Holiness Believer Dies from Snake Bite

from Breitbart

A woman who was bitten by a snake at a church that neighbors say practices serpent handling died of her wounds hours later. Linda Long, 48, was bitten Sunday at East London Holiness Church, where neighbors said the reptiles are handled as part of religious services.

Long died at University of Kentucky Medical Center about four hours after being bitten. Handling reptiles as part of religious services is illegal in Kentucky. Snake handling is a misdemeanor and punishable by a $50 to $100 fine.

Police said they had not received any reports of snake handling at the church.

Snake handling is based on a passage in the Bible that says a sign of a true believer is the power to "take up serpents" without being harmed.