KY pastor from Snake Salvation has died of snakebite- MERGE

[Cannelle]

http://www.wate.com/story/24737348/kent ... snake-bite

 

Kentucky snake handling preacher, reality TV star dead from snake bite

Posted: Feb 16, 2014 5:12 AM CST

 

MIDDLESBORO, KY (WATE) - Jamie Coots, a preacher known for snake handling, as well as being the focus of a reality TV show, died Saturday after being bitten by a snake.

 

According to the Middlesboro Police Department, emergency crews responded to reports of a possible snakebite victim at a church on Evans Drive around 8:30 p.m., but say the victim had already left the scene by the time they arrived.

 

Police say they found Coots at his home with an apparent snakebite to his hand. Officials say EMS responders explained the dangers of not treating the wound, but that Coots still refused to be transferred.

 

Police and EMS returned to the scene an hour later to find Coots dead.

 

Coots was the pastor of Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name church in Middlesboro. He is also the subject of the National Geographic Channel series "Snake Salvation".

[salex]

http://www.wate.com/story/24737348/kentucky-snake-handling-preacher-dead-from-snake-bite

Kentucky snake handling preacher, reality TV star dead from snake bite

Posted: Feb 16, 2014 5:12 AM CST

MIDDLESBORO, KY (WATE) - Jamie Coots, a preacher known for snake handling, as well as being the focus of a reality TV show, died Saturday after being bitten by a snake.

According to the Middlesboro Police Department, emergency crews responded to reports of a possible snakebite victim at a church on Evans Drive around 8:30 p.m., but say the victim had already left the scene by the time they arrived.

Police say they found Coots at his home with an apparent snakebite to his hand. Officials say EMS responders explained the dangers of not treating the wound, but that Coots still refused to be transferred.

Police and EMS returned to the scene an hour later to find Coots dead.

Coots was the pastor of Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name church in Middlesboro. He is also the subject of the National Geographic Channel series "Snake Salvation".

Isnt' this proof his faith was not great enough? I wonder if the tv cameras were rolling?

[GeoBQn]

As my mom would say, "No sympathy."

[littlemommy]

Live by the snake, die by the snake.

[Jana814]

As my mom would say, "No sympathy."

Agree No sympathy. Surprised it didn't happen earlier!

[Mecca]

Dumbass. I find this whole thing frustrating. You have these people brainwashed into believing this dangerous crap, risk their lives...... and for what? Now Coots left a family behind, a wife and young daughter that will now have to support the family that is barely equipped to do much of anything because of their submissive belief bull crap, and people believing they did not have enough faith to prevent this. Just effin' nuts.

It is unfortunate, but when you play with wild venomous snakes, expect to get bit. And when you refuse medical attention because you got bit, expect to die. Dumbass.

[Becket70]

This may be a dumb question but here goes. Did he encourage the people who belonged to his church to do the same thing or was it just a show he put on? There is a saying in our house, TDTL (too dumb to live) which we usually apply to characters in SyFy movies. However, TDTL would certainly apply to this bozo. Is this what his God wanted from him? Stupidity on an unacceptable level in the name of religion.

[artdecades]

well, he died doing what he loved I guess

[mamallama]

Science 1 Faith 0.

[doggie]

Really we should donate a bunch of black mamba's so they can really test their faith. this will wipe out the whole snake churches once and for all.

no I don't want that but it would really test faith for sure.

[mirele]

Jamie Coots, one of the stars of the National Geographic show "Snake Salvation," died last night of a snakebite. He declined medical care and died slightly over an hour later.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/16/s ... nake-bite/

Here's a slightly longer story with video:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20140 ... /140216004

And a story about the new generation of snake handlers, including the now-deceased Coots and Andrew Hamblin, from earlier this month. It has some nice pictures.

http://projects.timesfreepress.com/2014 ... index.html

[NotALoserLikeYou]

I HEARD that he didn't have life insurance and they are collecting donations. Also that the other pastor, Andrew Hamblin (the young one on the show with all the kids) was there and that this incident has done nothing to change his beliefs about snake handling.

Pretty sad for his family. His daughter is young and got divorced but their belief system is against remarriage so they always told her on the show she could never get married again unless she got back with her loser husband. This put her in quite the depression and she stopped going to church. Her parents relentlessly told her she was going to hell and she ended up going back to church.

[thoughtful]

It's time for Claude Rains again:

I wonder if the Darwin Awards people will honor him.

[apple1]

To use an overused word - sad. No pleasure in this; as mentioned above, his family is most likely ill-equipped to make it without him. I'm sure that the statement that he did not have life insurance is correct. His snake handling was public; this would have made him uninsurable.

And yes, this was very predictable. The only real surprise was that he survived this long (I believe he was 42).

ETA: NatGeo should at least pay for his funeral. I'm sure NatGeo made their money from the show.

[salex]

I HEARD that he didn't have life insurance and they are collecting donations. Also that the other pastor, Andrew Hamblin (the young one on the show with all the kids) was there and that this incident has done nothing to change his beliefs about snake handling.

Pretty sad for his family. His daughter is young and got divorced but their belief system is against remarriage so they always told her on the show she could never get married again unless she got back with her loser husband. This put her in quite the depression and she stopped going to church. Her parents relentlessly told her she was going to hell and she ended up going back to church.

I wonder how much of this bravado is for the show or just being so sure that their faith is more real that the other guy's. If two of two pastors die on the show, I wonder if that will reduce the number of people who are likely being attracted to going to those kinds of churches, based on the show.

[NoneandDoneinCali]

I wonder if this will be explained as him not being holy enough. Will that cause his family to be shamed, or will he be considered a martyr? The only people I feel bad for are the young children raised in this environment, who will grow up thinking behaving like this is "Godly." No sympathy for him, his (adult) supporters, or wife. Buttloads of sympathy for the children.

[apple1]

I wonder how much of this bravado is for the show or just being so sure that their faith is more real that the other guy's. If two of two pastors die on the show, I wonder if that will reduce the number of people who are likely being attracted to going to those kinds of churches, based on the show.

Hamblin has 5 small kids. The youngest one - based on FB - was hospitalized in late January. Hamblin, at least, differs from Coots, in that Hamblin is not opposed to getting medical care if he is bitten. It's not much, but it is something.

[Cannelle]

I too wondered if the cameras were there. I'm also curious as to the future of the show. Will Coots's son take over the church, as they've talked about? What will happen to his wife? I'm very curious as to the outcome of all of this. Not surprised in the least that this happened, though.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

Hamblin has 5 small kids. The youngest one - based on FB - was hospitalized in late January. Hamblin, at least, differs from Coots, in that Hamblin is not opposed to getting medical care if he is bitten. It's not much, but it is something.

Hamblin believes in medical care if bitten ONLY if it takes place outside of the church. If it happens during a service then no care can be sought. The theory being gods protection only exists when you are being anointed by the spirit at the time.

[apple1]

I too wondered if the cameras were there. I'm also curious as to the future of the show. Will Coots's son take over the church, as they've talked about? What will happen to his wife? I'm very curious as to the outcome of all of this. Not surprised in the least that this happened, though.

I read somewhere that NatGeo had - a while ago - decided not to film another season of the show, but that they may be considering a single memorial show. (Whatever that means).

[ladyaudley]

Hamblin has 5 small kids. The youngest one - based on FB - was hospitalized in late January. Hamblin, at least, differs from Coots, in that Hamblin is not opposed to getting medical care if he is bitten. It's not much, but it is something.

22 with 5 kids??? wow.

Just looked at his wife's fb page. She looks eerily like a Keller! Delightful names for the children, too (all with gratuitous y). Do they homeschool? I hope not, going by her comment "The twins was throwing mudd.he was acting sissyfied lol" on one of the pictures...

[apple1]

22 with 5 kids??? wow.

Just looked at his wife's fb page. She looks eerily like a Keller! Delightful names for the children, too (all with gratuitous y). Do they homeschool? I hope not, going by her comment "The twins was throwing mudd.he was acting sissyfied lol" on one of the pictures...

I'm not sure any of Hamblin's kids are school-aged yet.

Sad.

[SoSoNosy]

Another Darwin Award

[FloraKitty35]

My deepest sympathies go out to that poor snake.

[RosyDaisy]

Did he encourage the people who belonged to his church to do the same thing or was it just a show he put on?

As for Coots and his church, I don't know. I do know that some snake handling churches guilt people into snake handling and drinking strychnine (a poison). They use this Bible passage to do it:

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.â€--Mark 16:17-18

Meaning, if you don't do these things you are are sinning against God and going to Hell. That's pretty powerful motivation.

ETA: I don't believe any of this. My information comes from people I know who have attended snake handling churches.