Date of Award
2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Lopez Zafra, Manuel
Area of Concentration
Religion
Abstract
Currently, the movement of “spiritual but not religious” people represents a growing population in the United States. This spiritual but not religious category, primarily characterized by the rejection of institutional religion and desire for firsthand spiritual experiences, overlaps with the concurrent resurgence of psychedelic research and culture. Psychedelics indeed may elicit those spiritually meaningful experiences without the need for hierarchies and churches to mediate them. However, there is a critical need to structure the use of psychedelics. This thesis thus argues to retain the ritual and ceremonial contexts which hallucinogenic drugs have traditionally been used in as we integrate psychedelics into our modern culture.
Recommended Citation
Bove, Jackson, "SEEKING TRANSCENDENCE: AN ARGUMENT FOR THE RITUAL USE OF PSYCHEDELICS AMONG THE SPIRITUAL BUT NOT RELIGIOUS" (2022). Theses & ETDs. 6200.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6200