--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What the churches are peddling is high…" description: "\"What the churches are peddling is high abstraction, and you really have to work yourself up into a lather to be able to accept that as worthy of that k..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/terence-mckenna-287_able_what-the-churches-are-peddling-is-high-a_2993472.png" --- # What the churches are peddling is high abstraction, and… ![“What the churches are peddling is high abstraction, and you really have to work yourself up into a lather to be able to accept that as worthy of that kind of attention. The psychedelic subset of society is into an experience, and it's accessible.” quote by Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/terence-mckenna-287_able_what-the-churches-are-peddling-is-high-a_2993472.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/terence-mckenna-287_able_what-the-churches-are-peddling-is-high-a_2993472.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/terence-mckenna-287_able_what-the-churches-are-peddling-is-high-a_2993472.png) > “What the churches are peddling is high abstraction, and you really have to work yourself up into a lather to be able to accept that as worthy of that kind of attention. The psychedelic subset of society is into an experience, and it's accessible.” [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. High‑level religious ideas feel abstract and demanding, while psychedelic experiences are direct and accessible. **In simple terms:** Religion can seem abstract; psychedelics feel immediate. Key Takeaway Seek tangible experiences over vague doctrines. Themes religion psychedelia abstraction accessibility Mood critical reflective Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - personal spiritual journeys - psychedelic therapy sessions - academic seminars on religion - creative workshops - mindfulness retreats Key Concepts spirituality cognitive openness cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - What makes an abstract idea hard to accept? - How do direct experiences shape belief? A Different Perspective Abstract religious concepts can alienate seekers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstraction/) [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Peddling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peddling/) [Psychedelic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychedelic/) ## Related quotes > [“As always he behaved as if he were an abstraction, not really there, a machine without a soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/as-always-he-behaved-as-if-he-were-an-abstraction-not-really-there-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I regard these people who are peddling angst and peddling pessimism and all that stuff as so 'two minutes ago'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/i-regard-these-people-who-are-peddling-angst-and-peddling-pessimism/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I think that understanding man's place in nature is going to require integration of the psychedelic experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/i-think-that-understanding-man-s-place-in-nature-is-going-to-require/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [It's possible to see the whole human growth movement of the 1970s as a wish to continue the inward quest without having to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/it-s-possible-to-see-the-whole-human-growth-movement-of-the-1970s-as/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [One has attained a very fortunate incarnation, I think, to be in a culture, in a place, in a time when psychedelic knowledge is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/one-has-attained-a-very-fortunate-incarnation-i-think-to-be-in-a/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [This is a very central part of the psychedelic attitude toward the world, to entertain all possibilities but to never commit to belief. Belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/this-is-a-very-central-part-of-the-psychedelic-attitude-toward-the/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I think really what unites psychedelic people is the faith in the power of the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/i-think-really-what-unites-psychedelic-people-is-the-faith-in-the/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Niagaras of beauty are flowing by untapped by ordinary consciousness. . . . Would that we could send robots who could film these psychedelic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/niagaras-of-beauty-are-flowing-by-untapped-by-ordinary-consciousness/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Psychedelic telepathy is you 'see' what I mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/psychedelic-telepathy-is-you-see-what-i-mean/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Ultimately, I think, what the psychedelic experience may be is a higher topological manifold of temporality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/ultimately-i-think-what-the-psychedelic-experience-may-be-is-a-higher/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Part of what the psychedelic point of view represents is living a certain portion of your life without answers. Just accepting that certain dilemmas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/part-of-what-the-psychedelic-point-of-view-represents-is-living-a/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I see the psychedelic experience as a birthright, and we can't have a free society until people are free to explore their own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/i-see-the-psychedelic-experience-as-a-birthright-and-we-can-t-have-a/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Memory training is great psychedelic training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/memory-training-is-great-psychedelic-training/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Nothing is as boundary dissolving, except for psychedelic compounds, as travel. Travel is up there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/nothing-is-as-boundary-dissolving-except-for-psychedelic-compounds-as/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our culture difinitely takes an egocentric dominator view. The fear of the psychedelic experience is quite literally the fear of losing control. Dominator types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/our-culture-difinitely-takes-an-egocentric-dominator-view-the-fear-of/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) ## More by Terence McKenna > [History was an incredibly damaging experience, and now it's over . . . in a sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/history-was-an-incredibly-damaging-experience-and-now-it-s-over-in-a/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The history of man that you don't know is what your unconscious is made out of. Just as the history of yourself that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-history-of-man-that-you-don-t-know-is-what-your-unconscious-is/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [We are consciousness. We may not always be monkeys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-consciousness-we-may-not-always-be-monkeys/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [What is happening here is we are living past the age, by the millions, living past the age where cultural values make any sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/what-is-happening-here-is-we-are-living-past-the-age-by-the-millions/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [What history is, essentially, is a careening, out-of-control effort to find our way back to this state of primordial balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/what-history-is-essentially-is-a-careening-out-of-control-effort-to/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [And what is the primary datum? It's the felt presence of immediate experience. In other words, being here now is the primary datum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/and-what-is-the-primary-datum-it-s-the-felt-presence-of-immediate/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our culture difinitely takes an egocentric dominator view. The fear of the psychedelic experience is quite literally the fear of losing control. Dominator types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/our-culture-difinitely-takes-an-egocentric-dominator-view-the-fear-of/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Every step into freedom contains within it the potential for greater bondage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/every-step-into-freedom-contains-within-it-the-potential-for-greater/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [This is the message of your life and my life - it’s that nothing lasts. Heraclitus said it: Panta Rhei. All flows, nothing lasts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/this-is-the-message-of-your-life-and-my-life-it-s-that-nothing-lasts/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I often like to think that our map of the world is wrong, that where we have centered physics, we should actually place literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/i-often-like-to-think-that-our-map-of-the-world-is-wrong-that-where/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Knowledge, or verbal facility, is no proof that you know what you're talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/knowledge-or-verbal-facility-is-no-proof-that-you-know-what-you-re/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [No culture on earth is as heavily narcotized as the industrial West in terms of being inured to the consequences of maladaptive behavior. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/no-culture-on-earth-is-as-heavily-narcotized-as-the-industrial-west/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Man was not put on this planet to toil in the mud. 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