One Nation Under God is the story of the Native American Church and its battle to try to keep the native american use of peyote legal after the Supreme Court’s catastrophic Smith case. The book opens with nice introductions by Sentator Inouye, Huston Smith, and Reuben Snake and then moves into a number of short personal testimonials from NAC members.

The book includes a description of a NAC peyote ceremony, a discussion of peyote/mescaline pharmacology, the legal standing use of peyote, the text of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1994, the story of Reuben Snake’s death, and a brief history of the NAC.

Overall this book acts as a good introduction to the NAC and the church’s use of peyote and may be a useful bridge between those who believe entheogen use is harmful and those who believe they can be part of healthy life.

“We can’t explain our religion. To understand it you have to eat its Medicine.” – anonymous

• CSP Entheogen Chrestomathy Entry