Cover of The sacred mushroom and the cross

Book · 2009 · Christianity

The sacred mushroom and the cross

A Study of the Nature and Origins of Christianity Within the Fertility Cults of the Ancient Near East

by John Marco Allegro · Recommended by 19 people on 1 podcast

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Why people recommend it

The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross is a controversial study by John Marco Allegro proposing that early Christian religious practices stemmed from ancient psychedelic mushroom fertility cults. Joe Rogan frequently recommended and discussed the book across several episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience, including conversations with Chase Hughes, Woody Harrelson, and Aaron Rodgers, highlighting Allegro's thesis that religious experiences originated from psychedelic consumption. Sam Tripoli also recommended the book on the podcast, explaining that Allegro spent years deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls and concluded that the entire Bible was connected to mushroom rituals. Michael Hunter and Michael Shermer similarly discussed Allegro's background on the show, noting his fourteen years working on the Dead Sea Scrolls and his interpretation of Christian origins. Amber Lyon received a direct recommendation for the book from Rogan, and Jesse Michels later referenced Allegro's status as an ordained minister and agnostic researcher who drew radical conclusions after analyzing the ancient texts.

Who recommended it

Joe Rogan — 48 mentions
Recommended
“Cuz there's a great book called The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross. Have you ever read that? The John Marco Allegro book?”
The Joe Rogan Experience #2515 - Chase Hughes 2026-06-17
Discussed
“Have you ever heard of uh John Marco Allegro's book, The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross?”
Discussed
“But then since then they've republished um both of them. Yeah, both of them. But the big one was The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross because that was the one that was kind of very difficult to get.”
Discussed
“He wrote uh the sacred mushroom and the cross which is a fascinating book about the dead sea scrolls and he's got a very controversial perspective on Christianity and his perspective was and this guy was an ordained minister who was agnostic because he he was an ordained minister but then we started studying theology he started seeing all these”
Discussed
“He wrote the sacred mushroom and the cross which is a fascinating book about the dead sea scrolls and he's got a very controversial perspective on Christianity”
Discussed
“The the aminated mascaria one though I always go back to the sacred mushroom in the cross because that was what John Marco Allegro believed was the early days of Christianity.”
Recommended
“and you know there's a great book called The Sacred Mushroom in The Cross by John Marco algro do you know about that book i' I've heard of it but I never read it yeah it's a great book”
Discussed
“did you ever hear about John Marco Allegro in the book The Sacred mushroom and the Scrolls it's uh sacred mushroom what no it's a sacred Mushroom in the Christian myth”
Discussed
“have you read uh John Marco of the gross book The Sacred Mushroom in the cross no I haven't no is that a good one it's an amazing book right”
Discussed
“and then he wrote this book The Sacred mushroom and the cross and in the book he was saying this is all about consumption of psychedelic mushrooms and fertility rituals that's what these Original Stories were about”
Discussed
“and then he wrote this book The Sacred mushroom and the cross and in the book he was saying this is all about consumption of psychedelic mushrooms and fertility rituals”
Discussed
“So this guy studies this Dead Sea Scrolls for 14 years and then he writes a book called The Sacred mushroom and the cross and he said that the whole Christian religion was really about psychedelic mushrooms and fertility rituals”
Discussed
“and he studied the Dead Sea Scrolls for 14 years and he wrote The Sacred Mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“and he wrote The Sacred Mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“and that's the subject of a book called um the sacred mushroom and the cross this guy John Marco Allegro who is hired to decipher the Dead Sea Scrolls ...”
Discussed
“there was a book that this guy wrote in the 1970s a guy named john marco allegro he wrote a book on psychedelic mushrooms and jesus it was called the sacred mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“There was a book that this guy wrote in the 1970s a guy named john marco allegro he wrote a book on psychedelic mushrooms and jesus it was called the sacred mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“that's the mushroom that John Marco Allegro wrote about when he wrote that book The Sacred Mushroom in the cross he was a guy who deciphered the Dead Sea Scrolls”
Discussed
“that's the mushroom that John Marco Allegro wrote about when he wrote that book The Sacred Mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“in fact John Marco Allegro one of the head um the guys who is hired to decipher the Dead Sea Scrolls he wrote a book called The Sacred Mushroom in the cross after translating the Dead Sea Scrolls for 14 years his belief was that the entire Christian religion was initially based on psychedelic mushrooms and fertility rituals and so”
Recommended
“as if you read uh the sacred mushroom in the cross which is john mark i was just talking to a buddy actually last night about this book”
Discussed
“it's called The Sacred Mushroom in the cross is by this guy named John Marco Allegro who was a u he was an ordained Minister but he became agnostic as he started studying Theology”
Discussed
“and this book was a sacred mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“and when he translated dead sea scrolls over I believe it was over 14 years he wrote a book called the sacred mushroom in the cross and what he said was that all of this stuff that you're reading is you know you're you're there's translations you're translating things from ancient hebrew which is a language is based on numbers”
Discussed
“he wrote a book called the sacred mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“that's why that John Marco Allegro book is so fascinating oh dude sacred Mushroom in the cross yes that's what our book is fascinating”
Discussed
“that's why that John Marco Allegro book is so fascinating oh dude sacred Mushroom in the cross yes that's what our book is fascinating because that guy studied the Dead Sea Scrolls for 14 years and he was an ordained minister who became agnostic”
Discussed
“and John Marco algro wrote this book called The Sacred Mushroom in the cross it's a very interesting book and then he wrote another book called”
Discussed
“There's a book from the 1970s called the sacred mushroom and the cross by a guy named john marco allegro and john marco allegro was a scholar who was hired by the commission that was overseeing the dead sea scrolls translation”
Discussed
“there's a book from the 1970s called the sacred mushroom and the cross by a guy named john marco allegro and john marco allegro was a scholar who was hired by the commission that was overseeing the dead sea scrolls translation”
Discussed
“So these ones that they were attributing to like the sacred mushroom in the cross, John Marco Allegro's book on Amanita muscaria and the Bible — do you think that it's possible that at one point in time there were psychoactive strains of Amanita muscaria that vary from the ones that people have that have these different sort of more”
Discussed
“you know if you go back to it's a very controversial book but john marco allegro is the sacred mushroom in the cross is all about consumption of psychedelic mushrooms and that he believes that that was really what that the bible was about was about hiding these stories from the romans when they were captured”
Discussed
“did you read this yeah the sacred mushroom in the cross yeah do you read it several times”
Discussed
“there's a book called the sacred mushroom in the cross by a guy named John Marco Allegro who was an ordained minister”
Discussed
“that's the mushroom that's on the cover of the John Marco Allegro book the sacred mud-- okay across”
Discussed
“That's that one that they think is that's from the gianmarco allegro book the sacred mushroom and the cross”
Discussed
“oh the sacred mushroom in the cross was it really that's the one i would heard of it could have that my rumor might get passed around a lot”
Discussed
“well there's a book called the sacred mushroom in the cross it's by John Marco Allegro and he was a biblical scholar that was one of the guys that was assigned to decipher the Dead Sea Scrolls which is the oldest version of the Bible”
Discussed
“Yeah the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Christian myth and the sacred mushroom in the cross books on that”
Discussed
“so he wrote this book called the sacred mushroom in the cross that was bought out by the Catholic Church this I have to verify but I do know that they stopped production of it”
Discussed
“how you know like the John Marco Allegro book The Sacred Mushroom and the scroll where he thought that what Christianity was initially was a bunch of stories where they hid these psychedelic rituals in Parables”
Discussed
“have you ever read or heard of the Sacred Mushroom in the cross no I haven't the oldest version of the Bible is the Dead Sea Scrolls”
Recommended
“next time you come in or if you can get it if you can find it you got to pick up John Marco allegro's uh the sacred Mushroom in the cross cross”
Discussed
“it's the the sacred Mushroom in the cross the Amon muscar mushroom is on the cover the sacred Mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“one of them is called the sacred Mushroom in the cross and the his book what with his basic life's work was was explaining was that the entire Christian religion was a massive misunderstanding”
Discussed
“Do you ever uh do you know the book of the of the book, The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross? You ever heard that story? I've heard a little bit about it, but John Marco Allegro, who was the one of the head scholars”
Discussed
“uh allegro's work the sacred Mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“He wrote this book called The Sacred Mushroom in the cross and it's his that's his assertions that Jesus actually was a mushroom”
Michael Shermer — 4 mentions
Discussed
“well you know that is also John Marco allegro's thoughts oh right The Sacred Mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“that is also john marco allegro's thoughts oh right the sacred mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“wrote a book called the sacred mushroom and the cross and his interpretation was that the entire Christian religion was a massive misunderstanding”
Recommended
“and he deciphered them for over 14 years and wrote a book called the sacred mushroom and the cross and his interpretation was that the entire Christian religion was a massive misunderstanding”
Hamilton Morris — 4 mentions
Discussed
“and i don't know if you read the new michael pollan book i know he was on the podcast i mean right now”
Discussed
“because that's another one that is almost like a drug of lore more than a drug of application you don't really hear too much about people getting real good experiences no you don't but it's also connected to you know the sacred mushroom in the cross the cover of it from gianmarco Allegro has dynamic Amanita muscaria”
Discussed
“and the Christian myth it was one of his books and that was the second book that he published after the sacred mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“the last used book that I bought was uh the sacred Mushroom in the cross the only way to buy it you was used until Yan Irvin just re-released it and uh that uh did you you've read that right”
Duncan Trussell — 2 mentions
Discussed
“well you know the the Christian stuff the the the John Marco Allegro stuff from um the sacred Mushroom in the cross”
Discussed
“which is why I think that book you gave me the sacred Mushroom in the cross or you didn't give me it when I was living with you”
Jesse Michels — 1 mention
Discussed
“And then there's the uh John Marco Allegro, the guy who wrote uh the sacred mushroom in the cross, the the guy who was on the Dead Sea Scrolls Commission, who was an ordained minister, but also was agnostic.And after 14 years of deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls, he's like, I think [laughter] this is all about fertility rituals and”
Danny Jones — 1 mention
Discussed
“I don't know much about John Marco Allegro, but I think that I I read his book the uh the sacred mushroom in the cross.”
Wesley Huff — 1 mention
Discussed
“the first time I was introduced to Marco legro was not his sacred mushroom and the cross stuff but he published a book on What's called the Copper Scroll”
Jordan Peterson — 1 mention
Discussed
“uh John Marco algro wrote a book called The Sacred mushro the cross”
Amanda Feilding — 1 mention
Discussed
“Have you read uh John Marco of the gross book The Sacred Mushroom in the cross”
Dave Attell — 1 mention
Discussed
“and that's uh the subject of a book called um the sacred mushroom and the cross This guy John Marco Allegro who is hired to decipher the Dead Sea Scrolls”
Andrew Huberman — 1 mention
Discussed
“in fact John Marco Allegro one of the head um the guys who is hired to decipher the Dead Sea Scrolls he wrote a book called The Sacred Mushroom in the cross after translating the Dead Sea Scrolls for 14 years”
Sam Tripoli — 1 mention
Recommended
“did you ever read the sacred mushroom in the cross no i have you need to read that it's a a great book about uh this guy john marco allegro who deciphered the dead sea scrolls he was on the on the committee like for 14 years worked in the dead sea scrolls and his conclusion was the entire bible”
Graham Hancock — 1 mention
Discussed
“uh and so john marco allegro author of the sacred mushroom in the scroll so he releases that book in 1970 and he claims that uh christianity is the guys for a near eastern fertility cult and it's i mean i think it's very interesting but there aren't many linguists who who support the proposition”
Brian Muraresku — 1 mention
Discussed
“and carl rock has written the afterword to uh one of the additions you probably have of sacred mushroom in the cross”
Paul Stamets — 1 mention
Discussed
“and that is the mushroom that was documented in the sacred mushroom in the cross where gianmarco allegro alleged that he alleged that the entire Christian religion was essentially a misunderstanding”
Hotep Jesus — 1 mention
Discussed
“well there's a book called the sacred mushroom in the cross It's by John Marco Allegro and he was a biblical scholar that was one of the guys that was assigned to decipher the Dead Sea Scrolls”
Michael Hunter — 1 mention
Recommended
“I mean there's so many parallels it's really kind of [ __ ] crazy and that's cool yeah it's a great book so he wrote this book called the sacred mushroom in the cross that was bought out by the Catholic Church”
Christopher Ryan — 1 mention
Discussed
“John Marco algro who was uh one of the um uh lead Scholars that was deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls he wrote this book called The Sacred Mushroom in the cross and it was read that it's a great book and uh it was bought up by the Catholic Church actually”
Daniele Bolelli — 1 mention
Discussed
“one of them was called the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian myth and the first one was called The Sacred Mushroom in the cross and that one's fascinating book”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 1
Discussed
“i think it was the the cross book that you've talked about the sacred cross or oh the sacred mushroom in the cross”

Also mentioned in the same episodes

Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
Passing
“and the sacred mushroom in the cross books on that but he was a usually guy who studied that the Dead Sea Scrolls”