At one early church service, a stranger threw a box full of cottonmouths, rattlesnakes, and copperheads onto the floor while Hensley was preaching. In the beginning of the movement, people that were bitten were shunned. By the 1940's the movement had captured both the attention of the national media and the local lawmakers, and the practice of snake handling was outlawed. Hensley himself preached that lawmakers were being led by the devil to outlaw snake handling. Hensley was bitten many times and refused medical treatment each time.
Jewelry is forbidden on anyone, including wedding rings and watches.
Women may not cut their hair. Some beliefs have changed over the years. Today most followers believe that even the devout will be bitten occasionally. Works Cited Carrigan, Henry and Sybil S. Steinberg. The God of Stones and Spiders .