Serpent-Handling' West Virginia Pastor Dies From Snake Bite

[rsmith6621]

http://news.yahoo.com/serpent-handling-west-virginia-pastor-dies-snake-bite-173406645--abc-news-topstories.html

A "serpent-handling" West Virginia pastor died after his rattlesnake bit him during a church ritual, just as the man had apparently watched a snake kill his father years before.

Pentecostal pastor Mark Wolford, 44, hosted an outdoor service at the Panther Wildlife Management Area in West Virginia Sunday, which he touted on his Facebook page prior to the event.

"I am looking for a great time this Sunday," Wolford wrote May 22, according to the Washington Post. "It is going to be a homecoming like the old days. Good 'ole raised in the holler or mountain ridge running, Holy Ghost-filled speaking-in-tongues sign believers."


Dosent look like it work out very well....

[Major Nikon]

1. One has to admire the commitment

Even as you marvel at the unbridled stupidity involved.

[ladjf]

10. I don't admire anything about that dumb preacher. nt

[Speck Tater]

2. Darwin strikes again. nt

[notadmblnd]

3. You know, you can't help but laugh at this sort of thing. If you don't, you'll cry.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. From the comments section:

I went to a snake handling service once, sat between two older men the paster had big ole box full of snakes, he just put his leg in and started kicking those snakes around, the old guy on my left looked over at the other guy and said man he has got the faith, the other guy said yea he's got a wooden leg to.

[Lint Head]

5. So in there belief God killed him.

[kestrel91316]

6. Well I guess that there was one heckuva come-to-Jesus moment.

[freshwest]

7. These folk are putting too much emphasis on the material world. They've twisted a story from

Acts to tempt fate or God, as they might call it.

Paul was bitten by a snake by accident while handling firewood. These arrogant trout believe they are called by God to instruct the flock. They are just aggrandizing themselves and holding hypnotized a bunch of gullible people.

Snake handling is not a worthwhile lesson. And there is no verse saying it is a proof of faith nor holiness. It's all made up, it's blasphemy, really.

[jberryhill]

8. It's got nothing to do with Paul

It's from 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.

-----

Wtf is with Paul and firewood?

[freshwest]

9. WTF? The story of Paul and the snake is in Acts 23:3-5.

You think I make this stuff up?

I expressed a personal opinion on a thread. All discussions on beliefs are pointless. No one changes their mind on religion.

You may find others who support the practice of snake handling on the Religion forum.

n/t

[jberryhill]

15. I do not support the practice

...and that kind of rhetorical posturing is tiresome.

If you are going to criticize someone - and these people deserve it - then you ought to at least have some idea of what it is they believe as a starting point for that criticism.

WikiPedia does not "support the practice of snake handling", but does correctly cite what it is the snakehandlers are inspired by:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_handling

Practitioners believe serpent handling dates to antiquity and quote the Book of Mark and the Book of Luke to support the practice:

And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. 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. (Mark 16:17-18)

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)

This insane practice has nothing to do with the snake story in Acts, or in Genesis for that matter.

They used to take the drinking poison thing to heart as well. However, their luck at drinking poison wasn't as good as their luck at handling snakes, so they tend to leave that part out.

It is a bizarre and insane practice - much like the people who mutilate themselves over the "if thy right hand offends thee, chop it off" nitwits - but it is not based on some misinterpretation of anything in Acts. What they cite as the basis of their practice is not a subject of "personal opinion", it is an objectively verifiable fact, as indicated by the Wikipedia reference above.

[freshwest]

19. '...and that kind of rhetorical posturing is tiresome.' So is yours.

I expressed an opinion and provided a source to answer your 'WTF' question to me and did not deny your point, verse or reference. Those belong in the Religion forum, which is why I suggested you go there to argue with experts.

I do not see this thread as a learned discussion on the practice, and I will not go to the Religion forum for it. If you want to argue the fine points and best source, go talk with people who find that worth their time and effort. I do not, thus I said n/t. EOM.

[snooper2]

16. you got a video or some historical documents to back that up

Otherwise it's just mythology written by old bored men...

[freshwest]

18. I'm not supporting the insanity, or arguing it here. n/t

[Javaman]

11. Live by the snake, die by the snake. nt

[backscatter712]

12. Reaffirms my faith... in natural selection! n/t

[hobbit709]

13. Evidently the snake believed "I'm going to bite this idiot messing with me"

[Mr Dixon]

14. SMH

Those who believe absurdities will commit atrocities.

[sadbear]

17. I guess Jesus needed him ASAP, huh?

[guardian]

20. Ironic

for this pastor to prove Darwin's theory on natural selection.