A pastor in West Virginia who apparently takes (took) Mark 16:17-18 very seriously was bitten by a rattle snake and died. Not his first bite apparently, but the first that was fatal.
Now, these people, (apparently there are lots of them down there) believe that the bible mandates people to handle poisonous snakes to test their belief in God, and if they are bitten, God will heal them (see Mark 16:17-18 below)
One suspects that their numbers would be shrinking.
Several facts make this incident really stand out however:
1. The pastor's father, who also was a paster, died the same way in 1983.
2. When this chap was bitten, no attempt was made to obtain snake bite antidote. (you would have thought that he would know whether or not he believed in God and therefore know whether or not he needed antidote.... apparently not)
3. Instead, when his followers realized he was actually dying they prayed to God to heal him...apparently not understanding Mark 16: 17-18 at all (it says that if they were true believers, all they had to do was lay their hands upon him and he would have recovered... apparently no one touched him and he died).
You'd think that a bit of simple logic training would benefit people like this. It really is quite simple... if you are not sure of your belief in God, stay away from snakes. And, if you do encounter one, make sure you are with a friend who does believe in God and is willing to lay his hands on you.....very simple survival rules.
Mark 16:17-18 :
“And these signs will follow those who believe:
in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly,
it will by no means hurt them;
they will lay their hands on the sick,
and they will recover.”--
The Washington Post article is at:
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