The Sacred Mushroom and The Cross: A study of the nature and origins of Christianity within the fertility cults of the ancient Near East

by John Marco Allegro

Book Overview

Where did God come from? What do the bible stories really tell us? Who or what was Jesus Christ? This book challenges everything we think we know about the nature of religion. The ancient fertility cult at the heart of Christianity. The living power of cultic rites and symbols. The sacred mushroom as the emblem and embodiment of divinity. The secret meaning of biblical myths. The language of religion that links us to our ancestors. The Sacred Mushroom...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0982556276
• ISBN13: 9780982556276
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Gnostic Media Research & Publishing
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Profound

I can honestly say that my reading of Allegro's book The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross very much changed my life. The book inspired my deep interest in researching further into comparative mythology, whereas before I had never really understood the 'point' of most of the complex tales, and the Bible I had always felt was utterly depressing! But when i saw how playful, humourous, and earthy the mythographers could be, I was HOOKED. As a visual artist now (probably also insome way inspired by that book) I love layers - of colour, meaning, and so on. So it makes sense that mythological writing also aspires to this aesthetic. Whatever the critics of Allegro's revolutionary work say, it IS extraordinarily plausible, and much more so for those who have partaken of sacred sacraments!!!!

Too detailed for layperson, but most likely correct.

When I first read this book back in 1972, I thought it would revolutionize Christianity coming from such a scholar as Allegro. And of course, that is why his book and his thesis have been shunted aside. Although true. Like so many truths, it is threatening to "Christians". A fact remains. Human rteligion was built upon psychoactive plants. I have read the book many times since 1972. Jon Thomas-Weger