Author Topic: What makes an SMA Religion?  (Read 14928 times)

JPierreD

  • Mighty Duke
  • ****
  • Posts: 1174
  • Hippiemancer Extraordinaire
    • View Profile
Re: What makes an SMA Religion?
« Reply #30: July 03, 2012, 10:24:40 PM »
If the religion encompasses some higher power or supernatural being/force that they worship, and use the Bloodmoon fruit as a conduit to that power, IMO that would fit the bill for SMA. If the religion is like that Nomudou thing that used to be in the south somewhere, where the "religion" is really just a thin mask over big joke about drinking yourself into oblivion (or in CoB's case it just glorifies taking psychedelic drugs and uses the "religion" aspect as a thin cover to try and claim IC legitimacy (Edit: This is for comparison's sake, I am not claiming that's what CoB really is...)), then no, it's not SMA.

Fair enough.

Looks to me like they're not worshiping the plant itself, are they? The plant may be sacred, and they use it to prepare their drug, which they use in religious rights. But they don't *worship* the plants. (Unless I read the Wikipedia page wrong...)

Let's put it like this: they believe there is a spiritual plane to which the Ayahuasca helps you connect (they give personality to it, and treat it as an entity). It also takes you in the sessions towards moments of suffering and confrontation of your problems (the father/vine-part does that) and others of bliss, auto-forgiveness and stuff (the mother/leave-part), in order to teach you and make you grow spiritually. They are considered deities but their influence is restricted to those sessions, so you won't see them praying for them in their daily lives. They have tons of other deities, but that is another matter. (Just for if you were wondering, I personally know a native-american shaman and my uncle is very into it.)

What they specifically worship can be misinterpreted. It's similar to the Catholic's host and the transubstantiation. They believe that during the mass the host is the body of Christ, which is worshiped, though if I told you Catholics worship hosts you'd likely take it as a joke. They don't worship the piece of bread, they do to Jesus who they believe to make himself present in it. Similarly with the Ayahuasca, they consider the leaves and vines and the brew divine because they carry/are/make present the aforementioned spirits/deities, which take you to a spiritual dimension and all that.
d'Arricarrère Family: Torpius (All around Dwilight), Felicie (Riombara), Frederic (Riombara) and Luc (Eponllyn).