““Religion played a major part in the history of the Appalachian pioneers. Their way of life was characterized by a strong sense of independence and an inherent distrust of religious hierarchies. Many of their beliefs were influenced and modified by early interaction with the Shawnee and Cherokee people, as well as by the African religions of their slaves. Some of these adaptations are still in evidence in present day church services in Appalachia, including creek baptism, foot washing, chanted preaching and congregational shouting.””
![“Go walk the streets of Beijing. It's pretty hard to argue it isn't a modern city. Now, if you go outside [of Beijing], in the rural areas, that's true. But rural America, you can say the same thing, in Appalachia there's an awful lot of poverty and lack of education.” quote by Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/726/michael-bloomberg-1293_america_go-walk-the-streets-of-beijing-it-s-pret_482884.jpg)
