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Them That Believe

The Power and Meaning of the Christian Serpent-Handling Tradition

W Paul Williamson author Ralph Hood author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:University of California Press

Published:5th Sep '08

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Them That Believe cover

Although outlawed in many states, serpent handling remains an active religious practice - and one that is far more stereotyped than understood. Ralph W. Hood, Jr. and W. Paul Williamson have spent fifteen years touring serpent-handling churches in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, and West Virginia, conducting scores of interviews with serpent handlers, and witnessing hundreds of serpent-handling services. In this illuminating book, they present the most in-depth, comprehensive study of serpent handling to date. "Them That Believe" not only explores facets of this religious practice - including handling, preaching, and the near-death experiences of individuals who were bitten but survived - but also provides a rich analysis of this phenomenon from historical, social, religious, and psychological perspectives.

ISBN: 9780520255876

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 20mm

Weight: 454g

322 pages