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A review by mcfarleyems
Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia by Dennis Covington
5.0
“He said, And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover!”
I grew up in a traditional Catholic household. When I was about 8 our priest, Father Wesloh, gave a homily about how prayer is not a spectacle. Belief in God isn't a spectacle. Your reward comes from your relationship with God, so you don't need to put on a show. I remember thinking that the first time I had seen snake handlers and tongue speakers on television. My mom made fun of them, but I found it to be wildly captivating.
This book sent me down so many rabbit holes. I watched hours (!) of videos on YouTube of people speaking in tongues and "catching the spirit". I would talk to anyone who would listen about the book and how interesting it was to see this other side of religion. The only reason it took me so long to finish this book is because I was so busy watching videos and reading research about the frontal cortex while speaking in tongues.
I grew up in a traditional Catholic household. When I was about 8 our priest, Father Wesloh, gave a homily about how prayer is not a spectacle. Belief in God isn't a spectacle. Your reward comes from your relationship with God, so you don't need to put on a show. I remember thinking that the first time I had seen snake handlers and tongue speakers on television. My mom made fun of them, but I found it to be wildly captivating.
This book sent me down so many rabbit holes. I watched hours (!) of videos on YouTube of people speaking in tongues and "catching the spirit". I would talk to anyone who would listen about the book and how interesting it was to see this other side of religion. The only reason it took me so long to finish this book is because I was so busy watching videos and reading research about the frontal cortex while speaking in tongues.