Jim beat me to this with his post “See What Dilettantism Hath Wrought.”
Yet another dilettante has recently opined that the narrative about Moses proves he was a drug user. AFP reports
High on Mount Sinai, Moses was on psychedelic drugs when he heard God deliver the Ten Commandments, an Israeli researcher claimed in a study published this week. Such mind-altering substances formed an integral part of the religious rites of Israelites in biblical times, Benny Shanon, a professor of cognitive psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem wrote in the Time and Mind journal of philosophy. “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.
What an idiot. They must pass out Professorships like crack in the hood these days.
A fuller version of the story Jim links to was sent to me this morning by my colleague Philip Jenkins. Within that story (which I think must be a poor translation from Hebrew, you will see what I mean in a minute) is a line that I think summarizes such research.
Mr Shanon said after he experimenting [sic] with drugs similar to those available in the Sinai Desert, it was perfectly plausible to imagine bushes burning.
Yes. Yes, I suppose it is perfectly plausible. I happened to be in a meeting with our President and Provost at the time and asked if I could have a research grant to verify this scholar’s results. Upon due consideration (2 seconds) the response was no.
7 thoughts on “Moses on Drugs”
cool
The Professor also seems to have increased confidence in his theory between writing the article and speaking to the media.
You should get down on your knees and thank the God you don’t believe in that we Christians are not like Muslims….who would have beheaded your doped out brain for making such sick remarks about something SACRED to humanity. But the word “Sacred” is clearly something you cannot comprehend. You must be a very sad person.
Sorry Dawn, I want to clarify your position by asking a few questiosn:
Did you mistake me for the scholar in the article?
Are you expressing remorse that you cannot behead me/him?
Do you realize that something is sacred to people but not necessarily to all humanity? (Billions of people do not think of Moses or the Bible as sacred.)
Dawn replied via email and I don’t think she would mind if I shared it. It explains her earlier comment.
But ridicule, mockery, and debasement are so much fun… Thank God for forgiveness! 😛