ABSTRACT
Despite the legal suppression of snakehandling sects, the practice of handling serpents and drinking strychnine as part of a Pentecostal service continues in America today. The legal statutes against snake handling have forced an even tighter social connection among believers than in years past and have influenced a religious folklife revolving around the central practices of serpent handling and strychnine drinking. Although predictions are frequently made that legal measures and deaths of fellow worshippers will convince sign followers to give up the practice, snake handling appears to be a resilient religious tradition, particularly in Appalachia.
