A cup of ayahuasca tea

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon members of a Christian church based in Brazil are asking a federal judge to allow the use of a hallucinogenic tea during religious services.

The Church of the Holy Light of the Queen blends Christian theology with traditional indigenous religious beliefs from Brazil.

They believe their ayahuasca tea, made from Amazonian plants, opens up new paths to self-understanding and is the only way to have a direct experience with Jesus. They argue the tea is not only enlightening, but that it’s harmless.

Officials don't quite agree. Federal agents seized a shipment of the disputed tea leaves in 1999.

Members of the Ashland chapter of the church recently took their complaint to federal court, arguing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Not much is known about the group whose members have met in Portland in the past. The group's attorney has told members not to talk publicly until the judge makes his ruling.

But what is known from testimony to the Oregon Pharmacy Board is that the group has three religious ceremonies a month. The tea leaves the members' systems within two hours, but the average ceremony lasts five to six hours.

Users see geometric images, according to Professor Martin Ball of Southern Oregon University, who has been a guest at the church.

“It’s not like you’re seeing something and then you’re hearing something, then you’re thinking something,” Ball said. “It’s a combined holistic experience that then can unfold into visions. People might see different entities. They could see spirits or different beings."

The federal Drug Enforcement Agency lists the hallucinogenic substance in the tea in the same category as marijuana. The penalty for unlawful possession is up to 10 years in prison.

The government alleges that investigators found and seized far more of the substance than the church could ever need for its small membership. But church officials say in court papers that neither the way they consume it nor the trace amount they use is illegal.

A ruling is expected within 45 days.

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.