully, in the following decades, scholars would come to see value in these religious expressions instead of mocking them.