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John Allegro, having accumulated such a fan base that gravitates towards information in disagreement with Christianity while not presenting a clear understanding of Christianity leaves a lot of room for both error and debate through, “The Sacred Mushroom and The Cross”. Chapters four through six expound on plants and drugs, plant names and the mysteries of the fungus, and the key of the kingdom.

Allegro continues innuendo utilizing eroticism in a seemingly ironic way as if it discredits the formation of Abram’s faith prior to being renowned as Abraham. Beginning chapter four with notations on discovery of Sumerian tablets containing information in tandem with holistic medicines similar to those found in the ancient Americas, ancient India, and ancient China. It is not debated that medicinal practices using natural and organic products has been around since the dawn of man. The question is how prevalent were intoxicating combinations used in the ancient world.

Naturally growing herbs, fungus, and the fermentation process are well known to alter the conscious state, the physical state, and sometimes both. In medicinal settings, whether to encourage the healings of physical well-being, or mental well-being would have been directed by the physician administering the combination. In many cultures, even to this day, the word Shaman is used to describe a guide chosen for a spirit quest (generally assuming the client is willingly consuming a powerful hallucinogenic). Ayahuasca is the most renowned chemical combination that induces experiences unparalleled in the drug-user community worldwide.

It is not known is John M. Allegro was aware of Ayahuasca considering it is of South American origin, but in parallel to the interest in psilocybin and plants it would have been of keen interest. If there is a question to whether or not religion is a biological adaptation, then the answer is surely yes. There is not a question to whether or not rituals, and religious practices evolve in such a way as to reflect the mainstream culture in any given era. The truth behind Christianity is that it is not a faith of cult-ritual. It is a faith of daily application with the awareness that rituals and laws can be broken if it is pursuit of loving thy neighbor.

Jesus makes a claim in Mark 2:27 declaring that “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath”. This can pair with First Timothy 1:9-10 when it is written by Paul that, “We realize that law is not enacted or made for the righteous, but the lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, the murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave-traders, liars, and perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine”.

These concepts from first century Christianity were not common amongst the Hebrews, and in many cases were not common throughout the Roman Empire. Part of the success of the Republic was holding fast to honor and glory which came by following the rules set forth by the legions. The eloquent structure and organization of dozens of cultures and languages over hundreds of years forged the Roman Empire and its forces into the powerhouse that seized Israel rights before Jesus’ lifetime.

After taking some personal time off to read, move house, and process both religious and secular studies it is time to continue this cordial response through John Allegro’s, “The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross”. Probably even more fascinating than the formal book is the collection of notes throughout the appendix. Allegro’s deep dive into linguistic forensics and cross-referencing should not be overlooked, but it can be said that lack of faith is critical in outcome for belief and life-purpose. Passion and drive are both God-given gifts, yet one does not need to accept belief in God nor Jesus to be gifted with good things. This confuses both believer and non-believer, but this is an absolute truth to humanity. Fairness is not how the laws of our Universe are sustained. One would ask, “What is fair?”

Continuing into Chapter Four, and in my textbook page twenty-nine to thirty, it is important to note irony in Allegro’s secular faith. I am quoting Allegro.

“This kind of careful cataloguing of plant-life does not appear in the Western World until the fifth and fourth centuries BC, and particularly with Theophrastus (372-287 BC), a pupil of both Plato and Aristotle.”

Now, Allegro acknowledges truth in BC or (Before Christ), and he acknowledges a timeframe of history and collected data built around the life of Christ. Along with other references, the historical account of Jesus as a person is not something that good scientists debate. The question is whether or not Jesus was who he truly claimed to be. If anything, the secular mind should at minimum acknowledge Jesus as the most famous person in human history.

Allegro fastens himself to scripture throughout his work noting comparisons and contractions between science and religion that existed thousands of years ago. By looking into the Old Testament, specifically the book of Isaiah it can be found in chapter 47 called, “The Fall of Babylon”.

We can note King Nebuchadnezzar II who is the biblical conquerer who captures Jerusalem. We can note the Ishtar Gate built in what is modern day Iraq. We can note that he built this gate in honor of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. Ishtar is noted as being the ‘Queen of Heaven’. She is the goddess of hedonism. Ishtar was once called Inanna by the Sumerian and Mesopotamian cultures and then called Ishtar while being worshipped by the Assyrians, Akkadians, and Babylonians. Inanna, or Ishtar, is the oldest and most familiar ancient deity who still has a mighty foothold in the world today.

Queen Ishtar was dethroned by King Jesus marking a shift in both humanity, culture, and the pursuit of unity on a global scale. The Lion, the Eight-Pointed Star, Doves, the Hook, and the planet Venus. Ishtar was known to have gone into the underworld for seven days before conquering the darkness to become light itself. Ishtar is the goddess of both War and Love. Sound familiar? The deity of Jesus has been a story that humanity was telling and yearning for through mythology for thousands of years before Jesus was born, and prior to the life of Abraham. The reality of Inanna, or Ishtar, has existed as a cornerstone of faith in humanity that goes deep into the DNA of every human alive today.

The Sumerian hymn Inanna and Utu (Ishtar and her brother) depicts the origin story of Ishtar. She begs her brother to take her to the Underworld so that she may eat the fruit of knowledge that will reveal to her all of the secrets of sex. In doing so, she attains her power. This is the story of both ‘Enki and Ninhursag’ along with the Biblical Story of ‘Adam and Eve’.

Let’s consider Sumerian Poetry, and future mythology that created mes. Mes are building blocks of human society according to Sumerian culture. These would have been well known during the life of Abraham and his wife Sarah. From Inanna, to Ishtar, to Aphrodite the goddesses of love, war, and prostitution were allocated as parts of society necessary for balance and prosperity. The good and bad were roped together as being necessary for the benefits of all. This would change after the life of Jesus.

As Roman conquest led to a more advanced and safe civilization around the Mediterranean the ideas, ideals, and morals of humanity began shifting drastically towards purity. By the time that Constantine pushed for Christianity to be the official religion of the failing Roman Empire the temples were shifted quickly towards the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and away from the mythologies of secular culture that encouraged both temple slavery, patriarchal leadership, and unquestioned sacred prostitution.

Eusebius notes these changes in society occurring about three to four hundred years after Jesus life, death, and resurrection. He notes the conversion of temples of Venus into places of Worship for Christianity. Now, it makes sense that during a time of transition it would make room for traditional pagan beliefs and rituals to make way into the path light of Christianity. A great understanding can be found in the Roman Catholic version of Christianity that kept many traditional and cultural rituals as the society converted from polytheism into a Hebrew-centric monotheism.

To this day there are stories of corruption, tales of the Crusades, injustices and murders in the name of Jesus, homo-pedophilia rings ran by so-called priests of Jesus, and a city-state known as the Vatican that acts as an authority to God in the name of Jesus that is clearly against the teachings of Jesus as he tore the veil between man and God by becoming the bridge to God for humanity. Therefore a priest is not needed to gain access to forgiveness of sin, but only faith in Jesus. Yet, two thousand years later there are still countless people around the world who cling to ancient ritual, tradition, and customs out of comfort and heritage as opposed to seeking a personal relationship with God. This has allowed for so much confusion throughout the world and to this day the largest portion of adults who have walked away from the church due to discrepancies with logical theology have been those of Roman Catholic background. Truly, Roman Catholicism is the most bastardized version of Christianity causing more harm than any other religion of man because their atrocities were in Jesus name.

And so, to pull back from ancient mythology and modern atrocity, Isaiah addresses polytheism, physician’s astrology, magicians, and all ancient gods through his writings in Isaiah Chapter 47. Allegro references this chapter in relation to the wise men as physician astrologists who were guided by the stars to the Messiah with the purpose of bringing gifts noted as gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Plants and Drugs, Plant Names and the Mysteries of the Fungus, and the Key of the Kingdom has both stretch and loose connection noted by Allegro as, “In exactly what forms the Christians knew these words we cannot know; some will have been as Greek transcriptions, others in Semitic form.” In a world, that had not be radically changed yet by the death and resurrection of Christ, the linguistics of the era that Allegro is referring to was absolutely shaped by surrounding cultures and religions that were built off of fertility cults in desperate desire to survive the harsh conditions of the day.

Language was built around what mankind knew and believed in. There is a reason that language and linguistics as a whole will forever be changing as humanity evolves alongside societal adjustments and technological evolution. Even biological evolution plays a role in linguistic development, but at a much slower pace than its technological competition. English itself is a prime example of just how rapidly a language can shift within a hundred years let alone thousands. Even pictures can shift in meaning drastically which can be represented through meme and text culture of the twenty-first century. The skull and crossbones, which has meant death for as long as cuneiform has been around can now be seen as something that mean hysterical laughter or enjoyment. Strange, yet true.

Allegro’s obsession with fungus and mushrooms playing a role in the development of Christianity is, at this point, ridiculous to say the least, but it the influence of mushroom and psychedelic usage cannot be overlooked when it comes to the surrounding cultures and religions of Ancient Sumer, Mesopotamia, Babylon, and leading through Ancient Rome. There have always been cults, and pagans, and other varieties of spirit seeking cultures that dive deep into all things that alter the conscious, but when it comes to Christianity it is well known that sobriety was required by the first-century believers in order to perform the miracles of their day. Noting Acts Chapter Two and the Day of Pentecost it is very specific that the author notes, “it was as if they were drunk” and not “there were obliterated by wine and mushroom”. There would be no reason to hide their drug uses considering they were in and surrounded by a culture that was very welcoming to all things as long as taxes were paid and the Empire was growing in a positive direction.

As Always, God Bless,

James Arthur Ferguson