“The word entheogen was coined to denote psychedelic chemicals and botanicals that engender the experience of god within. drawing on william james, charles tart, and ken wilber, the authors claim that a complete study of religion must include entheogens, and they propose topics leading toward an entheogen research agenda: (a) the spititual nature of the human mind, (b) the dispute over the authenticity of entheogen-assisted religious experiences, (c) pastoral counseling, (d) experimental mysticism, (e) entheogenic origins of religion, and (f) policy issues in freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. the authors conclude with seven recommendations to churches, religious orders, seminaries, and scholarly and scientific professional groups for actions they can take to promote entheogenic research.”

“The experiences resulting from the use of psychedelic drugs are often described in religious terms. they are therefore of interest to those like myself who, in the tradition of william james, (1) are concernednwith the psychology of religion. for more than thirty years i have been studying the causes, the consequences, and the conditions of those peculiar states of consciousness in which the individual discovers himself to be one continuous process with god, with the universe, with the ground of being, or whatever name he may use by cultural conditioning or personal preference for the ultimate and eternal reality. we have no satisfactory and definitive name for experiences of this kind. the terms ‘religious experience,’ ‘mystical experience,’ and ‘cosmic consciousness’ are all too vague and comprehensive to denote that specific mode of consciousness which, to those who have known it, is as real and overwhelming as falling in love. this article describes such states of consciousness induced by psychedelic drugs, although they are virtually indistinguishable from genuine mystical experience. the article then discusses objections to the use of psychedelic drugs that arise mainly from the opposition between mystical values and the traditional religious and secular values of western society.”