Woman Fatally Bitten by Snake in Church
Nov 08 12:54 AM US/Eastern AP News
A woman who was bitten by a snake at a church [I hate when that happens, it can really ruin a Sunday.] that neighbors say practices serpent handling [ Wouldn’t have been nicer if they said, “That church feeds the hungry, cares for the widows and orphans, or really love each other.” Considering these are things Jesus said we should be known for.] died of her wounds hours later [Though I joke throughout this story, I am sincerely sorry for her death], a newspaper reported.
Linda Long, 48, was bitten Sunday at East London Holiness Church, where neighbors said [It does raise the question why aren’t their any references to what the church people said about this. It only seems to be neighbors commenting.] the reptiles are handled as part of religious services, The Lexington Herald-Leader reported Tuesday.
Long died at
"She said she was bitten by a snake at her church," said Lt. Ed Sizemore of the Laurel County Sheriff's Office.
Handling reptiles as part of religious services is illegal [Fight the power] in
Police said they had not received any reports of snake handling at the church.
Snake handling is based on a passage in the Bible that says a sign of a true believer is the power to "take up serpents" without being harmed. [Though it’s not a litmus test, nor a command that we’re supposed to. Instead it’s a promise of the power of Christ with us. It happened to Paul, and is possible to anyone who is doing the work of Christ’s mission. But I think there is something to be said for not tempting God…or at least Jesus thought so.]
Church officials could not be reached for comment.
2 comments:
Why do so many denominations seem to zone in on 1 or 2 verses in Scripture as their foundational or "distinctive" doctrine?
There's a classic movie called Vanishing Point that has a scene where a guy catches snakes in the desert to take to the tent meeting. When he gets there the "pastor" says he doesn't need the snakes anymore, now "we have the music" and the camera cuts away to the "worship team" swaying in a trance-like fog to music with a rock beat.(BTW, this movie was released in 1971. Hippie/Jesus Freak era.) I always thought it interesting that the perspective as portrayed in the movie was that the use of snakes was to help elevate a participant to the next level but that driving music could do the same thing.
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