A decade-long study by NYU and Johns Hopkins found that most clergy who took a single dose of psilocybin—a psychedelic compound—reported it as one of the most profound spiritual experiences of their lives, with lasting effects on their faith and ministry.

Preachers have been known to use drug-related references loosely to show the depths of an authentic relationship with Christ. “Get addicted to Jesus,” “Try bingeing on the Lord,” or “You should be hooked on the Holy Spirit.” 

Orthodox or conservative believers cringe when those references are said, but for today’s youth, it’s alarmingly understood. A November 2024 study uncovered between 34 and 39 percent of young adults aged 18-25 have used illicit drugs in the past 12 months. Pastors or evangelists are known to utilize current trends to make a point and win a soul for Christ. 

What if some religious leaders were using drugs to enhance their own spiritual experiences? It’s their job to understand the Lord, so would it be surprising that psychedelics allowed clergy in various religions to “feel” the Lord? 

According to a 10-year-long study from New York University (NYU) and Johns Hopkins, a litmus test of rabbis, priests, ministers and imams were recruited and researched “to take part in a research study of psilocybin and sacred experiences.”

 Psilocybin is the leading ingredient in hallucinogens, particularly toadstools or “magic” mushrooms, as they are called among psychedelic enthusiasts. 

In October 2015, NYU bought ads in Christian publications with the headline: “Seeking Clergy to Take Part in a Research Study of Psilocybin and Sacred Experience.” The objective of the recruiting class was for religious leaders who “had an interest in further exploring and developing their spiritual lives.” 

Each participant was given a “legal 20-milligram dose of psilocybin” one time and then sustained over 16 months. Following the first dose and study findings, participants took a 30mg dose of mushrooms. The caveat was that those taking psychedelics must be “psychedelically naive.” 

Researchers attached to this comprehensive study wanted to reduce stigmas toward “entheogens” in “religious spaces” (i.e., churches, mosques, temples). The feared result of this study was generating nonchalant emotional and mental behavior toward psychedelic drug use. 

Entheogen comes from two Koine Greek words: “entheos” for divine and “genesthai” for generate. In other words, these psychedelics or hallucinogens have a name meaning “connections to the inner divine.” Coincidentally, “psilocybin” is Latin for two different words: “psilos,” meaning bare and “kybē” meaning head. All told, these magic mushrooms are meant to connect you to God somehow and feel it within your mind. 

The study’s findings among this focus group validate the etymologies. When asked how to describe the psilocybin experiences made them feel: 

• 96% said it was “among the top five most spiritually significant” moments in their lives
• 92% considered it “profoundly sacred” 
• 83% found it to be “psychologically insightful” 
• 79% believed it was “psychologically meaningful”
• 79% also strongly endorsed the “experiences had a positive effect on their religious practices” 
• 71% reported positive changes in their appreciation of religious traditions “other than their own”
• 42% ranked them as “the single most profound moment of [their] lives” 

“It’s been a long time coming,” said William Richards, one of the studies architects, to Religion News Service. “It’s a little like composing some musical composition, and the point comes where it’s complete, and who knows what it does as people listen to it … It could pave the way for some very constructive things in the future in medicine and education and religion.”

It’s not a new theory of mixing psilocybin and other psychedelics to heighten spiritual awareness. Historians believe it traces back to Mesoamerica and the Mazatec people of Oaxaca (known as the “Aztecs”), which is approximately 221 miles east of Acapulco in central Mexico. 

Between 1300 and 1521, the fall of the Mazatec Empire, Aztecs referred to psilocybin mushrooms as “teonanácatl,” meaning “flesh of the gods.” They believed they helped in sacred ceremonies for divination, healing and a connection to the universe. 

James 4:8 states, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” Any relationship with the Lord is reciprocal, keeping us close to Him. Christ-followers do it through faith, prayer and a commitment to understanding God. But “strung out on the Savior” isn’t quite what James meant.