The Pentacostal Church - Serpent Handling as Sacrament

God, Man, and the Serpent It was with fascination and horror, and a bit of revulsion, that I watched the video in class concerning the snake handling in a Pentecostal church in West Virginia. I could not understand why these people would risk life and limb in the handling of these poisonous snakes during a church service. It was the first time I had observed such a thing in a religious gathering, I wanted to …

…faith through a dynamic and dangerous method, have a closer relationship to God than most Christians. These people are willing to risk their lives to reach that higher ground, a place where few are willing to risk everything to get there. In your faith, by your actions, you show your total trust in God, by handling one of his most unpredictable, dangerous creatures. It is a unique religious relationship between God, man, and the serpent.