Poison-drinking in obedience to the faith
A phenomenological study of the experience
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19504101 |
|---|---|
| Authors | W Paul Williamson (0000-0002-8200-3592, Henderson State University, corresponding author), Ralph W Hood (0000-0002-5165-6830, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 196-206 |
| Publication date | 2015-03-16 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Mental Health Religion & Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1367-4676 • E-ISSN: 1469-9737 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13674676.2015.1033685 |
| OpenAlex | W1993564047 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 7 |
In Appalachia, there are certain Christian sects who handle venomous serpents in their church services. Although their serpent handling has received some attention, another of their practices, poison-drinking, has all but escaped the concern of investigators. Addressing this issue, this study included phenomenological interviews with seven believers who ingested strychnine at church. A hermeneutic analysis of their transcribed interviews discovered four major themes that emerged across all protocols to describe the structure of meaning in the experience of poison-drinking: (1) Desire to Drink; (2) “God Moving on Me” (in terms of Anointing and “Insurance” against Harm); (3) Already “Snake Bit”; and (4) “Victory”/“Devil Troubling My Mind”. These interdependent themes are discussed in relation to the existential grounds of body, others, time, and world
Bad faith · Epistemology · Existentialism · Faith · Harm · Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Obedience · Psychoanalysis · Psychotherapist · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Mormonism, Religion, and History · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2016 - 2022 (7) |
| Highly cited | No |