Visions of Christ in the Amazon
Journal for the Study of Religion Nature and Culture July 20, 2009 DOI: 10.1558/jsrnc.v3i1.66 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAmong the Quichua Aguarico Runa of the Ecuadorian upper Amazon and the Brazilian Christian sect Santo Daime, ayahuasca-induced visions produce a radical reinterpretation of the Christian Gospel. Christ's power is described as taking root in Amazonian soil, and these botanical visions recast South American history, offering healing to communal and continental memory as well as to the decimated and threatened land itself.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Vision Amazon rainforest Indigenous Gospel |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key finding | Ayahuasca-inspired Christian visions among the Quichua Aguarico Runa and Santo Daime reinterpret the Gospel as rooted in Amazonian ground and offer healing to historical 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.