Would you pickup snake to test your faith?
By hardluck
@hardluck (375)
United States
September 16, 2008 10:42am CST
Do you believe you can pickup a poisonous snake if your faith is strong enough? Would you ever do this? The Bible surports this in Mark 16:15-18. I myself would not do this,not from lack of faith, but that I think it would be tempting God, as spoke of in Luke 4:12, also first Corinthians 10:9. This was first praciticed in 1909 by Rev. George Went Hensley in Grasshopper, Tennessee. He died in 1955 of snake bite, after being bitten over 400 time in his life. The pracitice of snake handling is still practiced in the Appalachian Highlands. I guess I would have to be like Wendy Bagwell, in the joke he had about snake handling,when the preacher asked him "if God commanded him to take up the serpent you wouldn't," and he replied "yes I would, but he didn't, and I ain't." What are your thoughts on this?
15 responses
@grandpa_lash (5225)
• Australia
17 Sep 08
If my faith in the Priestess who trains me is strong enough, I will walk on fire. Don't see why snakes should be any different.
Lash
1 person likes this
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
17 Sep 08
In the Bible there is also the verse "Don't test the Lord your God"
Whoever touches a snake to test his faith must be lunatic. God does tests us several times in our lives. He permits certain illness in your life, or financial difficulties or other problems, but I have never heard that he has asked someone to pick up a snake.
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
16 Sep 08
Do you believe you can pickup a poisonous snake if your faith is strong enough?
IMO "faith" has nothing to do with it...having a steady hand and skill is all it takes and yes if I had those two things I would do it in a heartbeat (I love snakes LOL)
@hardluck (375)
• United States
16 Sep 08
I believe that God could protect me from a snake if my faith was strong enough, but no I would not pickup a snake to test my faith, because that would be tempting God, and Even Jesus would not tempt God. These people that pracitice this faith don't depened on a steady hand or skill, they may pick them up in the middle of their body. Thanks for your response, Hardluck.
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
17 Nov 08
I've seen pictures of ppl doing it but no matter how strong my faith is I still wouldn't do it. Some ppl do it as a test of faith, I don't see any reason to go to those extremes to test my faith, I already know I have it.
[b]~~MY OWN PEACE WITHIN~~
**STAND STRONG AND BELIEVE IN YOURSELF**[/b]
@EvanHunter (4026)
• United States
18 Sep 08
Matthew 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
@rocketj1 (6955)
• United States
17 Sep 08
First of all, the most early and reliable manuscripts do not contain these verses (see the note in your Bible's margin)
But, if we take a look at them, you will see that Jesus is addressing his disciples and warning them of the things they will encounter during their ministries. I believe one of the disciples had to deal with a snake. The only verse here that I can't say for sure happened to one of them was the drinking of the poison.
Our faith is tested everyday in our obedience to even the little things. I think the better question is : How are we passing those tests?
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
17 Sep 08
i don't think so... i am afraid of snakes and cannot imagine myself holding one... especially the poisonous one... i have faith in God... yes, i do... but i can't see the linkage between my faith in God and holding poisonous snake... may be there are the background (historical) context on the verses that you mentioned in your post and we have to study them further... those verses can't just be taken literally like that... that's what i thought... take care and have a nice day...
@alindahaw (1219)
• Philippines
17 Sep 08
I so agree with you. I don't like the idea of tempting God either and don't want to pick up a snake just to test my faith. I believe that God will take care of me and that He will protect me from harm. However, I also believe that God would not like me to put myself in harms way just to show Him that I have faith. There is really no point in tempting God this way.
@divinchris (2449)
• India
17 Sep 08
No way!Why would I pickup a snake,its not a pet animal.But if God says so I will obey his words.Thank You.Good luck to you.
@abdulhaseeb86 (145)
• Pakistan
17 Sep 08
NO! because i do not believe in the bible that exists today. I believe it ha been distorted by years of tampering.
@mcjohnson7 (301)
• United States
17 Sep 08
Not no, but H*** no!!!!!! No way on earth would I pick up a snake for any reason. God knows how afraid I am of those legless, slithering creatures. He would never ask me to do that.
@Lee_Rites (845)
• United States
17 Sep 08
I think that when it is your time to die, you will. I don't particularly care for snakes and I see no reason for me to test my faith. Why? To prove to others that there is a god? If someone doesn't believe in god they will have plenty of arguments as to why the snake didn't bite or why the bite didn't kill. I see no logic in this whatsoever.
@fasttalker (2796)
• United States
16 Sep 08
I have Faith that God can and will protect me from unavoidable dangers. Reaching out and grabbing a snake is not unavoidable. THis is not Biblical but that old adage is "Be careful what you ask for you just might get it!" LOL
