Product Description

On a 2001 trip to the cathedrals of Europe, anthropologist John Rush and his wife entered St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice and encountered a mosaic depicting Jesus surrounded by mushrooms with an Amanita muscaria cap in his hand. Examining the space with new eyes, they discovered images of mushrooms and mind-altering plants all over the Basilica. Intrigued, Dr. Rush spent seven years researching and reflecting on the profound effects hallucinogens had on the founding of all three major Western religions. He concluded that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are political constructions evolving out of the use of not only Amanita muscaria, but a plethora of mind-altering substances.

Failed God: Fractured Myth in a Fragile World re-examines the scriptural stories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as told in the Bible and Qur’an and reveals them as “concocted mythical charters stemming from drug-induced romps with the super-natural.” Rush shows how mind-altering substances played an instrumental role in the birth and development of Western religions and explains how they contributed to reports of “prophetic” experiences, including angry and disturbing messages from the divine. With chapters on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Rush fully addresses the effects of mind-altering substances on each tradition, convincingly discrediting the idea that they stem from actual human interaction with the divine. He also shows how an intoxicated and over-zealous Apostle Paul corrupted Jesus’s simple message of human decency, forming an oppressive religious system based on fear. In a thought-provoking conclusion, Rush asks how we can continue to attribute authority to traditions that were so clearly irrationally founded and incompatible with today’s world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64232 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-28
• Released on: 2008-10-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 472 pages

Review
“John Allegro argued Jesus was a mushroom. Rush has proven him correct.”
—Jan Irvin, author of The Holy Mushroom and co-author, with Andrew Rutajit, of Astrotheology & Shamanism

About the Author
John A. Rush, PhD, ND, is a Professor of Anthropology at Sierra College, Rocklin, California who teaches courses in Physical Anthropology and Magic, Witchcraft and Religion. Dr. Rush’s publications include Clinical Anthropology: An Application of Anthropological Concepts within Clinical Settings (1996), Stress and Emotional Health: Applications of Clinical Anthropology (1999), Spiritual Tattoo: A Cultural History of Tattooing, Piercing, Scarification, Branding, and Implants (2005), and The Twelve Gates: A Spiritual Passage through the Egyptian Books of the Dead (2007). He is also a Naturopathic Doctor and Medical Hypnotherapist in private practice.

Customer Reviews

Fantastic
Mr. Rush is a very informed and articulate writer. My wife and I have enjoyed this book immensely. My suggestion to those new on the topic of the drug/fertility cult origins of Christianity would be to first read (The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross: A Study of the Nature and Origins of Christianity within the Fertility Cults of the Ancient Near East-- John Allegro). In my opinion, Mr. Allegro set the stage and Mr. Rush drives the point home. Well done, sir.

Failed God - Bias or opinion
Rush's book is not for everyone, only those looking for the path to truth regarding the development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It seems that when someone has an opinion that negates the historicity of these traditions they are bias, while those who uphold these traditions as truth are unbiased. For or against it is all opinion (bias), and it is refreshing to see a number of scholars, uncompromised by political correctness, willing to advance opinions especially about mind-altering substances (plants, fungi, and potions) that are obviously at the center of these traditions. About 70 percent of North Americans maintain very irrational supernatural beliefs, stories told them by rabbis, priests, imams, and ministers, and just because it comes under the heading of "religious freedom" doesn't make it right, truth, or something that should be encouraged. Individual spirituality and relationship to God is one thing; all the symbols are open to interpretation. But when it's the clergy telling the individual what to believe and how to worship, that's politics. As Joseph Campbell stated many years ago, the Bible and Qur'an are "guide books to schizophrenia." Judaism, Christianity, and Islam belong to a different time period, different cultures, and are out of step with what we know about the universe today. This leads to a great deal of confusion and irrational behavior--like killing people in the name of God or Allah. This is a must read for anyone seeking the truth and I'm looking forward to Rush's sequel, The Mushroom in Christian Art.

Must have an open mind to read this book
This book must be approached with a very open mind since the author has very strong view points about religion and religious practices. If you can't be impartial about a direct assault on your religion this book is probably not for you.