Standing
in front of his congregation at a small Pentecostal church in Kentucky, Pastor
Jamie Coots held the long, sleek body of a poisonous snake, practicing what he
considers a holy Christian sacrament, but what others are calling a threat to
public safety.
In tiny churches tucked away in rural Appalachia, "snake handling," which began generations ago as an expression of faith, is turning into a fight over religious freedom.
Coots, the pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus
Name in Middlesboro, Ky., and his followers believe that God calls upon them to
handle venomous serpents and to drink other poisons. Even if they are bitten,
they will refuse medical treatment because they believe that they are worthy of
God's faith, and that their fate is in God's hands.
Using serpents during services is a long-standing
tradition, one that took root in this region of Appalachia more than a century
ago.
Four generations of Coots' family have handled serpents
as Pentecostal preachers, from his grandfather down through his now grown son.
But local authorities see these snakes as a reckless,
even dangerous menace to public safety. Religious snake handling has been
outlawed in most states, including Kentucky and Tennessee. Several
snake-handling practitioners across the country have died after being bitten,
and there are concerns about the poisonous snakes being let loose in
communities.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officials last week
seized 50 poisonous snakes, including rattlesnakes and copperheads, from Andrew
Hamblin, the pastor of a Pentecostal church called the Tabernacle Church of God
in LaFollette, Tenn., and cited him for illegally possessing dangerous animals.
But Hamblin said the state is violating his First Amendment religious rights.
"I'm in the United States of America and I have a
constitutional right," he said. "If the spirit of God moves on me and
I take up serpents I should have my constitutional right to do it."
These pastors believe that to "take up
serpents" is a form of religious expression. In the King James Bible, Mark
16:18 says, "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly
thing, it shall not hurt them."
"For me, taking up serpents is like Catholics using
wine in their religious ceremonies," Hamblin said. "If people have
their right to do things maybe I don't agree with or uphold, I'm not going to
judge them."
Coots mentored Hamblin in his church in Kentucky before
Hamblin left for Tennessee, a state with more severe restrictions on dangerous
wildlife. Both pastors appeared in the National Geographic special "Snake
Salvation," after which Tennessee authorities cracked down on Hamblin.
In court last week, Hamblin appeared before the judge to
applause from his supporters, all wearing red, as he pled not guilty to
possession of dangerous wildlife.
"If God moves on me and I feel led through him by
the Holy Ghost to reach my arm into a box of rattlesnakes I should have my
religious right to do that," Hamblin said at a news conference.
But Tennessee District Attorney General Lori
Phillips-Jones said the law applies to everyone and doesn't discriminate based
on a person's faith. It's about the nature of the poisonous animal, she said.
"It's not a religion issue. It's an issue of
possessing an animal that Tennessee law says, you're not allowed to possess
them," Phillips-Jones said. "It's a violation of the law."
It's estimated that 125 churches in the United States
use poisonous snakes during services today, with many clustered in the South.
Tennessee authorities say people began complaining once
they saw the snake-handling religious services in their communities and were
afraid the poisonous snakes might get loose.
"The list just goes on and on for the
qualifications you have to meet to possess these species. Obviously a small
church building with a locked door doesn't qualify. Anyone could get inside the
building and let the snakes out as a joke," said Matthew Cameron of the
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. "He doesn't have the knowledge to
possess these things and care for them as they need to be cared for."
A Tennessee law banning ownership of poisonous reptiles
was passed back in 1947 after five worshippers were killed over two years.
Pastor Coots even had a parishioner die in 1995 after she was bit by a
rattlesnake during one of his services and refused an anti-venom treatment. No
charges were filed in Kentucky.
But getting bit by a venomous snake is a clear and
present danger. Coots himself has been bitten nine times, and each time he
refused medical attention. The worst time, he said, was when a rattlesnake bit
his middle finger. Eventually the finger died and broke off his hand.
But Coots scoffed at the notion that he is taking the
Bible too literally.
"To me that's what god taught me to be about,"
he said. "I'm not telling people to handle snakes."
Hamblin said he agreed to be on the National Geographic
special to erase some of the misunderstanding and mistrust of his type of
ministry. He denied that his church is a cult, saying they are Christian
"just like any other Christian," and banning snake handling is a form
of religious persecution.
"I'm not asking anyone to agree with me or believe
like me," he said. "I've never told anybody that they need to take up
serpents to go to heaven, to be a Christian."
Coots says his flock lives by a stricter moral code than
most -- no drugs, no alcohol, women don't cut their hair or wear pants -- and
if their way of life and the way they choose to worship sets them apart, then
so be it.
While it's unclear whether Coots will face prosecution
in Kentucky, the Tennessee District Attorney General said she plans to
prosecute Hamblin, even though the pastor sees it as religious persecution,
because much of the fallout from the case has prompted genuine concern for
public safety.
"We feel like we're trying to enforce the law? just
trying to keep people safe and make sure the law is being followed,"
Phillips-Jones said.
Hamblin, on the other hand, said he plans to keep
handling snakes.
"As long as there's breath in my body, I'm taking
up serpents," he said. "I've come too far. I can't back down on it...
I've seen too many miracles happen in churchesClick here for video:http://abcnews.go.com/US/pentecostal-pastors-argue-snake-handling-religious/story?id=20971576
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