Q: I find myself to be more spiritual when I use drugs. Will there be drugs in heaven?

A:  You are not alone in your belief that certain drugs allow you to feel more spiritual. Throughout human history, people have explored material ways to get in closer touch with the spiritual world. There are many, many plants that have proven to alter man’s consciousness and open a window into the unseen. Nowadays, we tend to lump all substances that produce these effects as “drugs,” but there is a distinction, I think, between naturally-occurring plants, and substances that are manufactured, which I would prefer to call pharmaceuticals. Regardless, the use of mind-altering substances have a long history with mankind and his search for God.

You have not asked my advice on whether you are doing the right thing by using drugs to experience spirituality, so I am not going to offer any…but since you have written to us at TruthBook, a website dedicated to the teachings of The Urantia Book, I feel that you might benefit from reading what these teachings say to us about the experience of God-consciousness in our lives. You don’t mention whether you are a reader…I would suggest that you read Paper 5 “God’s Relation to the Individual”

Here’s a passage from that paper which might give you some things to think about—from “The Consciousness of God” :

5:5.12 God-knowingness, religious consciousness, is a universe reality, but no matter how valid (real) religious experience is, it must be willing to subject itself to intelligent criticism and reasonable philosophic interpretation; it must not seek to be a thing apart in the totality of human experience.

Further:

5:1.5 However Urantia mortals may differ in their intellectual, social, economic, and even moral opportunities and endowments, forget not that their spiritual endowment is uniform and unique. They all enjoy the same divine presence of the gift from the Father, and they are all equally privileged to seek intimate personal communion with this indwelling spirit of divine origin, while they may all equally choose to accept the uniform spiritual leading of these Mystery Monitors.

If mortal man is wholeheartedly spiritually motivated, unreservedly consecrated to the doing of the Father’s will, then, since he is so certainly and so effectively spiritually endowed by the indwelling and divine Adjuster, there cannot fail to materialize in that individual’s experience the sublime consciousness of knowing God and the supernal assurance of surviving for the purpose of finding God by the progressive experience of becoming more and more like him.

Man is spiritually indwelt by a surviving Thought Adjuster. If such a human mind is sincerely and spiritually motivated, if such a human soul desires to know God and become like him, honestly wants to do the Father’s will, there exists no negative influence of mortal deprivation nor positive power of possible interference which can prevent such a divinely motivated soul from securely ascending to the portals of Paradise.

There is never any mention in The Urantia Book of using substances to achieve this consciousness of God—only the sincere desire of the individual, and the intimate and holy presence of God within our minds .

Since we will no longer possess material bodies when we get to Heaven, it seems reasonable to assume that there will be no need for any material “substance” to improve our experience of the spiritual once we shed our earthly forms. In fact, there’s really no need while we still live on the earth—it seems more of a personal preference. We actually have everything we could ever need to enjoy God-consciousness right within our minds—right now, and without any outside help.

It’s good to try and live a sinless life, but there’s no connection between doing good here, and getting drugs in Heaven…

Thanks again for writing to us with your question; I hope that my reply—and the links I have given you—will be of some help to you.

:: Date published: 2013-05-24 14:07:45.83
:: Author: Truthbook Staff