The news from Far Out, Baby...

This goes on for several screens, purporting to establish a connection between magic mushrooms and our experience of God, and it doesn't make it because its information sources are mostly lost in the mists of time.

I don't think religion got started by the ancients using hallucinogens or psychedelic drugs, so much as it did by people's natural fears and superstitions being played upon by smoothies who became shamans because they realized the possibility of power and riches from controlling people's beliefs, and pretending to be able to communicate with God on our behalf.

But on the other hand, I have to admit that a reading of the Book of Revelation might easily give one the suspicion that whoever wrote that (St. John the Divine, we're told) might have been "on something" at the time, because he paints some really strange pictures in there.

And you don't need drugs to communicate with God, however you think of that being. You only need to believe, be sincere, be respectful, be grateful, and try to be quiet about it. Let me quote from the ancient Egyptian 'Book of the Dead', which was their version of The Bible: "The house of God what it hates is much speaking. Pray thou with a loving heart the petitions of which all are in secret. He will do thy business, He will hear that which thou sayest and will accept thine offerings." 

That's worded a little awkwardly, but we're translating here from hieroglyphs, and it was done long ago, not in modern English. But we get the message just the same. And those who think the ancient Egyptians were godless pagans probably have more to learn about them. Both God and religion are older than most of us can imagine.