A bit hard to type, since I am feeling somewhat light headed...

I have never been in your situation, but it is definitely an interesting read. I can definitely see what you mean on how it is portrayed as "Of the Devil!". I have always supported Marijuana, since it is not addictive and does not cause permanent damage, unlike alcohol.

To meet you on a certain level, I once got my Christian friend to smoke. He had always believed that Marijuana was illegal for a reason, even though he would drink and then whimper about how he felt the next day. So we smoked...and then started playing video games. We played Super Smash Brothers Brawl, a game I'm not too fond of, but it is colorful and enjoyable when high. We laughed a lot, and had a genuinely fun time.

The next morning he said it was great, and that we should definitely do that again. I thought that would be great.

A few days later, I mentioned to him the idea of smoking. His reply was..."I would never do that again...I had such an unpleasant time..." He apparently went to church and discussed this with a few of his fellow churchgoers. They told him it was bad, and his mind re-associated the feeling of a good night, with pain and exhaustion.

You can really see how this world's religions have such an effect on a person, to the point where it is almost brainwashing. It's sad to know he'll probably never do it again, just because some false sense of god tells him to be a "good person", and to stop doing this "illegal" substance, even though he drinks and smokes cigarettes regularly.