Holding Snakes at Churches.

GI have something that really bothers me, and I know some things aren't right. I saw on the news last year that some people are bringing snakes to church. Well, from my understanding, at the beginning of the bible, after God created the world, God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of Wisdom. But a snake come and told them that God was lying about the tree of wisdom. I don't get the "snakes allowed in churches" thing, but how can they make a snake obedient?? They're bad creatures. I want your opinion. Thank you.

They do it to prove that their faith is strong enough to make the snakes not bite them. It's based on Mark 16:18. Personally, I think they ought to read Matt. 4:7. But it's another one of those things that makes denominations different, I suppose.

If it glorifies God, I am 100% for it...

I am just not sure how it could...

EDIT I am leaning on the fence towards Idol worship...

There is even a TV Show about this now, saw it advertised today........

Ok, again, I will not tell someone.............they are wrong in their interpretation of Scripture..........that being said........

no way, no how, no time, no where will I pick up a rattlesnake and say I am worshiping God by doing so.........

If someone else is ok with doing that, then God bless 'em, and I hope they know the shortest route to the nearest Hospital Emergency Room............ just saying......

........and I take it the "edit" portion of your comment was tongue in cheek..........yes?........

The only snake I look upon....is the dead one I just sent out into eternity...

As already has been stated these people take Mark 16-18 literally. The Bible teaches that " Thou shalt not tempt the Lord Thy God". Apostle Paul while on the Island of Melita ( now Malta) was bitten by a snake that was poisonous, and he shook it off and never got the poison to hurt him
( Acts 28 v 3-6). The People handling Snakes in Church are blind leading the blind..

Actually it wasn't, reason being... By practicing act's like allowing snakes into the church could delude the real reason behind the story... And the meaning of why Christ died... And what the power of the Holy Spirit really is... Leading to a idol worship by making God who we want Him to be...

But that is why I said on the fence because, I am not one to judge an others way of worship that I have no understanding of...

Ok, misunderstood you.........I thought you were saying that YOU were sitting on the fence concerning Idol Worship......meaning you were considering going in that direction.........ok, never mind......

And I can see what you are talking about.......

While I can never understand this practice..............last year, a Pastor in such a church in Northeast Alabama forced his wife to participate in the ceremony of snake handling. She was bitten and died...........He was convicted of murder.......can't remember if it was 1st or 2nd Degree or what exactly, but do know that he was convicted........

It's beyond my comprehension..............all I know is, I would never do such a thing.

This is nothing new. That i know of they've probably been doing this 100 years. Maybe longer, i'm not sure. The concept is supposed to 'prove' their relationship with God. If the snake bites you and you get sick or die, then that's evidence that God was not protecting you and that there is sin or whatever in your life. But those who handle them and get bit and suffer no ill consequences are 'proven' to be protected by God.
Its a reference to the New Testament where, i forget the details, but there was a ship wreck and someone (i think an Apostle) got bit by a snake, and he walked to the fire they had built, shook the snake into the fire and didn't get sick. So this is the basis for the concept. I believe there is also a scripture that references 'they will be bit by snakes and not become ill'.

Snakes, in and of themselves, are not evil. This concept of Adam and Eve and the serpent equating to snakes being evil is a false logic. The 'serpent' wasn't evil. It was the spirit within the serpent, satan, that was evil. The serpent was merely a vessel.

About 0.00000000000000001% of Christians bring snakes to church and the actual percentage is probably smaller than I'm stating... lol. In my opinion, they need to heed the words Jesus spoke to the devil about not testing God in this manner.

Matthew 4:1-11 NIV - Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness - Bible Gateway

I think it's actually in one of the gospels, not Acts. Something about being able to handle poisonous snakes without being bitten. But that longer text is actually believed to be a later addition and is often only in the footnotes of many Bibles.

Snakes aren't bad creatures. Most snakes just shouldn't mix with human beings, because they can bite, contain venom, and can carry diseases like salmonella. And they probably aren't huge fans of us either.

Yikes!!!!

Generally, the motive of the leaders in these churches who practice this ridiculous (and indeed dangerous) act is simply trying to get a band of followers around them so that they can expolit these gullable people by extracting money from their wallets!

They completely part company with their common sense; who in their right mind brings a poisonous snake into a church where there are women and young children, you certainly don't read about this practice in the Scriptures, so these false teachers simply twist Scripture (Mark 16v18) in an attempt to justify this ridiculous practice to line their own pockets!

I don't think it's a matter of monetary greed but also having a greater 'power' than other believers, supposedly being more special than them. The Longer Ending to Mark is clearly a latter addition. Why would Jesus' disciples be tempting fate by handling snakes? It doesn't make sense. We're not to do miracles to bring glory to ourselves, but to bring glory to Christ.


The Shorter Ending of Mark

[[And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.]]

The Longer Ending of Mark

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

[SUP]9 [/SUP][[Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. [SUP]10 [/SUP]She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. [SUP]11 [/SUP]But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
Jesus Appears to Two Disciples

[SUP]12 [/SUP]After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. [SUP]13 [/SUP]And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
Jesus Commissions the Disciples

[SUP]14 [/SUP]Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. [SUP]15 [/SUP]And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. [SUP]16 [/SUP]The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. [SUP]17 [/SUP]And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; [SUP]18 [/SUP]they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The Ascension of Jesus

[SUP]19 [/SUP]So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. [SUP]20 [/SUP]And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.]]

I agree with most of the above, but would go one step further and add that its a satanic delusion. As Jesus answered the devil "It is written, do not put the Lord your God to the test".

The purposes of church meetings are the encouragement and teaching of the saints, and the glory of God. Deliberately bringing snakes to church does not glorify God anymore than drinking deadly poison, which is also referred to in the passage at the end of Mark. I am sure if you do some further study on the churches that practice this, you will discover more doctrines of devils.

I dont agree with bringing them in church but there not bad creatures i grew up with to big boas my father had one of them was kinda mean but the other id say was almost dog like me an my sister qould get on the floor an play with it it was like twice are size an never tryd to hurt us.. it would even open its mouth an let us hover are hand in its mouth an wouldnt close it till we moved are hand.

The trick in a disciple taking up a snake and not getting bitten is to know which kind of snake to take up, and which kind to leave alone.

"Taking up a snake" is pushing the limit on what is and is not a sin.

You have to hand it to snake handling churchges tho. For them to come up with this kind of theologic reason to dance around with handfuls of rattlesnakes takes some real ingenuity. I've heard they always hold a meet n greet for singles after church (if they survive). Bad news is they're all in the same family.

Jesus said "thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God........" or something like that............and in my opinion, this is right up there as a really, really big tempting of God's Grace..........

(think someone else said so as well........)