Reddit reviews The Gods of Eden

Version 2 sounds a lot like The Gods of Eden

Only oblique references to reincarnation were left in the New Testament (such as the question about the man born blind, in which the questioner seems to assume the man could have done something in a past life that would warrant that type of punishment, though it's not directly stated).

Some people believe that all direct references were expunged by the early church fathers (who, you must remember, were also political leaders - no separation of church and state back then) because they felt that if a person believed that the current lifetime was just one of many, then they would not be as afraid of any punishments that church or king might mete out. And later on it was at odds with the church's take on hell (which doesn't hold up once you realize that three completely different words in the original languages were all translated "hell" in English, one of them being the place that all dead go to (probably the place we rest between lives) and another being the eternal place of confinement and torture that was reserved for the devil and the fallen angels, but not humans. And in case you were wondering, the third was a actual garbage dump in Jerusalem where fires were always burning to consume the trash, sort of like the municipal dumps we used to have in the 1950's and before, and maybe still have in some very rural areas and in third world countries).

I would suggest if you are not terribly uncomfortable with the thought that extraterrestrials may have influenced our history, see if your local library or your favorite bookseller has a copy of "The Gods of Eden" by William Bramley (Amazon link). I think you would find it a very interesting read, even if you don't completely buy into the author's hypothesis, and it might offer answers to some of your questions.

I don't follow all the details on what Mormons believe, but I'm certain that Joseph Smith was either a fraud or a dupe, and in either case, Mormonism is false. In examining The Book of Mormon, I found a much greater consistency of style than the Bible has. Yet, like the Bible, it is supposed to be a collection of writings by different authors over a long period of time. This led me to believe it has a single author and so cannot be what it purports to me.

I'm inclined to believe that its author is Joseph Smith and to accept the description of Smith as a conman that Paul Kurtz gave in The Transcendental Temptation. But I also entertain the possibility that Smith was duped by extraterrestrials, as maintained by William Bramley in The Gods of Eden. I'm more skeptical of this latter idea, but it is actually hard to distinguish it from what Mormons themselves teach. After all, Mormons teach that God is an extraterrestrial, not the infinite being other Christians believe in.

If God is just an extraterrestrial, I don't understand in what sense he is actually supposed to be God. God is supposed to be the all-powerful creator of the universe, not a flesh-and-blood being like myself. Even if Smith actually got gold plates and seer stones from the angel Moroni (who would also be an alien according to Mormonism), I have no reason to trust Moroni or the "God" he serves. The Mormon God, even if he exists, is just an alien imposter, not an actual deity. Mormonism is essentially atheism dressed up as Christianity, making it one of the most ridiculous religions to ever exist.

Yes I love these theories. A conversation just like this lead into trying to convince my christian parents that Jesus was an alien. That's a story for another time.

The only literature that I've read that really dove deep into the theory of mushroom use in the bible:
The Gods of Eden by William Bramley

I'll warn you it really paints an open-minded interpretation of history that is along the exact same line of thinking as your post.

the gods of eden by william bramley. could be fiction, could be non-fiction, depending on your take. i recommend keeping an open mind, and ask a lot of questions while reading the book. questions about your own belief, and questions about what the author is presenting.

According to much of the evidence that William Bramley (among various other researchers) details in his book, people were born not to be loved...but to be slaves.