The snakebite death of reality television personality and pastor Jamie
Coots as he practiced his religion was front-page news here in my neck of the
woods.
It is thought rude to speak ill of the dead, and certainly my heart bleeds
for Rev. Coots' family. (I read also that Coots had no life insurance and his
family is accepting donations.) But I feel nauseous that so much of the news
coverage I'm seeing seems mainly to applaud Jamie Coots' sincerity and
willingness to "die for his faith."
Personally, I have great sympathy for religious faith, little sympathy for
unreasonable religious faith, and zero sympathy for idiotic religious faith. I
can feel nothing but disapproval for anyone like Coots who puts himself and
others, especially his loved ones, at great risk this way in the name of
religion.
It is noticeable that most educated Christians find less sensational ways
of interpreting the two biblical passages which speak of "snake-handling." This
sensationalistic aspect of Pentecostalism seems only to be popular in backwoods
areas.
Is the taking up of poisonous serpents faith or ignorance? Is refusal to
use common sense in religious matters faith or stubbornness?
Coots' son is vowing to carry on his father's legacy. In the meantime the
snakes will continue to ignore the memo on how this is to be properly
done.
I think you have to know what common sense is to use it.
ReplyDeleteAnd the sad thing is that in a lot of other areas Coots probably did use common sense.
DeleteIt saddens me that Coots' son has learned nothing from this tragedy. What possible spiritual boons can come from handling dangerous snakes? It's idiotic.
ReplyDeleteRight. When is a "test of faith" not really a test at all? It seems to me the sad history of religious snake handlers ought to speak to people.
DeleteOf course it's idiotic, but it IS in the Bible.
ReplyDeleteThat's the problem with do-it-yourself theology. Not that Coots knew it (but then maybe he had heard it and simply couldn't accept it), but the main passage these folks use (Mark 16:18) does not appear to be in the oldest copies of Mark's gospel. And the other, Luke 10:19, is easily fitted into the tradition of using symbolic interpretation I think of Psalms 91:13, for example: "You shall tread on the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shall you trample under feet." Or the way the Apostle Paul used God's cursing of the Serpent in the Eden story as a symbol of victory over Satan by "bruising" his head underfoot. There is a reason this snake-handling faith is mainly a backwoods phenomenon. .
DeleteLiteral translation strikes again.....
ReplyDeleteYes, and with quite unfortunate results as usual.
Delete"Coots' son is vowing to carry on his father's legacy." Yep. And he'll die, too. I honestly don't feel about his dad doing that, it's just so idiotic. Mark my words, the son will croak too, and then another person will take the podium. Jeez.
ReplyDeleteI think that is likely what will happen. Will this thing every die out?
ReplyDeleteNope.
Delete