Devil Snakes (Totally non Dallas)

[Pamela Barnes]

Sorry to post this here but I am so intrigued I thought i'd ask my knowledgable USA Dallas counterparts this question.

There is a weekly series on here about life in the USA. This week they went to West Virginia to a small town which abides by the bible to its every portal.

Well apparently the bible says snakes are the devil in disguise so these towns folks gather weekly at the church and get about 100 deadly snakes to take with them.
The church goers then release the snakes and have to hold them, one man put about 50 of them onto his head.
The idea I gather is that god should protect them, many of them have died in this practice and other severely bitten with deformed limbs as a consequence.
One woman had her baby and said if the baby died then she was ok with that because it was gods calling.

I just wondered if anyone had heard of this practice? It was scary to watch but fascinating due to the depth of belief.

[JockEwing]

Unfortunatly, freedom of speech and freedom of religeon have their consequences. I know the best way to start an arguement is with politics and religeon! Please do not take this as an example of life in the U.S.A. These wackos are a strong arguement against freedom of religeon!I really think these people shuold be arrested for these strange practices. It's the equivilent of someone
murdering their children, then saying god told them to do it. A lot of people in America say California is the land of the fruits and nuts, but I've been to every corner of this country, and this is not true.
The scurge of this country are the Dumb, Bible-Thumping RED-NECKS. These "churches are hot beds for racism, child molestation, and money fraud. I have nothing against established religeons, my children go to a Catholic school, but some of these cooks should be stopped. They are an embarrasment!

[Jarrett]

I kill snakes when I see them. To me they are devilish creatures. I am not scared of snakes, but off with their heads!

[WestStar]

Hi Pamela.
I just wanted to say that instead of these people obsessing over snakes, and who knows what else, they should be more concerned with other matters in regards to the Bible. They claim they are liveing by the good book literaly, yet they only seem to want to be involved with these kind of events, instead of more important things. If they spent half the time as they do with putting deadly snakes all over their bodies and risking their own lives and instead help those people who are hungray, homeless, battered wives, people with severe illness, elders who can cannot take care of themselves and have no one willing to help them, they would recieve my respect. Instead, people like the ones you read about are more concerened with putting others down, telling others what they should and should not do with little or no compassion, and thinking of themselves as above all others.
They often forget that according to the Bible, Jesus spent more time with the sick, outcasts, troubled people in society than he ever did with the high and mighty priests. They just dont seem to crasp that the Bible isnt just a book about right and wrongs, its a book about Love and Forgiveness. A book of hope.
Thank you.

[Pam Ewing]

There was an X-files episode about a church which played with snakes. The pastor of the church had committed incest with his daughter.

WestStar, you express yourself very eloquently. I can't stand people who make a big deal about how they go to church, and they're in church every week,looking pious, but as soon as they're away from church, they drink, beat their wives or kids, steal, lie, and are just mean and nasty.

They are hipocrites, and don't understand(or don't want to)the meaning of the bible.

------------------
JR: "Bobby, you're becoming a regular little detective"
Bobby: "Well, JR, that's a handy talent to have with a brother like you"

[Pamela Barnes]

Well of course I don`t think all of USA is like this, but yes it was the sort of thing I only expected to see in a movie and for it to be a legal practice is horrifying.

I had to look away from the TV as the snakes were held and played with, their tongues viciously slithering out. People would hold the snakes and at the same time quote passages from the bible in a passionate manner.
A woman was singing in the background and then everyone had a snake and became in a trance like state as they sang to god and spoke of the devil.

Ruby Wax (the interviewer) asked "isn`t this rather crazy?" a man said we all die and these people should be respected because the live by the bible literally.

I hope people don`t mind me bringing this up but like I said I was rather shocked to see this. It seemed (and tell me if Im wrong) that there are pockets of America, perhaps out of the way that have their own customs and rules that perhaps seem odd to mainstream society. Like already stated surely having this "freedom" can be abused.
It was openly acknowledged that many people had died in the church, one woman (the one with the baby) was actually bitten while this was filmed and said she didn`t care if she died because god would look after her baby, she said (as already mentioned) that she was cool about her own baby being killed by the snakes.

I mean you could call it almost a type of suicide or Russian roulette as Ruby termed it.
You know I respect all religions but find this questionable.

[Miss_Texas]

There was an episode of the Simpsons where it was a town tradition that they beat snakes. Lisa wanted to save the snakes and got Barry White to help her.

[Jarrett]

They have a rattlesnake roundup every spring in texas. The catch them, extract venom, whack off their heads, fry them, and sell hats, etc. I for one would like to watch them do this, as it would give snake haters pleasure.