Snake Handlers also Fundie?

[SpicyCat]

So I was flipping through a photo show of snake handlers in Tennessee and it was following a Pastor by the name of Andrew Hamblin. On one shot it mentions how this 21-year-old is married and has FOUR children and that they were praying for him because he'd lost his grocery store job. That rang a few bells, so I looked him up. Not a lot on his Facebook page, but his wife's had this to say:

 

 

Quote

My name is elizabeth marie hamblin im maried to andrew hanblin.we have four beautiful children.3 boys and one girl.my family is seconde 2 god.i serve the lord with all my heart.i believe in strict holiness.no make up no pants no cutin my hair for this girl.my bible teaches me its wronge.i love goin to church and spendin time with my family and church family. I stand on mark 16:18 wont back down for anyone.its as rite as rain.i love meetin new peaple and makin new friends.if any ?s just ask.

 

It just made me wonder... Anyone know more about these folks, or do you think it's just the demonstrated lack of education? Also wonder if the snake handling/poison drinking/etc. is primarily due to the lack of good education...

[mirele]

The answer is yes and no. It depends on what you mean by Fundamentalist.

If you mean "fundamentalist" in the larger sense, as in "conservative religious beliefs," then yes, snake handlers would be fundamentalist. In the taxonomy of Christianity, they're Protestant > Conservative > Pentecostal > Independent > snake handlers.

If you mean "fundamentalist" as in "Independent Fundamental Baptist," then absolutely not. IFBers won't have anything to do with Pentecostals or snake-handling Pentecostals.

[PennySycamore]

mirele is right on. I think in this case there's also an appalling lack of education. Snake handlers in general don't strike me as the sharpest tools in the shed.

[Nora509]

There was a show on recently about a family of snake handlers. I think it was called Appalachian Snake Man or something like that. I believe they lived on or near Sand Mountain. It was actually pretty boring because they seemed like a normal, sweet family. They came across as a little uneducated, but not stupid.

[Witsec7]

Certainly.

[chaotic life]

Snake handlers are a very small subsect of Holiness Churches usually deep in Appalachia. They model their methods after Paul who was bitten by the snake and survived. They believe if they have the faith of a mountain, then they will survive the snakes.

Normally, they do not allow outsiders into their churches. They generally are so deep in Appalachia that they have poor education. However, they are not fundies in the way we would think here. They are Pentacoastal. They dance, they sing, they wear only dresses and observe wife only submission. I've been to more "normal" Pentacoastal churches. I've been to Appalachian Holiness churches. My father never allowed me to attend a snake handling church (though he has been there as a show of goodwill). There is almost NO comparision between more mainstream Pentacoastal churches and the Holiness churches you will find in Appalachia.

The married young, having a lot of kids could be part of their religion but it can also be the culture where they live.

[geniebelle6901]

The snake handling thing isn't due to lack of education. They are going by this Bible verse to justify snake handling, drinking poison, and speaking in tongues:

"And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. They 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. (Mark 16:17-18)."

For the most part they aren't uneducated..as in most have a high school diploma. As for being fundie, I would yes or maybe fundie-lite.

[contrary]

they are generally "mountain people" in appalachia. Isolated and uneducated, but not dumb (any more so than a similar cross-section of people).

I cannot recommend enough, the book "Salvation on Sand Mountain", by Dennis Covington. It's a wonderful book, and Covington somehow manages to present the snake handlers with sympathy AND journalistic integrity.

[salsa]

The answer is yes and no. It depends on what you mean by Fundamentalist.

If you mean "fundamentalist" in the larger sense, as in "conservative religious beliefs," then yes, snake handlers would be fundamentalist. In the taxonomy of Christianity, they're Protestant > Conservative > Pentecostal > Independent > snake handlers.

If you mean "fundamentalist" as in "Independent Fundamental Baptist," then absolutely not. IFBers won't have anything to do with Pentecostals or snake-handling Pentecostals.

Well-said.

There is overlap, but they come from different lines in American Protestantism. Holiness and Pentecostal come from the Wesleyan movement and Baptist comes from the Calvin and Anabaptist movements.

Pentecostals and Charismatics (though not all Pentecostals, interestingly enough) place a strong emphasis on glosollalia, or the speaking of tongues - and in other manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2 - The Day of Pentecost. Snake handlers incorporate the literal interpretation of that scripture in Matthew about picking up snakes and drinking poison and it won't hurt the faithful.

Holiness places emphasis on personal holiness. Like the wife said - how she dresses is because of how she reads the Bible.

Baptist place strong emphasis on salvation by grace and may or may not include tongue-speaking, though generally they don't. Most believe that glosollalia was gone with the early church.

All three, however, practice believer's baptism and may or may not include plain-dressing or head-covering or whatever. Many are not terribly concerned with missions, though others (especially the holiness folks) do see the need for good works both out of obedience to and in imitation of Jesus. All three also do their best to follow the Bible literally.

These Appalachian folks, however, are so isolated (hard to believe there are still folks like that) that their communities are self-contained. I think many of them look at outsiders with suspicion and they're just as happy that way. Therefore, the religious traditions start to become in-bred and self-contained and any kind of mission is "taking care of their own." They're not worried about people in any other part of the country or world than their own.

There is a wonderful play called "The Reach of Song" that demonstrates (though not the primary focus of the play) the suspicion of outsiders, the self-containment, and the way outsiders stereotype them (Li'l Abner, Beverly Hillbillies, etc) that makes these communities unique. Definitely NOT melting pots.

Sorry to go on. I'm a bit of an American Protestant History geek. :oops:

[geniebelle6901]

Normally, they do not allow outsiders into their churches.

This is because AL, TN, and KY (not sure about other states in Appalachia have laws regarding snake handling, and because many are home churches.

[salsa]

This is because AL, TN, and KY (not sure about other states in Appalachia have laws regarding snake handling

.... I did not know there were laws! That somehow seems wrong to me - unless the laws are there to protect innocent people like children.

but, that's very true about home churches. Either that or small chapel-like churches.

[geniebelle6901]

I did not know there were laws! That somehow seems wrong to me - unless the laws are there to protect innocent people like children.

There are, and yes that's the reason. Here's a site that explains the laws: http://yeltsin.tripod.com/law/law.htm. However I don't think the laws are enforced since the practice has been on decline.

[salsa]

... and how would they enforce them, anyhow?

[alba]

My name is elizabeth marie hamblin im maried to andrew hanblin.we have four beautiful children.3 boys and one girl.my family is seconde 2 god.i serve the lord with all my heart.i believe in strict holiness.no make up no pants no cutin my hair for this girl.my bible teaches me its wronge.i love goin to church and spendin time with my family and church family. I stand on mark 16:18 wont back down for anyone.its as rite as rain.i love meetin new peaple and makin new friends.if any ?s just ask.

Why can she spell "beautiful" but not use commas or spell "right" or "wrong"?

[JMarie]

Ugh, they look like siblings, not husband and wife. Did anyone catch the pic of the two year old twins locked in a cage (on Elizabeth's profile)? So not funny.

[tabitha2]

The History channel had a program about this. These folks as i understand it are often life in live in deeply in unaccessible places,are heavily armed ,territorial, and are not above setting booby traps.The manpower and time needed to police these people is often just not feasible and when it happens the authorities go for the moonshine operations and pot farms that they are raising.

[Witsec7]

Why can she spell "beautiful" but not use commas or spell "right" or "wrong"?

Can I get a link to these folks? TIA.

[E Street Fan]

https://www.facebook.com/#!/elizabeth.hamblin.96

Here's a link to Elizabeth Hamblin's page. She and her husband do look eerily alike.

[Witsec7]

https://www.facebook.com/#!/elizabeth.hamblin.96

Here's a link to Elizabeth Hamblin's page. She and her husband do look eerily alike.

TY Estreet, from a Joisey girl who was sprung from cages on Hwy 9 :D

[PaintingFool]

I guess this pastor in West VA who died the other day handling one, didn't learn a lesson, his father died doing the same thing in 1983.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/3 ... 59762.html

Sorry, but you play with snakes, you just might get bitten. Idiots. :shock:

[uber frau]

Totally bitchy but her kids are named Payton, Clayton & Caydon (twins) and Haylin. :?

Her husband has some interesting pics on his photo page.

[geniebelle6901]

Those sound like names you would see on Toddlers & Tiaras...LOL!

[salsa]

Wonder what kind of Go-Go Juice they're giving those kids?

[geniebelle6901]

The History channel had a program about this. These folks as i understand it are often life in live in deeply in unaccessible places,are heavily armed ,territorial, and are not above setting booby traps.The manpower and time needed to police these people is often just not feasible and when it happens the authorities go for the moonshine operations and pot farms that they are raising.

I don't think that's a fully accurate statement. It is well known that moonshiners/bootleggers and pot farmers do set booby traps. That is true, and has been confirmed by federal agents. As far as heavily armed that depends on your definition. Are you talking about stockpile (a shed full of weapons) or personal gun collections which used for hunting or are just family heirlooms (for lack of a better word)? Plus, the History Channel isn't a reliable source of information.

[tabitha2]

Not to generalize but the real backwoodsmen are usually clannish and distrustful of the government going back more than a hundred years.It would stand to reason more often than not they will use those weapons when they feel threatened.