Philosophy of Science, 2. Although this book does not explicitly address entheogens, Murphy clearly describes part of the philosophical background behind the issue of entheogens. Scripture itself is understood differently by proponents of the two strategies. Conservatives emphasize that these books are the result of acts of God, not of human discovery, and emphasize the factual character of their contents.
Scripture provides precise and true accounts of supernatural realities.
Liberals see Christian Scripture as belonging to a class of writings that express, with different degrees of aptness, insights regarding God and human life that arise from religious experience. So according to the liberals, Christian Scripture may be especially authoritative for Christians, but it differs from other religious writings in degree, not in kind. First, Schleiermacher described the relevant experience as universal and unmediated. It is universal in the sense that, although this experience is colored differently in different cultures, and for Christians by the influence of Jesus, it is the common source of all religions. It is a kind of experience that is available in principle to all, not just to Christians.