"“God” is often clinically paranoiac because the shaman’s “supernatural helper” is the projection of the shaman himself. The personality of Yahweh, so to speak, exactly fits the irascible personality of the sheikh-shaman Moses; the voices of Yahweh and Moses are indistinguishable. Of course, shamans do not always have an easy time of it. If the dereistic dreamer arouses too much anxiety, people call him crazy, just as people must put themselves at a psychological distance from the frightening and uncanny schizophrenic. But if the dreamer largely allays anxiety in the society, then he is the shaman-savior. Thus it is that outsiders to the society cannot tell the difference between a psychotic and a vatic personality. Only the society itself can distinguish between its psychotics and its shaman-saviors."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Weston La Barre, “Hallucinogens and the Shamanic Origins of Religion,” Flesh of the Gods (1972), p. 266
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Religion
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Religion
511 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Religion →
Related Quotes
"Tant de fiel entre-t-il dans l'âme des dévots?"
"It doesn’t matter how often I hear: religion, religion, religion, I know deep in my heart that it is not about religi…"
"I believe that Islam is a great religion that preaches peace. And I believe people who murder the innocent to achieve…"
"The God of the Unitarians is a bachelor; the Deity of the Presbyterians, Methodists, Congregationalists, and the othe…"
"No mere man since the Fall, is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments."
"At the center of religion is love. I love you and I forgive you. I am like you and you are like me. I love all people…"
"All Faith is false, all Faith is true: Truth is the shattered mirror strewen In myriad bits; while each believes his …"
"One religion is as true as another."
"The sum and substance of the preparation needed for a coming eternity is that you believe what the Bible tells you, a…"
"What we have here is a war--the war of matter and spirit... The war of banks and religion. Banks are the temples of A…"