A Christian View of the Mushroom Myth [Hardcover]

John Charles King (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (January 1, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340125977
• ISBN-13: 978-0340125977
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,707,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Can you say "Diatribe"?, October 14, 2004

By 

J Irvin "author of The Holy Mushroom" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Christian View of the Mushroom Myth (Hardcover)

John C. King wants his Christian readers to think that he has published a well thought out and argued piece against the ideas of Christianity being based on the mushroom or drugs.

Though the first 60 to 80 pages are readable, King's opinions are narrow minded, prejudiced, and lacking any amount of education whatsoever on other religions other than his circular biblical arguements. Though he argues as a priest, so too was Allegro studied as a minister.

Not only can King not see that the Eleusinian mysteries were based on drugs, as well as Greek mythology as laid out in recent publications by Yale University and others (Persephone's Quest by Wasson, Ott and Ruck; Apples of Apollo by Ruck, Staples, and Heinrich; Magic Mushrooms in Religion and Alchemy by Heinrich; Food of the Gods by McKenna; Soma - Divine Hallucinogen by David Spess; Mushroom and Mankind by James Arthur; etc.) but King even avoided other publications existing at the time such as "Soma - Divine Mushroom of Immortality" by R Gordon Wasson in order to make his pathetic case.

Mr. King's diatribe is so severe that he does not see that if Native American cultures too base their religions on drugs, then why would it be such a stretch for white man to have done the same? If you want to see the latest research in this field, don't waist your money on this book. Instead, search out a free video online called "The Pharmacratic Inquisition", and read the sources like those listed above.

If on the other hand, you're doing research and would like to see the unbalanced opinions of the time against the drug origins of religion, then this book, and its lack of cognizant thinking is a good choice.

It's really too bad that Mr. King didn't just shut up and try the things instead of writing this pathetic book.