'Serpent-Handling' West Virginia Pastor Dies From Snake Bite

[SkySamuelle]

It's based on a phrase in the book of Mark, which basically says you if you Have Enough Faith, you can handle serpents and other superhuman shit. Look at it in context, it looks to me like the wording is poetic-al, hyperbolic-al, but not zoologic-al.
Even if literal, however: we have no evidence that Jeezy's apostles went out swinging adders to prove their devotion. That, according to a passage in Luke, would be to tempt, provoke, tease, or fun-poke God.

That's what I I found so absurd - it's a Christian commandament that you won't 'tempt' the father god to manifest himself so... they manage to twist that around like this? and founding whole a practice around that?

[RandallS]

That's what I I found so absurd - it's a Christian commandament that you won't 'tempt' the father god to manifest himself so... they manage to twist that around like this? and founding whole a practice around that?

With a list of things people with true faith can do, I'm pretty sure they see it as testing themselves (and showing others that they have true faith), not testing God

[Ula]

For many of us it doesn't make a lot of sense. For those that practice taking up serpents, it makes a lot of sense. There's a story my mama told me about the lady who used to go to a snake handling church that was a holy woman. The power of God rested upon this woman so much that she would be able to tell someone why they could not handle snakes (be it sin or unbelief) and forbid them to do it in the name of Jesus. If they proceeded, they were bitten. Those that hearkened unto her and listen to the Holy Ghost, were never bitten.

Now, I will not debunk this because I believe it is true. However, it really depends on who you ask. Some will say "lack of faith and/or unworthiness" others will say "the Lord called them home and it was their time to go." When you're meant to die, you're meant to die. There is no cheating death unlike the Final Destination movies show.

Personally, I think they could've taken better precautions, but when Death Angel comes knockin' on your door, it's your time. No deal-making is going to get you out of that one. Sometimes our souls come back to our bodies, but there is a purpose for those when they die and come back that they must fulfill. Those are just my opinions.

This post addresses the practice quite well. Most of the time this is going on there is dancing, spinning, music. I would say at some point there is a trace state achieved involving the dancing of the handler, watching the head of the snake and the large crowd full of energy. I wouldn't join a church like this, even when I was a Christian but I don't like to make fun of people's practices. I didn't like when Christians did it, I don't like it on the other side now.

[MadZealot]

With a list of things people with true faith can do, I'm pretty sure they see it as testing themselves (and showing others that they have true faith), not testing God

There might also be a hint of I have faith, now let's see if God will reward me, going on in the mind of the practitioner. Almost like it's calling God out. Bad idea, generally speaking.