Snake-handling preacher dies... from snake bite...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/16/us-usa-snakehandler-idUSBREA1F0UP20140216

(Reuters) - A Kentucky snake-handling preacher who appeared in a television show about the religious practice died of a snakebite after refusing medical treatment, authorities said on Sunday.

This is what happens when you do dangerous things and think that your invisible friend will save you.

..........

Why?

"This is what happens when you do dangerous things and think your invisible friend will save you."

Heh, trying to rustle jimmies I see.

ironic

:|

Nope, just trying to inform and maybe even save someone's life. Too many people deny reality in favor of fantasy. They insist that everyone must "respect" their fantasies and not confront them. But, all this does is allow them to continue to live in their fantasy world... like this guy apparently did. Maybe, just maybe, if someone had convinced this guy at an earlier age that what he believed in was a load of crap... he might still be alive today. And how about all the children that listened to and believed this guy's bullshit? Should we be silent and also let them grow up in their fantasy worlds?

Or, I could just say that the gene pool is better off without this guy in it. It's a philosophical difference I suppose. But, isnt that why this forum is here... to discuss things like this?

@willpayton: Didn't need the winded speech really. I was just being facetious. Thought it was obvious frankly.

LOL... ok. Although I dont think what I wrote qualifies as a speech.

@willpayton: Eh, just roll with it as a compliment :D

BTW this seems to happen quite often. I mean, you'd think that after the first few... people would get a clue. I dont know, maybe that's too optimistic...

Pastor Mark Wolford, Snake-handler, Dies Of Rattler Bite

Woman fatally bitten by snake in church

Snake-handler dies of rattler bite

Snake handler dies from rattlesnake bite

What's the point in this thread? What were you trying to accomplish?

It's utterly hilarious how hard Atheists attempt to put religious people down. Get a life, seriously.

I know, I know... it's so very difficult to read the thing you just quoted, isnt it? I mean, had you done so, you'd realize that it answered exactly what you just asked.

It's not just atheists apparently. Also, those pesky laws of physics and that whole reality thing... always putting religious people down.

@willpayton: Science itself doesn't put us down. Are you daft, or just a complete idiot? I actually think most of science is correct, and agree with a majority of it, however, what I don't agree with, is you needlessly criticizing a religion for no apparent reason at all.

How is this thread saving someone's life? Please tell me. How many people on this site do you really think handle snakes for a living? Maybe you just assumed that the particular preacher that died from the snake bite had a comic vine account, and would occasionally come to the off topic forum and take heed of your advice?

If you really and truly believe that you making this thread is changing anything in the slightest, then you're a bigger idiot than I thought.

This isn't a new story, the founder of the whole snake handling thing actually died from a snake bite

If you cant be civil, maybe you should say anything at all.

@deranged_midget_@god_spawn@mercy_

I was just about to say the same thing. It has happened almost every year I have been following news at least. It's funny in kind of a really sad way.

Yeah, and the sad thing is that you know it will happen again... and again.

@wolverine08: Jimmies have been rustled. :p

@willpayton: By discuss these things do you mean start a religious flame fight, because it looks like thats what you want lol

@willpayton: Do you believe that everything can be explained by science?

I could give ten more such examples of such things happening. Vets dying of rabies/things like that, fire fighters dying in fire, soldiers getting shot.. They do hazardous things, and they recognize the danger in it. Yet they continue to do so because it's useful to the society, or because they feel something for it.

He might have helped a lot of people understand not to kill snakes, and it's a good thing. R.I.P.

Wait, what? What the hell does any religion have to do with any of this?

@brolytard1337: Keep it clean, dude. No need for the insults.

@viperking said:

I think that everything has a rational and natural explanation. Whether everything can be explained by science is a little trickier, because it gets at whether there's things going on what we're unable to see... like for example whether there's parallel universes into which we cant send or receive information. But, assuming we have means to get any information we need, then yes everything can be explained by science. Another way of saying that is that there's nothing supernatural. The supernatural, by definition, is something that defies logic or the natural laws. I dont believe anything like that can exist.

Everything?

@willpayton: Everything?!?!?.....

The bolded is what I was referring to. Do you think religion is a "crutch" to satisfy a particular need or something similar?

This part made me lol.

That's a hard question to answer quickly. I think that "religious thinking" is something that's built into the human brain. By that I mean this: the brain is very good at making up stories to explain the world it see. It's good at seeing patterns, even if they're not there (optical illusions, intuition, personification, etc). That's just the way it works. Also, there's a certain trait of the brain where once you acquire beliefs over some period of time, it's very difficult to stop believing them given contradictory evidence... at least until you are exposed to that evidence over enough time. There's even a phenomenon in which contradictory facts actually reinforce your belief... I think it's called the Backfire Effect.

So, all that is to say that people (i.e. the brain) tend to make up stories to explain those things that are mysterious, usually with the simplest explanation they can come up with. So, for a primitive person seeing the stars going by overhead, they dont think "Those must be large balls of plasma radiating due to nuclear fusion, moving in elliptical orbits held together by an inverse square law of gravitation, and we're just one celestial body among all those" ... no, they think "God did it!". They just create a mythical being that's all-powerful and to which you can attribute an explanation of whatever you want. Done! You just explained everything without having to know anything. Brilliant!

Then, once you have that explanation, you teach it to kids over a couple of decades as they grow up and presto! you have true believers who will not change their belief even when a snake bites them in the face.

@willpayton: So I assume you don't think religion and science can mix at all.

No, they dont mix at all. And, by that I mean religious thinking in general, not just the supernatural stuff. By "religious thinking" I mean any form of belief that is formed without evidence and held even when contradictory evidence comes up. A lot of things are religious thinking... sports fanaticism, in many cases political affiliation, and sometimes even things like what car brands you prefer.

The nature of science is that you form beliefs based on evidence. If the evidence changes, the belief changes. Also, no belief is 100% or taken to be "objective truth". Everything is subject to change. It is the opposite of religion.

As far as the supernatural in general, it goes against basic logic... so no, that doesnt mix with science.

Stupid man. Stupid, stupid, stupid man. I would like to say that I feel bad here, but I can't. That sort of sh*t isn't grounded in any part of any doctrine whatsoever. There is no overly zealous f*cking ritual involved in getting in touch with God. No f*cking snakes, no f*cking denial of medical aid, no f*cking jerk up on a stage...f*ck.

Condolences to the family, sincerely, but this man was practically playing with fire on borrowed time.

Typical Atheist. Always talking big, but never addressing any valid points that make them look stupid.

Take your self righteous arrogance somewhere else.

Its nearly inevitable this will happen to people who handle dangerous items in unsuitable ways. And the thing is, even if you've done it a hundred times and say something or someone protected you, it only takes that one time and you'll end up asking your protector why he didn't in person.

You looking to get banned?

how..? was the snake preaching to the man and suddenly bit him or what?

If you dont understand what this story has to do with religion, then I doubt I can explain it to you.

@willpayton: No. Are you? Why would you ask such an irrelevant question?

Are you sure? I mean, you continue to break CV rules even after being directly warned by a moderator. Keep it up.

@willpayton: I didn't break ANY rules in my last post. Please show me an insult I said.

Possibly if it makes him sleep easier at night, but you did start this dude, if your going to say what you have tonight you should have prepared for some negative opinions.

Negative opinions and even negative reactions are fine. The issue comes when someone starts insulting people and turning the thread into a flame war. There are civil ways to tell someone you disagree with them without immediately calling them an idiot. In this case, I obviously questioned and challenged his/her core beliefs and he/she has no rational argument against what I said.

But yes, I was prepared for this type of reaction... because it's what usually happens at some point in any threat dealing with religion. It's unfortunate, but doesnt deter me from bringing up the topic. If we let the lowest common denominator and the most ignorant among us dictate the conversation, then we're pretty much lost.

@willpayton: In other words, this thread was pointless.

Atheists and religious groups will never agree on the complexities of the galaxy

/thread.

@brolytard1337 said:

You were already warned by a moderator in this thread to cease with the insults. Telling a user to take their self righteous arrogance somewhere else, is an insult. Inferring they are act in ways that make them look stupid? Is an insult.

I can understand if you disagree with another user, especially about this topic and its subject, thats fine. You just have to be civil about it. Try and address their points politely and with a degree of respect. If you feel you can't do that, its in your own self interest to avoid such threads to avoid getting further warnings or potentially more. Some friendly advice.

His family must be devastated. I hope they are coping okay. There is an idea about young people being reckless and living life too dangerously because young people can feel invincible and immune to harm, but that kind of thinking can also apply to may other age groups obviously and in cases like this I am not fond of any people for any reason, putting their lives and health to the test unless the rewards for such truly benefit their fellow man (think firefighters and other general occupations where people risk lives/health for others)

Regardless of whether people believe that they will have one life, two lives, or an afterlife, or no afterlife, life is precious and people should try to appreciate, enjoy and safeguard the one they have as best they can for their own sake and sake of others that care about them.