Joe Rogan Experience #2562 - Dan McClellan · Aired Oct 7, 2026
Claim summary · not a verbatim quotation
The Catholic Church might have purchased or suppressed Allegro's The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross.
The finding
What the evidence shows
There is a kernel of truth. After the 1970 release the publisher apologized and the book was widely attacked, and it became hard to find for a while. But there is no documentary evidence that the Catholic Church bought up copies or rights, and the book kept appearing in new editions, including a 40th anniversary reprint in 2009. Researchers put its scarcity down to academic backlash and publisher caution, not church action. Dan's other point is right: the book was republished in 2009. A publisher or church record showing the Church bought the rights or stock would flip this verdict.
Read the supporting source · en.wikipedia.org ↗Quick answer & review status
Quick answer
Is it true that the Catholic Church might have purchased or suppressed Allegro's The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross?
Partly. The claim stretches what the evidence shows. There is a kernel of truth. After the 1970 release the publisher apologized and the book was widely attacked, and it became hard to find for a while. It was said on Joe Rogan Experience #2562 - Dan McClellan, aired Oct 7, 2026, at 1:39:07. We haven't independently confirmed who said it. The supporting source is en.wikipedia.org, linked below.
The context belongs here.
No separately verified on-air correction is recorded for this check. That is not a claim that nobody corrected it.
- Attribution
- Not independently confirmed in this record
- Editorial context review
- Not recorded; generated finding
- Coverage
- One selected claim from the episode
Revisions to this check
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