Standing in front of his congregation at a 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 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.


"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.


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.


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Gokilll untung di gereja gua ga pake gini2an cuma orang sinting aja nih