What Is Your Opinion Of Snake Handling In The Church?

[Campbell]

Some believe that to "take up serpents" is a form of religious expression. In the King James Bible, Mark 16:18 says, "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them."

This pastor and his followers believe that God calls upon them to handle venomous serpents and to drink other poisons. Even if they are bitten, they will refuse medical treatment because they believe that they are worthy of God's faith, and that their fate is in God's hands:

Snake-Handling Pastor Dies From Rattlesnake Bite

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Some believe that to "take up serpents" is a form of religious expression. In the King James Bible, Mark 16:18 says, "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them."

This pastor and his followers believe that God calls upon them to handle venomous serpents and to drink other poisons. Even if they are bitten, they will refuse medical treatment because they believe that they are worthy of God's faith, and that their fate is in God's hands:

Snake-Handling Pastor Dies From Rattlesnake Bite

Something about snake chamers in Torah.

Not to practice the art of a chover chaver (casting spells over snakes and scorpions) (Deut. 18:11

10There shall not be found among you anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire, a soothsayer, a diviner of [auspicious] times, one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,
11or a charmer, a pithom sorcerer, a yido'a sorcerer, or a necromancer.
12For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations, the Lord, your God is driving them out from before you.

[looks like I'll have some company in Perdition hehe]

(or a charmer: One who collects snakes, scorpions or other creatures into one place.)
Deuteronomy - Chapter 18 (Parshah Shoftim)

 

[Compost]

I think that handling snakes just may be testing God. I read the Mark passage that God protects his people from dangers in the world, snakes and poisons are mentioned. This isn't a call to take poison and pick up deadly snakes. In other words, you don't go looking for trouble. You don't go out of your way to court danger. I think the Mark passage means God protects his people as they follow Him and encounter dangers from the enemy. I don't think you prove your trust in God by messing with poisons.

I think it's in Luke where Jesus says do not put God to the test.

 

[Campbell]

I think that handling snakes just may be testing God. I read the Mark passage that God protects his people from dangers in the world, snakes and poisons are mentioned. This isn't a call to take poison and pick up deadly snakes. In other words, you don't go looking for trouble. You don't go out of your way to court danger. I think the Mark passage means God protects his people as they follow Him and encounter dangers from the enemy. I don't think you prove your trust in God by messing with poisons.

I think it's in Luke where Jesus says do not put God to the test.

But that's not what it says:

Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Do you believe or not?

 

[Compost]

I think that handling snakes just may be testing God. I read the Mark passage that God protects his people from dangers in the world, snakes and poisons are mentioned. This isn't a call to take poison and pick up deadly snakes. In other words, you don't go looking for trouble. You don't go out of your way to court danger. I think the Mark passage means God protects his people as they follow Him and encounter dangers from the enemy. I don't think you prove your trust in God by messing with poisons.

I think it's in Luke where Jesus says do not put God to the test.

But that's not what it says:

Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Do you believe or not?

My belief is not the issue. The full passage does not change my reading of it. Casting out demons with the help of the Lord, trusting that He will work through you to remove the demon for the good of the person afflicted is a far cry from walking up to a snake, picking it up and daring the snake to bite you.

In Matthew when the devil told Jesus to throw himself off a cliff and be caught by angels to prove He is the Son of God, Jesus did not. We are supposed to act like Jesus, not the devil.

 

[Campbell]

I think that handling snakes just may be testing God. I read the Mark passage that God protects his people from dangers in the world, snakes and poisons are mentioned. This isn't a call to take poison and pick up deadly snakes. In other words, you don't go looking for trouble. You don't go out of your way to court danger. I think the Mark passage means God protects his people as they follow Him and encounter dangers from the enemy. I don't think you prove your trust in God by messing with poisons.

I think it's in Luke where Jesus says do not put God to the test.

But that's not what it says:

Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Do you believe or not?

My belief is not the issue. The full passage does not change my reading of it. Casting out demons with the help of the Lord, trusting that He will work through you to remove the demon for the good of the person afflicted is a far cry from walking up to a snake, picking it up and daring the snake to bite you.

In Matthew when the devil told Jesus to throw himself off a cliff and be caught by angels to prove He is the Son of God, Jesus did not. We are supposed to act like Jesus, not the devil.

So did Saint Mark have it screwed up? I'll bet the virgin birth and savior of the world things fall into the same category.

 

[TyroneSlothrop]

I think the snake handling is cruel and abusive to the snake...

 

[zaangalewa]

I'm not able to understand this behavior. It hurts the beauty of the snakes - it hurts the dignity of human beings - and it hurts the beauty and dignity of a place where human beings try to find harmony in god with his creation.

 

[Campbell]

I think the snake handling is cruel and abusive to the snake...

And that's when they bite!! That's the problem.

 

[Compost]

I think that handling snakes just may be testing God. I read the Mark passage that God protects his people from dangers in the world, snakes and poisons are mentioned. This isn't a call to take poison and pick up deadly snakes. In other words, you don't go looking for trouble. You don't go out of your way to court danger. I think the Mark passage means God protects his people as they follow Him and encounter dangers from the enemy. I don't think you prove your trust in God by messing with poisons.

I think it's in Luke where Jesus says do not put God to the test.

But that's not what it says:

Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Do you believe or not?

My belief is not the issue. The full passage does not change my reading of it. Casting out demons with the help of the Lord, trusting that He will work through you to remove the demon for the good of the person afflicted is a far cry from walking up to a snake, picking it up and daring the snake to bite you.

In Matthew when the devil told Jesus to throw himself off a cliff and be caught by angels to prove He is the Son of God, Jesus did not. We are supposed to act like Jesus, not the devil.

So did Saint Mark have it screwed up? I'll bet the virgin birth and savior of the world stuff falls into the same category.

Ho hum. You didn't prevail in a polite discussion on scripture so you needle Catholic faith.

 

[Penelope]

Some believe that to "take up serpents" is a form of religious expression. In the King James Bible, Mark 16:18 says, "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them."

This pastor and his followers believe that God calls upon them to handle venomous serpents and to drink other poisons. Even if they are bitten, they will refuse medical treatment because they believe that they are worthy of God's faith, and that their fate is in God's hands:

Snake-Handling Pastor Dies From Rattlesnake Bite

Stupid and trying to be showoffs. I imagine due to his stupidity the snake was killed.

I find it so funny that adults thinking that invoking the name of Jesus makes them as powerful as Jesus was depicted in the Bible.

(for the record I have never seen a RCC priest do this)

 

[Campbell]

I think that handling snakes just may be testing God. I read the Mark passage that God protects his people from dangers in the world, snakes and poisons are mentioned. This isn't a call to take poison and pick up deadly snakes. In other words, you don't go looking for trouble. You don't go out of your way to court danger. I think the Mark passage means God protects his people as they follow Him and encounter dangers from the enemy. I don't think you prove your trust in God by messing with poisons.

I think it's in Luke where Jesus says do not put God to the test.

But that's not what it says:

Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Do you believe or not?

My belief is not the issue. The full passage does not change my reading of it. Casting out demons with the help of the Lord, trusting that He will work through you to remove the demon for the good of the person afflicted is a far cry from walking up to a snake, picking it up and daring the snake to bite you.

In Matthew when the devil told Jesus to throw himself off a cliff and be caught by angels to prove He is the Son of God, Jesus did not. We are supposed to act like Jesus, not the devil.

So did Saint Mark have it screwed up? I'll bet the virgin birth and savior of the world stuff falls into the same category.

Ho hum. You didn't prevail in a polite discussion on scripture so you needle Catholic faith.

I'm 81 years old and I had the new testament memorized chapter and verse while I was still in my twenties. Don't come at me about any kind of discussion about the scriptures. Most Christians today know a few verses they've memorized to comfort them and a few their favorite man on car and clothes day told them about and beyond that they don't know shit!!

 

[Campbell]

Some believe that to "take up serpents" is a form of religious expression. In the King James Bible, Mark 16:18 says, "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them."

This pastor and his followers believe that God calls upon them to handle venomous serpents and to drink other poisons. Even if they are bitten, they will refuse medical treatment because they believe that they are worthy of God's faith, and that their fate is in God's hands:

Snake-Handling Pastor Dies From Rattlesnake Bite

Stupid and trying to be showoffs. I imagine due to his stupidity the snake was killed.

I find it so funny that adults thinking that invoking the name of Jesus makes them as powerful as Jesus was depicted in the Bible.

(for the record I have never seen a RCC priest do this)

That's easy.....the RCC priests have better sense. It's just some more of your basic bullshit which that ancient book is full of. Virgin Birth and Resurrection come to mind. You know the best one though is feeding 5000 men plus women and children who also ate with two fish and five loaves then gathering 12 baskets of leftovers. LMAO!!! Twelve Baskets Of Left Overs????

 

[Compost]

I think that handling snakes just may be testing God. I read the Mark passage that God protects his people from dangers in the world, snakes and poisons are mentioned. This isn't a call to take poison and pick up deadly snakes. In other words, you don't go looking for trouble. You don't go out of your way to court danger. I think the Mark passage means God protects his people as they follow Him and encounter dangers from the enemy. I don't think you prove your trust in God by messing with poisons.

I think it's in Luke where Jesus says do not put God to the test.

But that's not what it says:

Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Do you believe or not?

My belief is not the issue. The full passage does not change my reading of it. Casting out demons with the help of the Lord, trusting that He will work through you to remove the demon for the good of the person afflicted is a far cry from walking up to a snake, picking it up and daring the snake to bite you.

In Matthew when the devil told Jesus to throw himself off a cliff and be caught by angels to prove He is the Son of God, Jesus did not. We are supposed to act like Jesus, not the devil.

So did Saint Mark have it screwed up? I'll bet the virgin birth and savior of the world stuff falls into the same category.

Ho hum. You didn't prevail in a polite discussion on scripture so you needle Catholic faith.

I'm 81 years old and I had the new testament memorized chapter and verse while I was still in my twenties. Don't come at me about any kind of discussion about the scriptures. Most Christians today know a few verses they've memorized to comfort them and a few their favorite man on car and clothes day told them about and beyond that they don't know shit!!

Being old enough to brag about memorizing scripture some 60 years ago, you surely know that does not make you always right. Since you don't find me worthy to discuss scriptures with you, I wonder why you bothered, only to give up and insult me.

One more thing. Please don't lump me into your prejudices about "most Christians today".

 

[Campbell]

But that's not what it says:

Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Do you believe or not?

My belief is not the issue. The full passage does not change my reading of it. Casting out demons with the help of the Lord, trusting that He will work through you to remove the demon for the good of the person afflicted is a far cry from walking up to a snake, picking it up and daring the snake to bite you.

In Matthew when the devil told Jesus to throw himself off a cliff and be caught by angels to prove He is the Son of God, Jesus did not. We are supposed to act like Jesus, not the devil.

So did Saint Mark have it screwed up? I'll bet the virgin birth and savior of the world stuff falls into the same category.

Ho hum. You didn't prevail in a polite discussion on scripture so you needle Catholic faith.

I'm 81 years old and I had the new testament memorized chapter and verse while I was still in my twenties. Don't come at me about any kind of discussion about the scriptures. Most Christians today know a few verses they've memorized to comfort them and a few their favorite man on car and clothes day told them about and beyond that they don't know shit!!

Being old enough to brag about memorizing scripture some 60 years ago, you surely know that does not make you always right. Since you don't find me worthy to discuss scriptures with you, I wonder why you bothered, only to give up and insult me.

One more thing. Please don't lump me into your prejudices about "most Christians today".

I'm sorry if I offended you. I can understand being touchy about believing some 2000 year old fairy tale. I'm glad that I don't!!

 

[Compost]

My belief is not the issue. The full passage does not change my reading of it. Casting out demons with the help of the Lord, trusting that He will work through you to remove the demon for the good of the person afflicted is a far cry from walking up to a snake, picking it up and daring the snake to bite you.

In Matthew when the devil told Jesus to throw himself off a cliff and be caught by angels to prove He is the Son of God, Jesus did not. We are supposed to act like Jesus, not the devil.

So did Saint Mark have it screwed up? I'll bet the virgin birth and savior of the world stuff falls into the same category.

Ho hum. You didn't prevail in a polite discussion on scripture so you needle Catholic faith.

I'm 81 years old and I had the new testament memorized chapter and verse while I was still in my twenties. Don't come at me about any kind of discussion about the scriptures. Most Christians today know a few verses they've memorized to comfort them and a few their favorite man on car and clothes day told them about and beyond that they don't know shit!!

Being old enough to brag about memorizing scripture some 60 years ago, you surely know that does not make you always right. Since you don't find me worthy to discuss scriptures with you, I wonder why you bothered, only to give up and insult me.

One more thing. Please don't lump me into your prejudices about "most Christians today".

I'm sorry if I offended you. I can understand being touchy about believing some 2000 year old fairy tale. I'm glad that I don't!!

You are in my prayers.

 

[TNHarley]

You have to be a complete moron to think a man made god will save you from a real, venomous snake.
If anything, he is laughing at your dumb ass.

 

[Bonzi]

Some believe that to "take up serpents" is a form of religious expression. In the King James Bible, Mark 16:18 says, "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them."

This pastor and his followers believe that God calls upon them to handle venomous serpents and to drink other poisons. Even if they are bitten, they will refuse medical treatment because they believe that they are worthy of God's faith, and that their fate is in God's hands:

Snake-Handling Pastor Dies From Rattlesnake Bite

It's stupid and senseless.....

 

[strollingbones]

first they do not like snake handlers they prefer serpent handlers....the churches are normally 'church of christ with signs'...the practice still exists in ga, tn and nc..mainly in family churches...as for endangering snakes quite the opposite...the snakes are well cared for and when an area is being flooded...church members will move in and removed as many snakes as they can...children are not allowed to handle snakes....one is moved to do so ...people should not be so mocking of what they are afraid of

 

[Campbell]

So did Saint Mark have it screwed up? I'll bet the virgin birth and savior of the world stuff falls into the same category.

Ho hum. You didn't prevail in a polite discussion on scripture so you needle Catholic faith.

I'm 81 years old and I had the new testament memorized chapter and verse while I was still in my twenties. Don't come at me about any kind of discussion about the scriptures. Most Christians today know a few verses they've memorized to comfort them and a few their favorite man on car and clothes day told them about and beyond that they don't know shit!!

Being old enough to brag about memorizing scripture some 60 years ago, you surely know that does not make you always right. Since you don't find me worthy to discuss scriptures with you, I wonder why you bothered, only to give up and insult me.

One more thing. Please don't lump me into your prejudices about "most Christians today".

I'm sorry if I offended you. I can understand being touchy about believing some 2000 year old fairy tale. I'm glad that I don't!!

You are in my prayers.

That and $1.50 will get me a good cup of coffee. Prayers......LOL