I'm aware that opiates and other mind-altering drugs have (and are still) used in various religious exercises of different faiths. What I don't agree with the researcher is that Moses had to be high to hear from God. The researcher said,
"As far Moses on Mount Sinai is concerned, it was either a supernatural cosmic
event, which I don't believe, or a legend, which I don't believe either, or
finally, and this is very probable, an event that joined Moses and the people of
Israel under the effect of narcotics," Shanon told Israeli public radio on
Tuesday.
Basically, the researches believes the event happened (which means it is not legend), but that it was not a supernatural cosmic event. Hence the need for drugs to have the experience Moses had. There are some that beleive that the crowds that saw Jesus ascend into heaven were experiencing a group hallucination.
I think what we see is that we have lost the ability to believe in the supernatural power of God. We have found, through science, that many times there is a quantitative explanation for each event. And while I affirm what science does- it is simply amazing, but science does not mean that God does not work inside and outside the realms of the laws of nature. One should seriously consider reading Francis Collins' book, The Language of God.
Here is my big problem with Shanon, the researcher in the article above...our stance on this comes down to our view of God. First, if God is the Creator of the universe, then God can altar the rules of nature to communicate to His created beings. If God created the sea, then God can part the sea. If God breathed life into humanity, than God can certainly bring a person back from the dead. Miracles occur because God exist outside our concept of time and space. God is transcendant, above and beyond our limitations and boundaries.
Is the God we serve and worship big enough to work in miraculous ways? I believe that God is.
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