In rural regions near the Appalachian Mountains small communities of people worship in churches known for handling deadly serpents as part of everyday rituals. The practice of serpent handling is justified using a passage found in the King James Bible:
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. (Mark 16:17-18)
Other Christians dismiss these practices by saying the passage is not to be taken literally. They consider the people following all of the signs mentioned by Mark as foolish, and claim it only leads to the premature deaths of the worshippers. However, this view does not take any sort of phenomenological approach. It does not attempt to interpret why the people worship in this way, nor what it means for them to worship in this way. This view only attempts to refute the practice of handling serpents altogether because of the potential risk of death that accompanies it. Therefore, it is necessary to interpret their actions from a less biased approach, in order to be more encompassing of a practice that is not always fully understood. It is my belief that the people participating in these serpent handling rituals know the element of danger that exists, but that the purpose, reaffirming their connection to God, is greater than the risk to their individual lives or deaths.
The experience of handling a serpent has several emotional themes that people report feeling that are important for understanding why these churches feel compelled to include serpents in their worship. I’ve included interviews with religious snake handlers conducted by Ralph W. Hood Jr. and W. Paul Williamson for their book, Them That Believe, to give a first hand account of what these themes are and how they affect the handlers. Wanting to take up the serpent is a key theme in serpent handling. There is a strong desire to please God among the worshippers, by carrying out his word and obeying the scripture. This desire creates a feeling of strengthened belief and willingness in people to complete the task at hand. Believing that one can take up a serpent is just as important as doing the physical action in many cases. A participant, H16, describes the feeling that he just “had to” do it:
You have to believe it. It’s in the Bible. If you believe it like you ought to, you will go where it’s being done. You’ll desire to go and see it being done. And if you go to that place, at some point God’s going to move on you to do it. You may do it. You may not. If you don’t, that’s just between you and God is all I know. But I believe at some point, I believe God will move on you to do it, and I believe at some point, if you really believe it, and you’re going and seeing it done, and you go to a church where it’s being done all time, at some time, you’re going to desire to do it. (Hood 137)
This participant’s interview sums up what a large amount of the participants reported having experienced, a submission to God and a willingness to believe. In combination these actions allowed God to “move over them”.
Another important part of this ritual is an awareness of death. The media often portrays people using the practice of serpent handling as being somewhat ignorant of this consequence, but it is well known among serpent handlers that at any moment the serpent can and will strike. “No handler believes in a magical ability to handle without harm.” (139) As participant H16 puts it, “anytime you handle one, it could bite you, and it might could be your last bite.” (140) Death is certainly a concern among people participating in this practice but the benefits of pleasing God and creating a connection with him outweigh this concern.
A third common element of the serpent handling experience deals with the connection to God that many people experience when handling serpents and it has two components, faith and anointing. People who rely solely on their faith in God to take up serpents often still experience fear while doing it. Thus, the majority of people that practice serpent handling rely first on their faith in God, but secondarily on their belief in anointing. Anointing ameliorates this fear through four different components: the feeling of God moving over oneself, diminishing one’s awareness of surroundings, instilling indescribable good feelings and giving the worshipper a sense of empowerment. Participant H3 describes how he knew to take up a serpent and the feeling of the anointment on his senses.
It’s like a warmth that comes over you and it’s like you feel in your heart it’s alright to take up the serpent. And when you reach in there to take the serpent, you know what’s going on…yet the Lord’s in full control… His presence may not be very strong upon you, but yet you can feel his presence- that he’s protecting you. And then it’s like you can feel it-as quick as it came –you can feel it start to leave. And that’s when you know to put the serpent back up ‘cause you don’t want to get within yourself ‘cause that will get hurt. (147-148)
Although every experience is unique, some of the most reported feelings of participants who had anointing take place were like those described in the above interview: feelings of warmth, goodness, “knowing in one’s heart”, and God being in control. The feeling of having God in control might explain why people who take up serpents with just their faith often still feel fear compared to people who take up serpents with anointing. Unlike the people with anointing who are under God’s control as vessels of His will, the people with just faith are completely aware of their actions and are able to sense their mortality more.
The fourth theme raised by serpent handlers is one of fear or victory, or both. At some point in the ritual of serpent handling, people feel fear and concern for their mortality, but as the anointing takes place this feeling of fear is replaced by a feeling of victory. As the serpent dangles calmly in their hands they know that they have overcome a great obstacle with God’s help, just as the scriptures said that they would. Participant H6 describes this sensation.
I just had that feeling again. You know, you can feel the Holy Ghost move, and like…it’s excitement…and I just felt like he wanted me to do it. He was showing me I could have the victory over the devil…Well, after I give it back to [a congregant], I just went to the place where I was standing and just thanking God that, again, he let me do something like that and took care of me while I was doing it, not letting me get hurt, and just blessing me so. (152)
Feelings of victory, fear and blessings described by participants such as the one above, are crucial to keeping the ritual of serpent handling alive. Overcoming the serpents is symbolic of being able to do anything with belief in an all-powerful God.
Even though the majority of these rituals end well with people achieving a connection with God, it is important to recognize that not all do. There is always the chance that a serpent can strike and that the blow will be fatal. A variety of factors determine whether or not a bite will maim or kill the victim such as type of serpent, type of venom, the clothes that the person was wearing while bitten and the place where the serpent bit. The treatment of the wound is also crucial. If given anti-venom within two hours of the attack, it is possible for the person to live (86). However, many people bitten during worship refuse medical treatment and leave their lives in God’s hands. People who are bitten believe that it happened because of their disobedience, pride, carelessness, or misinterpretation of anointing. Serpent handling is seen by society as being “backwards” or ignorant because of deaths in the congregations of these churches due to serpent bites. However, this practice should not be completely dismissed. The purpose of serpent handling is a noble one similar to that sought by most religion: a connection with God on an individual level. People participating in these rituals are aware of the fatal consequences and are prepared to face them for a chance to receive anointment and victory over things that are deemed impossible to do without God’s help. Through this ritual, they reaffirm their faith in an all-powerful God.

Works Cited:
Hood JR, Ralph W., and W. Paul Williamson. Them That Believe: The Power and Meaning of the Christian Serpent-Handling Tradition. 1st ed. Berkley, California: The University of California Press, 2008.