New psychedelic religious organizations in the United States operate in a legal gray area and require philosophically well-developed doctrines to gain legal permission to use psychedelics. Philosophers of religion can assist in developing these doctrines. From a philosophical perspective, six criteria are derived that such doctrines should satisfy. A modernized Platonism is shown as an illustration that meets these criteria. Just as bioethicists aid medical practice, philosophers of religion can support the legal proceedings of psychedelic churches.
Spirituality requires learning, accepting, and adapting to ultimate reality. Psychedelic experiences can facilitate this, but only through interpretations that connect them to ultimate reality. This chapter evaluates three interpretations from a naturalist perspective. The religious interpretation, which claims psychedelics reveal non-natural spirits, is deemed false by naturalists and offers no genuine spiritual benefits. The physicalistic naturalist interpretation has strong scientific support but likely fails to account for important spiritual aspects of psychedelic experiences. The Platonic naturalist interpretation has good scientific support and accounts for all spiritual aspects. The chapter cautions that psychedelic spirituality requires metaphysical pluralism.