Why do Pentecostals play with snakes?
Serpent Experts Try To Demystify Pentecostal Snake Handling Earlier this month, NPR reported on a small group of Pentecostal Christians who handle snakes to prove their faith in God.
What cult is snake worship?
1). The Manasa-cult in Bengal, India, however, was dedicated to the anthropomorphic serpent goddess, Manasa (Bhattacharyya 1965, p. 1).
What is the name of the church that handles snakes?
Jimmy Morrow, the pastor of Edwina Church of God in Jesus Christ’s Name, in Newport, Tennessee, makes snake dolls and snake boxes as a hobby. The boxes are used for transporting snakes to and from church. The rest of the time, the animals typically live in terrariums or cages in sheds.
Do Pentecostals do snakes?
The tradition of snake-handling in some Pentecostal churches is almost as old as the movement. Today, it is practiced in independent congregations in rural Appalachia. Mainstream denominations reject the practice.
How did the Pentecostal pastor die of a snake bite?
Snake Handling Pentecostal Pastor Dies From Snake Bite. The “snake handling” pastor of a small Pentecostal church in Kentucky died after being bitten by a rattlesnake during a weekend church service.
Are there pastors who believe in snake handling?
Pentecostal Pastors Argue ‘Snake Handling’ Is Their Religious Right Most states have outlawed snake handing, even for religious services. By JUJU CHANG and SPENCER WILKING November 21, 2013, 2:18 PM
Who are the serpent handlers in Pentecostalism?
Ultimately, these processes of socio-symbolic differentiation inside pentecostalism paralleled the legal construction of snake handlers as criminals whose bodies and behavior required regulation through ecclesiastic and state disciplinary mechanisms. This historiographic reassessment of serpent handling moves through three distinct parts.
How many snake handling churches are there in the US?
It’s estimated that 125 churches in the United States use poisonous snakes during services today, with many clustered in the South. Tennessee authorities say people began complaining once they saw the snake-handling religious services in their communities and were afraid the poisonous snakes might get loose.