Jayto,

Again, thanks for an interesting thread idea and, again, welcome to Mudcat. I'm glad you're here and hope you'll stay around. We can probably learn a lot from each other.

I never questioned the existence of sin eaters. I questioned their existence in Appalachia.

I have no wish to "hammer you" on Biblical texts or religions. I am puzzled by your statement, "As far as Biblical interpretation it is not as black and white as you say it is c'mon you know that." To what are you referring? I said nothing about Biblical interpretation being black and white. I said nothing about my own religious beliefs. I did say that the common religions of the 19th Century Appalachians (the Southern Appalachians, that is) base their beliefs on texts such as Hebrews 9:27,28. While those religions indeed disagree on several points, they were (and are still) in agreement that no one except Christ could take on, could "eat", another person's sin. This is true of Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Pentecostals, etc. Therefore it seems unlikely that sin-eating was practiced in Southern Appalachia. You seem to think otherwise, and you may be right. I am eager to be corrected. What causes you to think that sin-eating was practiced in Appalachia?

Kent