“In the Last Days, the Word of God, which was clothed with the flesh of Mary, proceeded into this world. What was seen in him was one thing; what was understood was something else…So also when the Word of God was brought to humans through the Prophets and the Lawgiver, it was not brought without proper clothing. For just as there it was covered with the veil of flesh, so here with the veil of the letter.” [i] In... Read more
On this day, the faithful who live in Christ dwell by the river Chebar. They reside among the exiles, for they themselves suffer the same. Yet like the prophet Ezekiel, God’s presence is made known among them; He strengthens and guides them during their moment of disarray. The Bible’s description of Israel’s Babylonian captivity provides not just a historical account of calamity experienced by God’s chosen nation, but it also contributes a fitting metaphor concerning the current condition of... Read more
On the third reverb and incense soaked track arising from The Congos’ revolutionary 1977 recording, Heart of the Congos, vocalist Cedric Myton laments the state of Africans in captivity. To him, and most, if not all, Rastas, the African diaspora is but a suffering group treading upon foreign soil; they are Jah’s children sitting by the rivers of Babylon. Myton and his bandmates are well aware of “where the black man stands,”[i] in the western world, but they do not... Read more
Nearly all have seen the images, those of the late Jamaican icon, Bob Marley, smoking a mighty substance that was—for a time—bound to the realm of illegality. Indeed, the legendary reggae artist is well known today, not only for his exquisite discography, but also for his noted affinity for marijuana, and unique religious affiliation. In the words that follow, I shall conclude my brief trek into the scholarship concerning sacramental hallucinogens by focusing on the latter two of Marley’s aforementioned... Read more
For some who seek to tear the veil between material reality and what lies beyond, a mere silent mind is of little value. To seize their heart’s desire, to break the surf of the ample oceanic nature of Being, a more potent remedy is required. Although it may seem rather contrary to the quest at hand, the use of visionary plants for sacramental purposes (i.e. entheogens) is a preferred avenue for part of the world’s religious adherents as they pursue... Read more
In my preceding post, I examined the role of the prophet Moses within the doctrine and literature of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the Israelite lawgiver maintains a place of lasting prominence among Mormons on account of his reputed heroic deeds and proximity to the transcendent. Therefore, to summarize the LDS perception of Moses rather quite succinctly is to simply echo the following description by Bruce R. McConkie: “In prophetic power,... Read more
How many of those among us are capable of conjuring up a mental image after reading the venerated name of the prophet Moses? It is not an arduous task for most; the ancient lawgiver is well embedded within the minds of us westerners for he is a truly praiseworthy figure gleaming seemingly endlessly from the holy books of all three of the world’s most visible Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But determining just how impactful the Israelite leader... Read more
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