Salvation on Sand Mountain
Dennis Covington writes about the snake handling rituals that go on in Scottsboro, Alabama, in March on 1992 he calls it Salvation on Sand Mountain. While going to the services held at the churches, Covington realizes that he is not only doing a story on other people’s religions, but that he is also discovering his own religion. Covington creates feelings of sympathy and disgust for the reader while he talks about snake handling in southern churches. Through Covington’s eyes the reader is exposed to his spiritual journey, family, and southern beliefs about snake handling.Covington’s spiritual journey throughout Salvation on Sand Mountain was shocking. It makes one think that the phrase “everything happens for a reason” really is true. His first experience in a serpent-handling church was “exhilarating and unsettling” (11). Compared to Covington’s small Methodist church in Birmingham, Al. the snake-handling . . .
Throughout Covington’s spiritual journey and the religious beliefs of the southerners, Salvation on Sand Mountain leaves one wondering why people are like this. They quoted the Bible word for word, but they also took it for the face value and did not look for God’s hidden meanings. For example, “Old Jesus Onlys, freaks, and Holy Rollers” (25) are some of the names outsiders called the members of Jesus With Signs Following. Does this mean dying is part of your faith? When a rattlesnake bit Mrs. The people of the church of Jesus With Signs Following believed that if you were in and of the word enough, you would suffer from a snakebite and risk dying to prove your faith. However, the people of the church did not let ridicule stop them from doing what they thought the Lord intended for them to do. church on Sand Mountain seemed to bring a different point of view to Covington about his spiritual life. I believe that we shouldn’t judge the ones that have faith in these certain beliefs. Craig she was asked if she wanted a doctor, “anything for ease” (149) was her reply to the question. For example, Covington stated that “he wanted to experience more” (11) because the services at The Church of Jesus with Signs Following always seemed to leave Covington wondering about what was going to happen next. For instance, they believed that speaking in tongues, anointing one another with oil, drinking poison, handling fire, and taking up poisonous snakes were all things that God intended for everyone to do. Brother Carl stated that “The Bible says you’re gonna suffer for your faith” (134), meaning if the Bible says to handle a snake and you get bit as a result, it’s just part of your faith. We should just worry about our religion and our beliefs and how we know and trust God. “The raw hillbilly music had been imprinted on her genes, like something deep within her she was remembering” (114). Snake handling among many other southern beliefs are what drive northerners to have a narrow-minded view of people that live in the south.
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