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are not mutually exclusive in the minds of Appalachians. This is
largely because, as we shall see, the people of Appalachia do not
operate under two separate and distinct worldviews—a magical
worldview and a religious worldview. With respect to McCoy,
she ignores the cultural and religious influences that conservative,
Protestant Christianity has had on the Appalachian region. Other
writers such as Rago (1995) have traced the Appalachian Granny
Woman tradition back to pre-Christian Europe without defining
it as a branch of witchcraft. Forbes shows a connection between
midwives and the practice of witchcraft in early Europe, but he
notes that, “Then as now, good deeds went unnumbered, and we
must presume that law-abiding midwives, if not unrewarded,
still were usually not mentioned.” 56 Most rural Appalachians
would consider any New Age or neo-Pagan interpretation of
their practices as something evil or from the Devil. In order to
understand the Appalachian folk magic tradition, it is necessary
that one examine it holistically and take into account the
worldview and religious beliefs of the Appalachian people.
Protestant Christianity in Appalachia
The Appalachian descendents of European settlers have
religious roots in a variety of traditions, most of which can be
described as left-wing Protestant. 57 The English settlers, who
were dissenters from the Church of England and the Scotch-
Irish settlers, who were Presbyterians that followed the religious
revolution John Knox began in the Church of Scotland, both
shared the Calvinist doctrines of unconditional election to the ranks
of the saved and limited atonement for individual sin. Milnes
(2005) notes the highly influential, but often neglected, impact of
the German Lutheran and Anabaptist churches—with their non-
Calvinist theology—on the Appalachian region.
During the era of the American Revolution, the predominant
religion in Appalachia tended to be Presbyterian Calvinism. 58
However, very few of the settlers were church members and
organized religion was not the standard. Although centered in
New England, the First Great Awakening of the eighteen century
did leave a mark on religion in Appalachia in the form of creating
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