Visions of Christ in the Amazon
Journal for the Study of Religion Nature and Culture July 20, 2009 DOI: 10.1558/jsrnc.v3i1.66 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Vision Amazon rainforest Indigenous Gospel Sect Mythology Ethnology Religious studies |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key points | Argues that ayahuasca-inspired Christian visions among the Quichua Aguarico Runa and Santo Daime practitioners reinterpret South American history to heal communal memory and the land. |
Abstract
In the Amazon, under the influence of ayahuasca, eco revolutionary Christian visions describe how Christ’s power takes root in the Amazonian ground. The article explores the “Gospel”—the story of Christ’s life and teachings—according to ayahuasca as told by the Quichua Aguarico Runa, a native people of the Ecuadorian upper Amazon and then traces local phrasings of the Gospel according to Santo Daime, a Christian sect indigenous to Brazil. As the Christian myth transforms, these radical botanical visions reinterpret South American history, bringing healing to continental and communal memory, and to the decimated and threatened land.