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    #16
    Re: Jesus Camps and the Pentecostal Church. Q&A

    I have an aunt & uncle in Tennessee who are Pentecostals. At the time, they were going to an 'illegal' Pentecostal church, where they handled snakes & drank strychnine. It was interesting the few times I went along with my cousins to the services, and I mostly went along so I could handle venomous snakes. I was a little disappointed when I found out that the rattlesnakes they kept were pets and not freshly wild-caught snakes. They were milked regularly and fed and handled often, and the reverend had people wash their hands before the services to eliminate any possible dog/cat/game odors that might excite one of the snakes into biting. I mean, it was good that the snakes were well-cared for (and apparently some snake-handling churches pull/break the snakes' teeth and even sew their mouths shut, which is deplorable), but it took some of the 'faith' out of the equation. And people are occasionally bitten and they do die from it.

    I never learned the 'trick' to the strychnine-drinking... and I never tried it - most of the kids were kind of insulated from the more dangerous practices of the church. Strychnine poisoning does cause convulsions at a fairly low level of stimulus, so some of the rolling around on the floor and speaking in tongues might be attributable to that, if they were using actual strychnine and not just apple juice.

    My older cousins loathed camp - they went every year, and the oldest boy was a counselor because he had more opportunity to 'sneak away and smoke weed' than when he was at home.
    The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

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      #17
      Re: Jesus Camps and the Pentecostal Church. Q&A

      Originally posted by Shahaku View Post
      Of course.
      Thank you


      Originally posted by Shahaku View Post
      Yea, I could see that. But why would you want to stay someplace that would be so unaccepting?
      In short, I stay because I feel called to. My husband and I both felt called to that particular church and so far neither of us have felt called out. I believe in practising faith within a community. I take responsibility for my personal growth, but its important to me to have a community to practise within that is spiritually minded. I am musical and very much enjoy the music and presence of God we can sometimes experience through group worship. It is the only place where I can use my gift for music in the way I want to. You have probably heard the saying 'be in the world but not of it' in a Jesus Camp? Well, that is a bit like my relationship with the church. I don't fall for things hook, line and sinker like I used to.

      I stay a Christian because I love the teachings of Jesus as recorded in the gospels. It's incredible stuff, really. Also, I don't know how much of this is my choice. I know this sounds unintelligent. lol ^.^ Some people on this forum will be able to identify with the feeling that they've just always been pagan or always been drawn to a certain tradition. For me, it's the same with Christ. I was lucky enough to have my first independent experience with Christ at 10 (guided by a Catholic text book, Malflick, if you ever read this!), find a church at 15, and then redefine my faith again at 30. /end bio.

      I have so far very much enjoyed learning from other people here about their experiences in faith. When I didn't know what to do with my own faith, the words some people had written here helped guide me, so even though I'm not really pagan, I stay.

      Originally posted by perzephone View Post
      I have an aunt & uncle in Tennessee who are Pentecostals. At the time, they were going to an 'illegal' Pentecostal church, where they handled snakes & drank strychnine.
      I read this and my eyes went O.O. Far out! I guess they're trying to live out Mark 16:18. But that verse is one reason I don't take the Bible literally! ^.^ It always just felt like a tack-on at the end of a really good story.

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        #18
        Re: Jesus Camps and the Pentecostal Church. Q&A

        Originally posted by Azvanna View Post


        I stay a Christian because I love the teachings of Jesus as recorded in the gospels. It's incredible stuff, really. Also, I don't know how much of this is my choice. I know this sounds unintelligent. lol ^.^ Some people on this forum will be able to identify with the feeling that they've just always been pagan or always been drawn to a certain tradition. For me, it's the same with Christ. I was lucky enough to have my first independent experience with Christ at 10 (guided by a Catholic text book, Malflick, if you ever read this!), find a church at 15, and then redefine my faith again at 30. /end bio.
        I did read it ^_^ glad we could help lol!
        hey look, I have a book! And look I have a second one too!

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          #19
          Re: Jesus Camps and the Pentecostal Church. Q&A

          Originally posted by Azvanna View Post
          I read this and my eyes went O.O. Far out! I guess they're trying to live out Mark 16:18. But that verse is one reason I don't take the Bible literally! ^.^ It always just felt like a tack-on at the end of a really good story.
          That one particular verse is the whole basis of the Holiness (also called 'Signs') Pentecostal sect. Serpent handling, poison drinking & the laying on of hands. The Pentecostals who die from snake-bites seem to get the majority of the news coverage, but some have died from poisoning as well. And in the churches, they don't seek medical treatment for snake bites or poisonings - they just suffer through it and/or die. It is possible to build up a tolerance to animal venoms & some poisons, but it's a tricky business.
          The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

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            #20
            Re: Jesus Camps and the Pentecostal Church. Q&A

            Originally posted by perzephone View Post
            That one particular verse is the whole basis of the Holiness (also called 'Signs') Pentecostal sect. Serpent handling, poison drinking & the laying on of hands. The Pentecostals who die from snake-bites seem to get the majority of the news coverage, but some have died from poisoning as well. And in the churches, they don't seek medical treatment for snake bites or poisonings - they just suffer through it and/or die. It is possible to build up a tolerance to animal venoms & some poisons, but it's a tricky business.
            We do laying on of hands, but not the others. So, if you die from the bite or poison... Were you not a true believer?

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              #21
              Re: Jesus Camps and the Pentecostal Church. Q&A

              In the church my aunt & uncle went to, it was believed that it meant the person's faith wasn't strong enough. In others, they seem to prefer that it was just that person's time to die.
              The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

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                #22
                Re: Jesus Camps and the Pentecostal Church. Q&A

                My grandfather was preacher at a Pentecostal Holiness Church in South Carolina. I cannot speak to what is or is not done in other churches of that denomination, and the time frame for my sporadic attendance is mostly the 1970s. When we visited, we had to go, so I was there a couple times a year and then 3x a week for several months at age 15-16. I saw a few things that defy scientific explanation. The people involved would say they were "in the Spirit," many here might call it magic.

                Granddad's church did not engage poisons because they thought that was tempting / testing God, which their reading of scripture told them was not pleasing to Him. When they prayed, though, it was not an organized activity. Each prayed out loud according to his or her heart, some knelt, others bent over, some paced back and forth, whatever they felt. It built to this interesting harmonic cacophony that could be transcendent even for a skeptic like myself. Praying could last a long time, and sometimes folks would achieve involuntary muscle movements or vocalizations. I saw a standing, twitching woman actually rise a few inches off the ground. They also did anointing and laying on of hands, and I witnessed a healing at age 15 when I saw black stuff come out of a woman who had requested healing. This was not a big church and it was not in a big place, and my Granddad would not have tolerated anything that would blaspheme the Holy Spirit, so nothing was for show. Now for many at this forum the prayer ritual with which services began could be described as "raising energy," and Granddad's church did it very well. For many at this forum, the removal of black goo from the woman could easily be described as "aura clearing," and Granddad's church did it very well.

                For what it's worth.

                "No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical." -- Niels Bohr

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                  #23
                  Re: Jesus Camps and the Pentecostal Church. Q&A

                  Wow, glad I never went to one of these camps. If I attended one now I'd probably leave too :-)

                  All I can say is that a church family is like any other. There are all sorts. ALL SORTS lol!

                  Though to be honest, I would probably be viewed as "one of those guys" at my church. But at least I know the difference between the genuine power of God and something fake.

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                    #24
                    Re: Jesus Camps and the Pentecostal Church. Q&A

                    Originally posted by DON View Post

                    All I can say is that a church family is like any other. There are all sorts. ALL SORTS lol!
                    Ain't it the truth! lol. My husband and I go to a church that is filled with strange people. Everyone we know has something a bit odd about them. We have briefly asked ourselves what our oddity is, but decided better not go down that rabbit hole. Some things are better left alone!

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