There are a cluster of Christian churches in existence who interpret the content of the Holy Bible in the very literal sense.

‘Snake handling’ (or serpent handling), is a religious ceremony performed by a select number of small, rural Pentecostal churches operating outside of the accepted borders of standard Christian churches.

These extremely dangerous practices began in the early 20th century when the initial practitioners of the rite began dating the ritual to antiquity and translating passages directly from the Gospel of Mark, and the Gospel of Luke, exactly as they appear in Scripture, verbatim.

In 1922 the ‘Church of God Evangel’ reported the first death by snakebite during a religious sermon.

“They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover”.     (Mark 16:18)

“Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy”.    (Luke 10:19)

At least 71 people have been bitten and killed by venomous snakebites during snake handling sermons. It is reported that the amount of unreported deaths may be greater than collected data.

* Snake handling churches of the present day:

Rock House Holiness Church, Alabama, USA

Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name, Kentucky, USA

Mossie Simpson Pentecostal Church, Kentucky, USA

Holiness Church of God in Jesus Name, South Carolina, USA

Tabernacle Church of God, LaFollette, Tennessee, USA

Church of The Lord Jesus, West Virginia, USA