The Holy Ghost people of the Appalachian region of the U.S. take the King James version of the Bible literally. Mark says: “They shall take up serpents; & if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.” So in church, the Holy Ghost people handle copperheads & drink strychnine. Unfortunately, despite what the Gospel Says, people do occasionally get hurt even killed. This excerpt from Science 83 magazine takes a look at the rituals & convictions of the members of the Jesus Only sect.