When the Rev. Jamie Coots, co-star of National Geographic Channel's reality TV show "Snake Salvation" was bitten on the hand by a rattlesnake, he refused medical treatment and died in less than two hours.
Coots, who was leading mid-February services at the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus' Name in Middlesboro, Ky., and his followers represent a sect of Christianity that incorporates snake handling into worship, relying heavily on Mark 16:17-18 for support. The beloved pastor, who survived numerous snakebites in the past, is not the first to die in this manner since George Went Hensley introduced snake handling to Appalachian churches in the early 1900s. Coots died the way he lived, faithful to his beliefs.
Read Full Article »