Serpentine

I was raised in a very religious, Christian home. My family attended church several times each week, and my Dad was a deacon and sang in the choir. We prayed before meals and over any illness or problem that we faced. The Bible was among the first books from which I read (ironically, the first book I read, along with the Bible, was a late-elementary level science book about the solar system and dinosaurs, elements that don't comfortably fit in a typical Christian worldview).

I have only the vaguest memories of the first church I attended, in my birth town of Joplin, Missouri. There was a childcare worker there, perhaps named or nicknamed Sherry or Cheri, that used to make a big deal about me when I arrived in the nursery (I was, at most, two years old during my family's attendance) and always called me "Baby Luger". I seem to recall tidbits of some drama about a tornado that just missed the church one day while I was there, also, but, as was stated, I was very young and my memories from that church are unreliable at best.

The next church we habitually frequented was a Baptist church in Tampa. We were part of that church for four or five years and I have quite a few memories of the church and events related to it. I had my first baptism there in the ornate baptistry on the stage in the sanctuary. I, with that church, first visited Lake Platt which I liked because of its similarity to my familial last name. My parents and sister also grew close to many members of the congregation, so much so that when my parents left to go to a new church, several other families joined them.

My parents next matriculated in another church which then played a very significant role in my life and my spiritual development. I suppose it could be called "pentecostal" in the sense that it believed in the gift of the Holy Spirit given to the early church fifty days after Jesus's resurrection. Officially, it was Methodist in denomination, but shared much common ground with other "Spirit-filled" Protestants like the Assemblies of God and the Pentecostal churches. It certainly shared with them a militant view of the church's role in the world and each Christian's duty to proselytize. We also practiced speaking in tongues, the laying-on of hands for healing, and demonic exorcism as a regular part of services there. I have much to eventually say about that church and my life as part of it, but this story is not about that church. It is only contextual in this account.

My time at that church, too, came to an end, and, with it, my time at church in general. My spiritual journey led me away from the Christian faith and from the regular religious practice of any kind. I did still attend church when necessary, but principally to appease others (like my parents) or for events like the occasion of my wedding. I had pretty much decided that church had little left for me. However, a few years after my divorce, while I was living in the heart of Appalachia, I had occasion to attend a rather interesting church service.

There was a young woman with whom I had developed a mild flirtation. She was a server at a restaurant I frequented and we had developed a rapport that felt promising to me. One day, I screwed up the courage to ask her out.

"Hey, Katie. I was wondering if you would consider going out to a movie or dinner with me sometime."

"Robert, I would really like to, but I don't really date. If you want to spend time with me, maybe you'd consider coming to my church some Sunday."

Well, I did like the woman so I agreed. We set up the "date" for the next Sunday service. I didn't know much about the church, except where it was in the county and that often churches with names similar to hers were "Spirit-filled" or Pentecostal.

The church itself was fairly nondescript, a small concrete block building with typical trimmings. The members were all very nice, greeting me and welcoming me. Katie and I sat together near the front. I checked the crowd out and chatted with her while we waited for the service to begin. I noticed some strange features, cabinets and enclosures up on stage near the altar that were dissimilar to any other church I'd attended, and, being fairly astute, I realized what was going to happen. As I inspected more closely, I clearly saw these held serpents.

As I said, I was well accustomed to the theatrics of "Holy Ghost" spirituality and was not disappointed by the experience of this congregation's praise and worship. The service was fueled by the characteristic zeal of evangelicals and the preacher was fiery in his righteousness. The preaching ended with the usual altar call and the reprise of praise and worship. With this return, the preacher and the elders began to break out the main attractions: copperheads and rattlesnakes.

This was something new for me in a worship service. I had read about "snake-handling churches" and was, of course, familiar with the role of serpents in religious mysteries throughout history and myth. Such knowledge, though, paled in the face of this more visceral experience. Watching these kind, but fanatical, people dance to country/rock gospel music with multiple pit vipers draped over their arms and shoulders was fascinating and disconcerting. I was NOT inspired to participate, but was intrigued by the strength of these believers' convictions and shocked by the exceptional irrationality of their faith.

All in all, I had a nice time, due mostly to the uniqueness of the event. I didn't go back, though, nor did I try for another date with Katie, realizing that we were too far apart in our spiritual ideals to have any meaningful relationship.

Here is a video from a similar service at a different church, just to give you the idea:



The Biblical foundation for these particular beliefs is found here:

Mark 16:17-18

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁷And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

¹⁸They 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.

And, to a lesser extent, here:

Luke 10:19

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁹Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Since that time, I have had occasion to enter churches for events like musical performances and weddings, and, briefly, I was paid to operate the PA system for church services; but I have fortunately never been possessed by the desire to ever go to church again.