DAILY TIMES (Maryville, Tennessee) 05 April 08 In the hands of faith: Serpent handling has deep roots in region (Melanie Tucker)
Phil Colclough, the snake handler at the zoo, met Jimmy Morrow the snake handling preacher from Del Rio, on a day they both sought out the mighty rattler in the wild.
It was a few years ago, and Colclough wanted to find a rattlesnake population in Tennessee to study. He called a local author who had written a book on the religious practice of handling poisonous snakes, figuring if anyone knew of their location, one of these zealots could lead him there.
"He put me in touch with James 'Jimmy' Morrow, the pastor of Edwina Holiness Church with Signs Following, in Newport," Colclough said. "I called him and got permission to attend a service, honestly with the attitude that if anybody knew where the rattlesnakes were, it would be these religious snake handlers."
Believers who use the verses in Mark 16: 17-18 as a central part of their faith refer to themselves as Signs Followers. Many of the churches identify themselves as Holiness.
The curator of the herpetology department at the Knoxville zoo and graduate of William Blount High School and the University of Tennessee, went out into the field with Morrow where he collects the rattlesnakes used in his church services. There was a lot more to this preacher and his practice than Colclough, 37, could have ever imagined.
It was a case of herpetology and curiosity meeting faith and fervor.
First, the man who has studied snakes as a profession for over a decade was impressed to the nth degree on how knowledgeable Morrow was on the habitat, habits and health of the rattlers and copperheads he would catch, take home and then let slither and squirm to his touch during the preaching hour.
"I was absolutely blown away by his biological knowledge," Colclough said. "People think of these people as just crazy single-minded zealots and this guy was biologically completely sound in his principles."
Morrow always goes out and catches the venomous snakes in the spring, Colclough explained. He never takes pregnant females. When he does find the reptiles he needs for his Sunday services, he takes them home, feeds and waters them.
The rattlesnakes and copperheads then have their role to play. They are taken to Morrow's small church in a box to be opened when Morrow feels the anointing of Jesus. He handles more than one at a time, and even women in his church take up the serpents, as they adhere to a literal translation of the verses in Mark 16.
Come fall, Morrow takes the poisonous snakes back to their original location and releases them so they can hibernate. Colclough said this re-releasing is critical to the serpents' survival, something Morrow is keenly aware of.
"If you try to relocate them studies show they just wander in huge circles until they starve to death," he explained. "They all have a specific home range. He is real responsible with that."
Morrow told Colclough on that visit years ago that he sometimes catches the same snakes year after year.
"It was kind of interesting to me they have such a respect for the animal," this curator at the Knoxville Zoo said. "It's not an attitude of derision like you think they would have. There is none of 'this is of the devil. This is an evil serpent.' None of that."
The congregation at Edwina is a fairly small one. Colclough said on a good night there were probably 20 in attendance. On some nights, only four or five showed up. And at every service except in winter when the snakes have been released, they take up the serpents as a demonstration of their faith.
No one ever got bit while Colclough attended the services. He said no one is forced to handle them and children are kept at a safe distance.
"I have no biological explanation why they are not getting bit," he said. "I really don't. The snakes are definitely not altered. I have seen them strike the tops of boxes with a big wad of venom on the box. I have seen them act defensively in those boxes and then in the middle of the service they pull the lid off and start handling them."
Morrow claims to have been bitten only once during his years of handling. Colclough said those who take up the deadly snakes do so only when they feel anointed, something he said they feel in a physical way.
If someone picks up a snake as a way to show off or for any other reason than obedience to God, that is when the snake strikes back, the followers claim.
The next most obvious question becomes, how do these followers validate the bite they receive if it is God who orders them to do so?
Morrow explained it this way:
"If I walked down the interstate in front of a pickup truck, that would be testing the Lord," Morrow told Colclough. "The Bible doesn't tell me to walk out in front of a truck on the interstate. It does tell me that those who believe will pick up serpents and drink any deadly thing and it will not hurt you. It doesn't say anything about the snake not biting you."
If he's honest, Colclough will tell you he originally went to one of these services to "see the show." And evaluate from the perspective of a herpetologist. What he came away with was a revelation about faith and religion some would refuse to accept.
It comes down to the pastor, his congregation and being genuine about their worship. Colclough said organized religion is now a turn off for many people directly related to the lack of authenticity.
"There are a lot of churches where I think hypocrisy runs rampant," he said. "And that is a turn off for a lot of people. ... I think (Morrow) has achieved something with this church that I think a lot of churches miss the mark on."
It is illegal in the state of Tennessee to keep venomous snakes without a permit, but there are rarely any cases prosecuted, and Colclough said these congregations stand on the freedom of religion enjoyed by this nation. Tennessee, West Virginia and Kentucky are home to most of the snake handling congregations. The practice had its start right here in East Tennessee.
As far as Colclough knows, there are no snake handling churches in Blount County, but it is hard to say for sure just where they are because most prefer to practice their religion out of the public spotlight.
What about the rest of the church service? Take away the snakes, and the worship is much like what you would see in a Southern Baptist congregation, Colclough pointed out.
When he speaks at First United Methodist April 15, he will not do so with the intention of encouraging anyone to attend a snake handling service. Nor will he speak negatively of any form of faith. Colclough said he is simply sharing his experiences with those who are interested from an educational standpoint.
As far as the rattlesnake population in Tennessee, Colclough said he is more concerned about the bigger picture because of development.
"That concerns me about everything -- fish, snakes, hellbenders ..." he said. Plus, you are not going to sell rattlesnake conservation to the public. That is a hard deal."
Serpent handling has deep roots in region