Snake Handling Easter Service in WSJ

[tv1a]

Matt 4:6
And [Satan} saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. KJV

The passage Satan quoted was a perversion of Psalms 91:12. It does not mention throwing oneself off high places.

Ps 91:9-13
9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
KJV

Snake handling worshipers believe in a literal interpretation of the scripture. The act of faith is taking Jesus at his word with signs following. Red letter words say you wont' get hurt when you pick up a snake or drink poison. If Christ said to jump off a cliff, I'm sure they would give it a shot. Nowhere in the Bible does it suggest followers of Christ skydive without a parachute.

Originally Posted by Michael Phelps

So, here's my next question - the acts of "faith" demonstrated by the snake handling crew are limited to drinking strychnine and handling venemous snakes. But, why stop there? Why not jump off of cliffs and trust angels to bear one up? Why not walk out in front of a speeding train and trust that God's hand is going to stop it?

Where is the line drawn between demonstrating faith and being stupid?

Is it merely because these two acts (snakes and poison) are the only two specifically mentioned in Mark 16?