God Bless America lifts the veil on strange and unusual religious beliefs and practices in the modern-day United States. Do Satanists really sacrifice babies? Do exorcisms involve swearing and spinning heads? Are the Amish allowed to drive cars and use computers? Offering a close look at snake handling, new age spirituality, Santeria spells, and satanic rituals, this book offers more than mere armchair research. It takes you to an exorcism, a Charismatic church and a Fundamentalist Mormon polygamist compound. You will sit among the beards and bonnets in a Mennonite church, hear the sounds of silence at a Quaker meeting, and listen to L. Ron Hubbard's sci-fi stories told as sermons during a Scientology service. From the Amish to Voodoo, the beliefs and practices explored in this book may be unorthodox, and often dangerous, but they are always fascinating. Some of them are dying out, while others are gaining popularity with a modern audience, but all offer insight into the past, present and future of religion in the United States. America was founded in a religious tolerance which was later enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution. This set up a breeding ground for a motley riffraff of cults and weird beliefs. Karen Stollznow ventured intrepidly into this "Here be Dragons" territory and her book parades specimens and trophies for our amazement, described with lively good humour and analysed with a sympathetic intelligence. One of the commonest questions I am asked is what makes America so religious. Karen Stollznow's book will become an essential resource for answering it. -Richard Dawkins The chapter on Scientology is fantastic. It is very specifically detailed with a clear breakdown on the belief system, various programs and abuses. This is deadly concise and makes an incredibly clear and compelling case for the utter absurdity of the church (Though I'd more of ME in it!) -Jamie DeWolf, great-grandson of L. Ron Hubbard. Stollznow takes the reader on an entertaining and informative romp through religions that are bizarre (Satanism), highly criminal (offshoots of Mormonism), absolutely ridiculous (Scientology), weirdly archaic and quaint (Amish), exotic and strange (Voodoo), foaming-at-the mouth in ecstasy or exorcisms (charistmatics and evangelicals), profoundly inane (New Agers) and silly (Quakers). God Bless America presents a patchwork quilt made from the fabric of some of America's finest traditions and religions. Stollznow actually mingled with these people and lived to tell the tale! - Robert T. Carroll In God Bless America, Karen Stollznow opens the doors and looks at the people inside some of the more interesting congregations of the United States. Maybe it takes an Aussie to really dig down under into these American faith's lesser known secrets? While respectful, Stollznow doesn't shy away from any of the sometimes disturbing things she finds. From Shakers to undead movers, it's a spirited book full of surprising beliefs and practices that will engage you thoroughly. - Blake Smith aka "Dr. Atlantis" of the Monster Talk podcast Dr. Karen Stollznow is a linguist with a background in history and anthropology. She is a columnist, podcaster and the author of  Haunting America ,  Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic , and  Red, White and (True) Blue . Karen was a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and has spent many years writing about a diverse array of topics, including language, culture, religion and anomalous claims. Karen was born in Sydney, and has a PhD in linguistics from the University of New England, Australia. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado.  God Bless America Strange and Unusual Religious Beliefs and Practices in the United States By Karen Stollznow Pitchstone Publishing Copyright © 2013 Karen Stollznow, PhD All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-939578-00-6 Contents Acknowledgments, Introduction, 1. Modern-Day Prophets and Polygamists: Fundamentalist Mormons, 2. The Not-So-Simple Life: The Amish and Mennonites, 3. Signs, Wonders, and Miracles: Charismatics and Pentecostals, 4. Hoodoo, Voodoo, and Juju: Afro-Caribbean Religions, 5. Full of the Devil: Demonic Possession and Exorcisms, 6. Sympathy for the Devil: Satanism, 7. It's All in Your Head: Dianetics and Scientology, 8. Something Old, Something New: New Age Spirituality, 9. Friends in High Places: The Quakers, References, About the Author, Other Titles from Pitchstone, CHAPTER 1 Modern-Day Prophets and Polygamists Fundamentalist Mormons * * * "Two girls for every boy." — The Beach Boys "Looking Beyond" is the name of the now-abandoned compound in Westcliffe. To explain the numerous bedrooms, the realtor said with a cringe, "This place was used, um ... a little bit differently than a normal house." She didn't divulge that this had been an FLDS compound. "You could use it as a hunting retreat!" she suggested. Mainstream vs. Fundamentalist Mo