I read the following article today:
Linda Long, 48, was bitten Sunday at East London Holiness Church, where neighbors said the reptiles are handled as part of religious services, The Lexington Herald-Leader reported Tuesday.
Long died at University of Kentucky Medical Center about four hours after being bitten, authorities told the newspaper.
“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 in Kentucky. Snake handling is a misdemeanor and punishable by a $50 to $100 fine.
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.
Church officials could not be reached for comment.
OF COURSE THEY COULD NOT BE REACHED! According to their beliefs, she would not be a true believer!
It sometimes amazes me the things people do. Snakes are meant to bite and slither free in the country side. Not be played with, nonchalantly, in CHURCH!
I do believe in the right to religious freedom, but there is such a thing as commen sense. Everyone knows not to play with snakes (unless they aren’t poisonous and even those pose a threat!) And to purposely play with poisonous snakes, the kind that their bite can and, in this case, will kill you is absolutely absurd!
People, please practice common sense and avoid these kinds of foolish mistakes!
–Trina