Snake-Wrangling or Sunday School: Exploring the Truth About Appalachian Religion
When most people think of Appalachia, religion is one of the initial things that comes to mind. What that perception of religion is though, varies greatly. For some, the immediate thought is that of snake-handling, river baptisms and other extreme, peculiar practices. Others though, simply think about the increased devotion and culture of family commitment to church attendance. So, what is the truth about Appalachian religion? How does the practice of religion in Appalachia differ from that of the surrounding regions?
This question, it seems, does not have an easy answer. In my research I found some answers, but more often than not, I was instead finding questions and a lack of discussion on the topic. In my search, I was put in contact with Meredith Doster, PhD who has given speeches on the topic which was actually the focus of her dissertation. After emailing back and forth a few times, Ms. Doster confirmed to me that there is quite a lack of discussion in the scholarly world on this topic but helped to point me in the direction of several helpful sources where I could begin to piece together some knowledge of the topic. I would like to acknowledge that my research still leaves many questions to be addressed but I would like to share my best answers to those areas that I was able to explore in my search.
Many people see the people of the Appalachian region as a foreign people. This is the case in most aspects of life and religion is not an exception. When these people hear the words Appalachia and religion used in the same sentence they expect it to be followed by the phrases “snake-wrangling” or “river-baptisms” (Mullinax). Appalachia is automatically associated with this stigma of backwardness that seems to have begun as a hyperbolic myth that grew into a stereotype as we know it today (Doster). However, the reality of Appalachian religion is far from this barbaric vision that many people outside the area have.
The truth about Appalachian religion is much more tame. Many of those who practice religion in Appalachia are Christian and continually more churches could even fall into the “Progressive Christian” category of which many churches outside of the region are classified. These churches acknowledge different genders, races and those of other religions as equals (Mullinax). Pew polls from West Virginia, a completely Appalachian state, compared to that of Virginia, a state mostly outside of Appalachia, show that the breakdown of religion within Appalachia is very similar to the breakdown outside of it. While West Virginia has a slightly higher percentage of Christians than that of Virginia and the percentage of Catholics from Virginia seems to shift into the Mainline Protestant category for West Virginia, the statistics fail to show any sort of drastic difference in the religions with which people affiliate themselves (Religious Landscape Study). Overall, it seems that the churches themselves are very similar to what many outside of Appalachia are familiar with as Christian churches.
If all Appalachian churches aren’t filled with snake-wrangling radicals, what kind of differences do they have, if any, that distinguish them from the surrounding regions? There definitely seems to be a difference in the way that Appalachians practice religion compared to those outside of Appalachia but that difference is much more tame and what most would consider reasonable. This distinction is in the level of importance placed on religion: the commitment of individuals and of families to their chosen religious practices. According to the Pew Research Center, there are 10% more people in West Virginia that say they believe in God than in Virginia. There is also a higher percentage of people who say that religion is “Very important” in their lives as well as an increased attendance of religious services and commitment to daily prayer. I believe all of these factors go to show the true abnormality of Appalachian religion: a high level of commitment. In today’s world where it seems the importance of religion in people’s lives is constantly declining, Appalachia remains a stronghold of those still committed to religious beliefs. There seem to be many reasons that could cause this difference in attitude towards religion in Appalachian versus the surrounding areas. Some of the causes may include social expectations, family traditions or more desperate conditions. Whatever the cause for this slight difference in attitude towards religion, it is far less absurd than the idea of churches flooded with people wrangling snakes in the name of religion.
Perhaps religion isn’t so different within Appalachia as compared to those surrounding areas. The majority of both areas still identifies as Christian and practice in almost the same way, differing no more than technicalities do between any two areas (Religious Landscape Study). This commonality in religion is perhaps more than just a talking point between those within Appalachia and those in the surrounding regions. Religion, along with a few other shared experiences, form a “bridge” of sorts across cultures to make them more connected. These connections link Appalachia to the outside world and help others to understand them as well as to become more connected in other aspects starting with social and even moving to economic connections in some cases. In this sense, Appalachia has begun to become “globalized” starting with common religion and moving towards adopting other different pieces of culture from the surrounding regions (Barret et al.). Whether this globalization is a good or a bad idea is a different discussion but the fact that religion can be used as a point of unity to bridge different regions could certainly help resolve some misunderstandings.
As can be seen through the few examples that I’ve given, religion in Appalachia is not all that different than the religion known by the surrounding areas. This point of misconception and misunderstanding though is rarely addressed. The research that I have complied has barely scratched the surface of this issue and without professional research being conducted, there will continue to be holes in research and understandings. The issue seems to be stuck in a cycle: people do not recognize the misconceptions as being inaccurate, so it receives no attention or professional research and because of this lack of attention, the misconceptions live on without anyone thinking twice. Religion, it seems, is one of those points of silence- unofficially forbidden to talk about as many of the most pressing issues in Appalachia have become (Blevins). Those studying Appalachia only wish to present on topics that are ”quaint and primitive” because it is these topics that audiences want to hear (Lippy 40). There is something about the stereotype of Appalachia being its own unique bubble, separate from the rest of the world, that attracts people to the idea of Appalachia. This is a fantasy that began hundreds of years ago and it seems that people still do not want to give it up no matter how untrue it may be, outsiders will still find a way to report on Appalachia in the light that they desire.
Works Cited
Barett, Bill T, et al. “Globalization in Appalachia: Economics, Religion, Society.” Appalachian Studies Association, vol. 8, no. 5, 2015. Social Conditions, mds.marshall.edu/asa_conference/2015/full/159/.
Blevins, Adrian, and Karen Salyer McElmurray. “Preface.” Walk till the Dogs Get Mean Meditations on the Forbidden from Contemporary Appalachia, Ohio University Press, 2015.
Doster, Meredith A. “Appalachian Religious Identity: Reconsidering the Category ‘Appalachian Religion.’” Appalachian Studies Association, vol. 11, no. 1, 2014. Environment and Religion, mds.marshall.edu/asa_conference/2014/Full/342/.
Lippy, Charles H. “Popular Religiosity in Central Appalachia.” Christianity in Appalachia: Profiles in Regional Pluralism, by Bill J Leonard, University of Tennessee Press, 1999, pp. 40–50.
Mullinax, Marc S. “Progressive Religion in Appalachia — NOT an Oxymoron!” Appalachian Studies Association, 2016, mds.marshall.edu/asa_conference/2016/accepted_proposals/7/.
“Religious Landscape Study.” Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project, 11 May 2015, www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/.
