Editing Snake handling in Christianity (section)

=== Legality ===
All Appalachian states except West Virginia outlawed the snake-handling ritual when it first emerged. The states of Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee have passed laws against the use of venomous snakes or other reptiles that endangers the lives of others without a permit.

The Kentucky law specifically mentions religious services; in Kentucky snake handling is a misdemeanor and punishable by a $50 to $100 fine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/02/26/opinion/cevallos-snake-handling-law/index.html|title=Snakes and church vs. state|first=Danny|last=Cevallos|date=26 February 2014|publisher=CNN}}</ref>

Snake handling is legal in the state of West Virginia, as the current state constitution does not allow any law to impede upon nor promote a religious practice.<ref name="Bastress">{{cite book |last=Bastress |first=Robert |title=The West Virginia Constitution: A Reference Guide |year=1995|publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, CT |pages=102–103 |isbn=0313274096}}</ref>

Snake handling was made a felony punishable by death under Georgia law in 1941, following the death of a seven-year-old from a rattlesnake bite. However, the punishment was so severe that juries would refuse to convict, and the law was repealed in 1968.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ruthven |first=Malise |title=The Divine Supermarket |publisher=Chatto & Windus |year=1989 |location=London |pages=291 |isbn=0-7011-3151-9}}</ref>

The [[American Civil Liberties Union]] has defended the religious freedom of snake handlers against various attempts to have the practice banned.{{sfnp|Burton|1993|p=}}