Some (different?) Insight

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: Hi! : I'm not exactly an expert in this, but I am a hot keeper, a Baptist minister, and live in the area of the country where most of this stuff takes place, so maybe I have a little different insight. Most of the churches that practice snake handling are either Primitive Baptist (has to do with their theology, not anything like their knuckles dragging the ground when they walk!), or Pentecostal. Both of these groups tend to have a pretty strong emphasis on experiential religion (visible phenomena are very important to their faith and worship), and both take to heart the scripture passage from Mark 16:17-18, which says: : "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." : But, there's a problem: most of the oldest manuscripts of this text don't include this part, : and most modern Biblical scholars agree that it was added after the fact in the manuscript copy used for the translation of much of Mark's gospel in the 1611 King James Version. Now, I don't want to step on anyone's toes, and this is meant to be a scientific, more than a religious discussion, I know, but it seems to me that there is no other place in Scripture where Jesus said anything about these particular signs that would follow His disciples. In addition, we find that Matthew and Luke, who wrote synoptically with Mark (i.e., with the same focus--the narrative of Jesus' life and with some of the same reference material or oral tradition in common), make no mention of this. : As a minister, I can say that faith is powerful. : As a scientist (degrees in Bio. and Biochemistry), I can say that faith has a good deal of psychological power in the lives of some believers. : I can't discredit the experience of these people, and it would be shortsighted of anyone to claim that their spiritual experience is in any way less valid that someone else's, but they do worry me. I have read at least one account suggesting that the snakes are often kept in cellars or springhouses, so they will be chilled before the services, and the film I've seen on TV indicates that many of the snakes are slow-moving. In college, we used to put rattlers in cloth sacks in a refrigerator for a short period of time, to make them easier to handle. Probably not the most respectful thing for the snake, and I probably wouldn't do it again, but it did work! : One further note: I can't help but say that I'm afraid we often miss a lot by failing to recognize that science and religion are not in direct competition with each other. My personal experience has shown that, while the science that I love has proven to be an excellent way to describe the world, its scope is largely limited to describing and explaining. Personal spiritual experience need not find an adversary in scientific study. Rather, my faith is given rich creedance by the results of scientific inquiry, and every fact that I learn about the universe assures me more and more that a great deal of intelligence was, and continues to be, a part of its design. : Okay--I'm off the soapbox--someone else's turn now! : PS: A good treatment of the snake-handling issues is contained in "The Foxfire Books". I'm not sure which volume, but I imagine they're available pretty widely in bookstores or online. If you can't find it, drop me an e-mail and I'll get the info. from my copy at home, but it includes a number of very informative interviews with people in snake-handling churches and those who have witnessed this phenomenon. : Best to All, : --Steve

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