Drugs in Parable of the Sower

 In last week's reading, we learned about Lauren's hyper empathy and what caused it (Lauren's biological mom's drug abuse). Lauren's gift is probably going to be a driving factor in the story, but I can't help but notice the similarities between her gift and disbelief in her father's religion and the religious uses of hallucinogens around the world. Having out-of-this-world experiences has been a part of religious ceremonies for thousands of years, and my guess is Lauren will be no different. Even though she's rejected her father's religion, I don't think religion will be excommunicated from the rest of the book.

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