| This is a page about religious snake handlers. | |||
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"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." | |||
| Hamlet, Act I, Scene v | |||
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NEW! Do you have questions about serpent
handling? Who better to ask than Mark Brown, brother of John "Punkin" Brown? Click here to send a direct e-mail. Don't forget the guestbook further down the page, either!
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Click here to read about Punkin Brown, a famous snake handling minister.
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Most people associate snake handling with Christian sects
from the American South. Taking up serpents, as he believes Jesus
commanded him to do, the American snake handler makes a moving presentation of the strength of his faith. |
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The practice of snake handling is based in the Gospel according to
St. Mark, Chapter 16, verses 17 and 18. In this passage, Jesus
says,
"And these signs shall follow them that
believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak
with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink
any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands
on the sick, and they shall recover."
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 This guy is handling a mess of snakes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Various sects have concentrated on various parts of
Mark 16:17,18--many Christian churches approve of, and
encourage, speaking in tongues, and you can see preachers on your
TV set purporting to cast out devils and heal the sick every day
(especially if you have cable). Snake handlers, though, show
their faith in much more concrete terms. They put their trust
in God and show the depth of their faith by their ability to
take up serpents. This web page will attempt to educate and inform
the public about snake handling and snake handlers. Please return
often to see new and informative features about snake handling.
Snake handling is an important part
of other cultures as well. Click
here
to learn about snake handlers from other parts of the world. |
| Please e-mail your thoughts or suggestions about this web page. |
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Many fine books have been written about snake handling. To learn more about them, click on the picture to the left. | ||
You can buy lots of great books
online by visiting
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| Do you think these religious snake handlers are weird? They're nothing compared to the secular snake handlers. Click on the picture of the rattler to read about some strange and disgusting stuff. |
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 Anybody could be a snake handler, including successful professionals like this man. | Look around; some of your friends or family members might be snake handlers--try to be understanding. |
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| "Let me tell you, the bite of the serpent is nothing compared to the bite of your fellow man." | |||
| Charles McGlocklin, Snake Handler | |||
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| Visitors since May 15, 1999 | |||