Product Details

• Actors: Jan Irvin, Andrew Rutajit, John Marco Allegro
• Directors: Jan Irvin, Andrew Rutajit
• Format: Full Screen, NTSC
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Gnostic Media
• DVD Release Date: July 7, 2007
• Run Time: 111 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0015YKXHK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,863 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Thousands of years ago, in the pre monarchic era, sacred plants and other entheogenic substances where politically correct and highly respected for their ability to bring forth the divine, Yahweh, God, The Great Spirit, etc., by the many cultures who used them. Often the entire tribe or community would partake in these rites and rituals. These rites were often used in initiation into adulthood, for healing, to help guide the community in the decision process, and to bring the direct religious experience to anyone seeking it. In the pre literate world, the knowledge of psychedelic sacraments, as well as fertility rites and astronomical knowledge surrounding the sun, stars, and zodiac, known as astrotheology, were anthropomorphized into a character or a deity; consequently, their stories and practices could easily be passed down for generations. Weather changes over millenniums caused environmental changes that altered the available foods and plant sacraments available in the local vicinity. If a tribe lost its shamanic El-der (El - God), all of the tribe's knowledge of their plant sacraments as well as astronomical knowledge would be lost. The Church's inquisitions extracted this sacred knowledge from the local Shamans who were then exterminated...It is time to recognize the fact that this Pharmacratic Inquisition is still intact and destroy it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A provocative presentation on psychedelics and Judeo-Christianity, October 10, 2008

By 

Martin Ball "Martin W Ball" (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pharmacratic Inquisition DVD (DVD)

The Pharmacratic Inquisition is a provocative film from Gnostic Media that makes the argument that virtually all of the mythology, symbolism, and story of Jesus and related Christian traditions relate to two basic subjects: astrology and shamanism. For those unfamiliar with the evidence in support of this claim, this film can be truly eye opening and revolutionary.

Much of the material for this film rests upon the work of John Allegro. Allegro was one of the original scholars chosen to translate the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient Christian texts that were discovered in Qumram near the Dead Sea in the middle of the 20th century. Unlike his colleagues, Allegro was not beholden to the Catholic Church and therefore was able to develop his theories and interpretations free from Catholic dogma. The result was the radical claim that Jesus was a psychoactive mushroom. In particular, Allegro argued that the mythology and symbolism surrounding the Christ figure all point to Amanita muscaria mushrooms, the iconic red and white mushroom so common in Christmas symbolism and imagery.

The amanita mushroom plays a central role in this film and is presented as the basis for the shamanic elements in Christianity. Amanitas have a long history of use among northern European and Siberian shamans - the very cultures from which the term "shaman" originates. Within these cultures, "shamanism" was synonymous with amanita use and knowledge of its psychoactive properties were well known throughout that region of the world. That the shamanic use of the amanita might influence Christianity should therefore not necessarily be a surprise, but the argument that Jesus actually is an amanita, and not a historical figure, is probably a surprise to most.

The film makes a compelling argument for this connection between Jesus and the amanita, and even psilocybin mushrooms, through the presentation of Christian symbolism, iconography, and imagery. When one looks closely at the Catholic Church, amanita symbolism appears to abound from the clothing of popes and cardinals to frescos, arch ways, and church architecture. Even the myths themselves, such as that of the Holy Grail, seem to fall within the category of amanita symbolism. Indeed, when the images are presented in this manner, the comparison to amanita becomes immediately obvious and difficult to argue against.

Even Santa Claus gets the amanita treatment in this film. Here the jolly old elf is presented in the context of northern European shamanism where, according to tradition, the shaman would dry his amanitas from a conifer tree and then visit the yurts of his community, entering through the smoke hole to bring gifts of sacred mushrooms to the people. It is not much of a stretch to see that these reindeer herding shamans were the iconic model for the fat red and white clothed Santa, who himself looks very much like an amanita mushroom.

In addition to the influence of shamanism and psychoactive mushrooms on Christianity, the film also investigates the relationship between astrology and astronomy to the Christ myth. Here the filmmakers provide compelling arguments for the correlation between the Christ myth and the Winter Solstice sky and the zodiacal ages, graphically demonstrating how such tales of the shining star, the three kings, and the death and resurrection of Jesus all fit within previously known facts about the night sky and the change of seasons.

Ultimately, the Pharmacratic Inquisition challenges many of the assumptions and beliefs we may have about Christianity and its central figures, providing provocative evidence that things are not as they seem within this tradition. If true, the question then becomes: does the Catholic Church still use amanita mushrooms secretly within the confines of the Vatican? Have they really been withholding this fundamental truth for two millennia, or have even they come to believe the myths that were created to both communicate and conceal the true identity of Jesus Christ? Watch this film and make up your own mind.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This will blow your mind!, March 21, 2010

By 

Christopher Darrow "magi pilgrimage" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Pharmacratic Inquisition DVD (DVD)

The truth of the matter is this....About seven years ago my life completely changed. I know...duh, everyone's life goes through its stages. My inner morphing had to do with wanting to know the reasons "why," for I was no longer satisfied with the answers given by my father and his father before him. So I struck out on my own and started digging for the truth. Like seashells on a sandy beach, one by one I started collecting truths. Before I knew it I had a whole bucket of them. Some smelled of the fresh sea air and others like dead fish rotting under a summer sun. No matter the size or smell I was collecting truths and nobody was going to stop me. Well, this DVD was discovered towards the end of my quest collecting truths and it represents the culmination of my seven year journey to the outer limits. Liberating though its message is the tale is also troubling. A passage from the Good Book says it best...."With all my wisdom I tried to understand everything that happens here on earth. And God has made this so hard for us humans to do. I have seen it all, and everything is just as senseless as chasing the wind. If something is crooked, it can't be made straight; if something isn't there, it can't be counted." Ecclesiastes 1.12 Get this DVD and you shouldn't be sorry! The companion book that goes with the DVD has additional, more detailed insights. The DVD, however, is where you should start. Don't let the hard rock intro music throw you and give this DVD a good viewing from beginning to end. Don't make any judgements at first, rather mull its message over for awhile and think, really think about whether or not you believe its message could be true. I will give you one cheating hint....This DVD pulls no punches for you can find any of its insights and accusations elsewhere. What makes this DVD special, however, is that it provides a bucket in which truths can be placed, thereby making them easier for you to observe and contemplate over. So pick up your bucket pilgrims and start collecting!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Question the Establishment, September 22, 2010

By 

Wall E Gator - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Pharmacratic Inquisition DVD (DVD)

Be careful if you don't have an open mind as this will challenge many peoples core beliefs. If you are a religious zealot then this will probably anger you and make you deny, ridicule, dismiss and generally disregard the message of this DVD. With that said watch this for yourself and try to keep an open mind. Remember your mind is like a parachute it only works when it is open. I can't say I agree with all this DVD proposes but much of it is too matter of fact to be easily dismissed. After watching this I realized one thing that bothers me to this day, Religious Freedom in America is a sham and only applies to the "Big Established Religions".