TIL about george hensley, who travelled the US to spread religious ideas of the divine healing powers of snake bites. George died in 1955 as a result of a snake bite, the state of kentucky subsequently passed laws prohibiting snakes from being used for religious purposes.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_handling_in_Christianity#The_Church_of_Lord_Jesus_with_Signs_Following

What do you think?

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  3. TLDR; Georges beliefs come from literally interpreting the various mentions of beneficial snakes in the christian bible, leading him to believe they are divine healers. His beliefs concluded that everyone who dies from being bitten by a snake is not a true believer.

    I messed up and linked to a short mention of his fringe religion on the general religious snake handling wikipedia page, sorry for that. [This is his actual wikipedia page with all the info.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Went_Hensley)

    ​

    Here is the very enjoyable [“religious conspiracy theory iceberg”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLE7p7jb9pY&t=243s&ab_channel=Wendigoon) video where i first learned about this weird american snake handling pioneer and his religion.

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