God didn't save this pastor from being bitten by a snake

[True Dough]

S-s-s-stupid!

This is the startling moment a controversial American pastor, whose father was killed after being bitten by a snake, is himself attacked by a serpent.

Cody Coots is the pastor at the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus’ Name church in Middlesboro, Kentucky - one of America’s last remaining snake-handling churches.

During his sermon, Pastor Coots can be seen handling a snake as he preaches to his congregation.

While holding the creature aloft, it snaps it jaw at the preacher’s ear - causing blood to splatter down his light-blue shirt. Unconcerned, Pastor Coots continues his speech, telling the members attending the service to: ‘Keep playing’ and ‘I’m not worried at all. God’s a healer, I’m not worried’.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6070685/Snake-preacher-gets-bitten-four-years-father-killed-rattlesnake.html

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

1. Holy shit-skis

that snake hit his head good. Hopefully the old coot will set an example in the future for the younger coot'ez(?) to not test Mother Nature in this manner. The old coot died from this, no 'lessons learned?'. Small group there. Wish that kid didn't have to see these adults acting this way.

[Hoyt]

2. God works in mysterious ways.

[3Hotdogs]

8. --- and he got a helluva good sense of humor.

[Mopar151]

3. Compared to many of the Christian Grifters, the snake handlers are at least sincere in their faith

Besides, if a snake bit Pat Robertson, the snake would die!

[janterry]

4. I can't watch that!

Did that man learn nothing from his father's example??

[2naSalit]

5. Darwin Award...nt

[flamin lib]

6. When I was pursuing my under grad degree in the

Mid '70s some grad students embedded with this cult for a year. They gained the trust of parishioners and were able to film services using state of the art 16mm cameras. This is a truly strange group. They believe that if their faith is true and strong the poisonous snakes they handle will not bite them and if they are bitten God will heal them. They also believe that they can drink poison and it won't affect them using strichnine as a sacrament.

For the poison drinking they start as young adults with low doses and gradually build a tolerance until they can dose themselves at lethal levels. Snakebites the same; over years of being bitten a tolerance develops.

When they are bitten or become sick they attribute it to being tested by God to make their faith stronger. If their faith is just strong enough poison and serpents cannot harm them. Should one of them die it's because their faith was false or Satan got a foothold in their life.

Yeah, really strange . . .

[Mariana]

9. The only thing that makes them strange

is that they actually believe in and follow Jesus's teaching according to the Bible.

"And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." - Jesus

[FiveGoodMen]

10. It's kind of strange that they buy that, yes.

[flamin lib]

11. Taking the Bible literally to the extreme.

I remember the quote from the documentary, haven't bothered to put chapter & verse with it.

Very akin to blowing yourself up or flying airplanes into buildings because God will reward you.

Fortunately their fervor is restricted to self harm . . .

[Mariana]

13. Someone who blows himself up or flies a plane into a building

isn't taking anything literally, so that isn't really a good analogy. Instructions to do either one of those things aren't to be found in any "holy" book. The people who preach that, or who do it, are making up their own stuff. However, the Bible is very clear that Jesus said believers can handle snakes and drink poison without harm.

And no, they aren't restricting their fervor to self harm. There are children in that church, you can see them in the video. They are very much at risk of severe injury or death from snakebite.

[Onyrleft]

7. Did you know they also drink strychnine?

[lunasun]

14. I say sir do you happen to "have a jar of some kind of deadly thing to take a drink of

a deadly thing"
"It's so hard to get ahold of strychnine "

[MFM008]

12. Is there video

Showing the snake biting him again? And again?

[lunasun]

15. Suicide by Snake. . Do they kill the snakes as demons?

The talking in tongues sounded like a warbler or crane bird migrating. Freaky

Distill your own grain alchohol or meditate instead which ever is the effect they are looking for

[The Genealogist]

16. Crazy

That scene looked like utter chaos. Music blaring. People dancing around with snakes. Blabbering in "tongues." This idiot getting a nasty bite.

I think back to when I was a little Methodist boy, and what those services looked like. The congregation was quite elderly, and services were about as bland and inoffensive as it gets. I can't think of more than a couple of times where there was even a musical instrument other than piano and pipe organ. I think if you had a group of people running around doing what they were in that video in that church, you'd clear the place faster than if it were on fire.

[struggle4progress]

17. I guess we all have our own ways of understanding all that "Love your neighbor

as you love yourself" stuff

But I'm thinking it might mean give your neighbor some refreshing nourishment to drink instead of poison ...

and maybe encourage your neighbor to do something more productive than playing with poisonous snakes ...

and maybe if your neighbor is reeling from a dose of venom then skip the it's-your-own-fault lecture for the moment and try to get the poor person some medical help ASAP

I mean, I love you so naturally I want you to play with this poisonous snake to show me how much you trust me sounds to me like the sort of thing you say to somebody when you're tired of making payments on the big double-indemnity life insurance policy you've taken out on him/her and want the insurance company check soon