Snake-handling preacher killed by snake, just like his dad
Mark Wolford (Photo for The Washington Post by Lauren Pond)
If you lie down with dogs, you get fleas. Lie down with timber rattlers, and you’ve got a good chance of not getting up again.
That’s what happened to West Virginia pastor Mark Wolford, reports The Washington Post.
Wolford died while hosting an outdoor service Sunday at Panther Wildlife Management Area in West Virginia. During the ceremony, the lively preacher sat a rattler on the ground and sat next to it. The snake did what snakes do — it bit him on the thigh.
Instead of going to a hospital, he went home and tried to recover. His kidneys shut down within three hours. Someone called paramedics when it was too late.
Wolford, who combed the woods for vipers, should have known better. In 1983, when he was 15, he saw his dad die while “taking up serpents.”
But faith, which has never actually moved a mountain, has a way of moving people away from reality.
“Praise the Lord and pass the rattlesnakes, brother,” wrote Wolford on his Facebook page as a way of advertising the Sunday service.
His funeral will be held Saturday, exactly one week after his 44th birthday.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
154 comments Add your comment
matt
May 31st, 2012
9:49 am
‘Jesus said to him, It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ Matthew 4:7
JEWELL ROLLEN
May 31st, 2012
9:58 am
THERE’S ONE BORN EVERY MINUTE!!!!
Ned Flanders
May 31st, 2012
10:00 am
I’ve done everything the bible says. Even the parts that contradict the other parts.
JG
May 31st, 2012
10:01 am
George, I’m a fan of yours but a man just died. Your lead is a too flippant for such a story.
Jackie Brown
May 31st, 2012
10:02 am
This life’s hard, man, but it’s harder if you’re stupid
Common Sense
May 31st, 2012
10:02 am
The apple does not fall far from the tree….
Gram
May 31st, 2012
10:04 am
It’s ONE thing to have FAITH. It’s another to be STUPID.
Read Your Bible
May 31st, 2012
10:06 am
Exodus 21:28-29
28″If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. 29If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull must be stoned and the owner also must be put to death.
Aliya
May 31st, 2012
10:14 am
The Faith that moves mountains refers to the mountains in your life that could be poverty, unemployment, divorce, etc. You fill in the blank. The bible is full of metaphors. People who take it literally wind up like this guy. He took the scripture that reads about taking up serpents, but that relates to the serpents in life such as bullies, enemies, etc and facing your fears head on.
maria
May 31st, 2012
10:14 am
good for the snake