Religion In The South

Religion in the South

Most of the religious sects and churches in the Deep South are pretty much solemn - and right serious about what they say and do. However, there are other churches that have a lot more fun and I have been lucky enough to visit quite a few of them. (Not so lucky in some cases) A preacher by the name of Sweet Daddy Grace founded one church here. He built a beautiful church of brick and had it painted red, white and blue. Bricks white, cement lines red and the windows blue. Sweet Daddy Grace had a rock and roll band instead of an organ and when the band and choir got wound up, you could hear them blocks away.

Once, Sweet Daddy was taking up a collection during church services and during the middle of the collection he started hollering for everyone to stop everything they were doing. When it got quiet, he started talking in a calm voice; saying "I can hear the clinking of the coins you are putting in the plate and it is an offense to the Lord. It hurts his ears to hear that kind of noise. We are going to start this collection over again and this time I only want to hear the rustle of paper money going into the plate". And that is the way it was.

Another time, he preached for a month that on Easter Sunday he was going to walk on the water of Lake wheeler - on the outskirts of Raleigh. On the appointed day, his limousine pulled up near the water's edge and hundreds of people watched as his red carpet was rolled from the limo to the water. (He never walked on dirt and grass) He walked down to the water's edge and preached a rousing sermon. At the end of which he started exhorting his congregation. "Do you believe I can walk on the water? Yes Sweet Daddy we believe. Do you believe? Yes we believe!" At which point he said, "In that case, I don't have to prove it", and turned around and walked back to his limousine. That story is the absolute truth.

We have other churches here that are called Holy Rollers. During a typical service some of the congregation will get taken by the Holy Spirit and 'talk in tongues' and others will stand and shake and some will run up and down the aisle 'hooting and hollering'. If you have ever seen the church scene in the movie Blues Brothers, that is getting a little close. Unless you have been to a camp meeting in the deep south you just haven't seen anyone 'taken by the holy spirit'. Now keep in mind, we have churches down here where the members literally believe the bible passage that says to "take up serpents". They practice a religion in which they pick up not one or two, but have literally, arms full of the most deadly snakes you can imagine. Diamond back rattlers, cottonmouths and water moccasins. It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen anyone do. I don't think you could get me back in the door of one of those churches with a baseball bat.

I once went to one church where the preacher came out wearing a plaid lumberjack shirt, and brown pants tucked into knee high leather boots. Then SHE proceeded to preach a sermon in "tongues". I did not understand the first word she said. "Tongues" is when a person is 'possessed' by the Holy Spirit and speaks in gibberish. Sometimes the 'possessed' person will foam at the mouth and look as though they are having a seizure.

On the other hand, one of the most memorable churches I have ever been to was an unpainted, cypress clapboard building with no interior finish of any sort and rough pine benches to sit on. It was sitting on a small finger of dry land at the edge of a black water swamp and surrounded by Live Oaks and Spanish moss. I found that church on a Wednesday night when I got lost in the back woods of eastern NC. I never could find that church again.

Country Ham

Country Ham

When buying a country ham, make sure that the ham is soft all over when mashed with your thumb and that the skin is not dry and hard. Allow plenty of time to prepare a country ham. It soaks and cooks for a long while. Use leftovers to make sandwiches and biscuits.

• 1 country ham (12-14 lbs)

Glaze:

• ½ cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Scrub the ham with a brush under warm running water and put it in a large pot to soak. Cover the ham with cold water and let soak for 6 hours minimum, or overnight if desired. Rinse the ham and then put it back into the pot and put in enough hot water to almost cover the ham. Let the water come to a boil, and then turn the heat down to low. Add the brown sugar and molasses, and let simmer for 3 hours, adding hot water as needed to keep the ham covered. Remove the ham from the pot, let it cool a bit, and then trim off the skin and most of the fat, leaving only a thin layer. Mix together the glaze ingredients and brush them over the ham. Put the ham in a large baking pan and cover with foil. Bake the ham in a 300 degree oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and let the ham stay inside until cool. 

Serves about 15.