Snakes are among humankind's earliest gods. For example, the earliest known snake shamans appeared about 3,500 years ago among the Psyllil of northern Africa and the earliest Egyptian symbol for goddess was the cobra. Snake-handling religious sects exist in at least six states within the contiguous United States, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Michigan and Indiana. Members of these sects pick up serpents as a demonstration of their faith as they interpret the New Testament writings of Mark 16: 17-18:
"And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover"
Interestingly, more cults have been devoted to snakes than any other animal. As in other facets of their lives, individuals who subscribe to various religions may well have snake beliefs and attitudes associated with their religious beliefs. For example, Christoffel (unpub. data), in an interview with a devout Lutheran from Minnesota was adamantly told that snakes are an embodiment of evil and that the story of Eve and the snake contained in Genesis was meant to be taken literally. For complete review of myths and folklore about rattlesnakes, two excellent sources are Klauber (1982) and Nissenson and Jonas (1995).
References
Brown, F. and J. McDonald. 2000. The serpent handlers: three families and their faith. Winston-Salem: John F. Blair, Publisher.
Burton, T. 1993. Serpent-handling believers. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press.
Klauber, L. M. 1982. Rattlesnakes: their habits, life histories, and influence on mankind. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Minton, S. A. Jr., and M. R. Minton. 1969. Venomous reptiles. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Nissenson, M. and S. Jonas. 1995. Snake charm. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Schwartz, S. 1999. "Glad tidings", pp. 5-25, in Faith, Serpents and Fire. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.