does religion make you stupid. case in point, snakes

it does say in the bible that if you are a christian you can handle poisonous snakes and if they bite you it will have no effect but how stupid do you have to be to believe it. still there are churches all over america that practice snake handling.
here we have a guy who own father died from a snakebite but he kept playing with them. now he is dead. here is the verse that drives them:
Mark 16:18 New Living Translation (©2007)
They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed."


'Serpent Pastor' Dies of Snake Bite
Mack Wolford believed faith compelled him to face the risk

A West Virginia Pentecostal pastor who used poisonous snakes during religious services has died of a rattlesnake bite. Mack Wolford, who just turned 44, was killed by a snake he had owned for years, reports the Washington Post. He was bitten during an outdoor service at a state park he had hoped would be a "homecoming like the old days," filled with people speaking in tongues, handling snakes and having a "great time," he said on his Facebook page. “Praise the Lord and pass the rattlesnakes, brother,” he wrote last week.

Wolford was the son of a snake-handler preacher who died of a snake bite when Wolford was 15.
http://www.newser.com/story/147017/serpent-pastor-dies-of-snake-bite.html

 

Crickets on this one FT. I heard about this on Bob and Tom driving home yesterday. Thought about posting it, but this is such a dagger, that I predict it will be largely ignored by the faithful.

 

Whether they were atheisits or not I don't know, and it ain't the point, but people get killed all the time in pursuit of their interests. Especially the true beliver types, religion, science or otherwise. That said, the guy was nuts.
http://listverse.com/2008/06/04/top-10-scientists-killed-or-injured-by-their-experiments/

 

This verse contains God’s promise to protect His people (those He has called to do the Work of preaching the gospel) in dangerous situations beyond their ability to control. It is not a command to put oneself in harm’s way.

An example of God’s protection in such a circumstance is found in Acts 28:1-6. While gathering wood for a fire, the apostle Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake. It is vital to note that he was not deliberately handling the snake. This came as an unforeseen accident. God miraculously intervened and protected Paul, as He had promised.
To intentionally do something risky or dangerous and expect God’s protection is contrary to what Christ taught. He stated, in Matthew 4:7, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” He was rebuking Satan, after Satan had tried to persuade Him to jump from a “pinnacle of the temple.” Satan had twisted the meaning of scripture (one of his favorite ploys), in order to get Christ to sin.