Snake-Handling Service Turns Fatal at Cawood Holiness Church

The Snakebite Incident

On Sunday, July 27, 2025, a worship service at Cawood Holiness Church in Harlan County, Kentucky took a tragic turn. During the service – which involved the handling of snakes as a demonstration of faith – a 27-year-old male congregant was bitten by a venomous snake. The bite occurred in the midst of the church’s Sunday worship ritual. According to local reports, the man did not receive immediate medical treatment. Approximately seven hours after the bite, the 27-year-old victim died from the effects of the snake’s venom (consistent with outcomes in past snake-handling incidents). The victim’s name and background have not been released publicly as of initial reports, but he was described simply as a 27-year-old member of the congregation. The incident is now the focus of an official investigation by authorities, which is standard procedure whenever a death occurs under these circumstances. Investigators will likely review the circumstances of the bite and whether any laws were violated in the handling of deadly reptiles during the service

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About Cawood Holiness Church and Its Practice

Location and Congregation:

 The snakebite took place at Cawood Holiness Church, a small Pentecostal Holiness congregation located in the rural community of Cawood in Harlan County, southeastern Kentucky. This church, like a few others in the region, is part of the “signs following” tradition – an offshoot of the Holiness Pentecostal movement known for handling snakes during worship. Such churches are typically independent (not formally affiliated with mainline denominations) and are found in isolated, rural areas of Appalachia. The Cawood congregation has a longstanding reputation for serpent-handling practices. In fact, an oral history account from 2009 described elders at Cawood Holiness Church calmly preparing for a service with a wooden snake box (containing a rattlesnake) at the altar, indicating that the use of snakes in worship is a well-established ritual there. Services at the church often include spirited preaching, singing, and the dramatic act of believers holding or draping themselves with venomous snakes as an expression of faith.

Beliefs Behind Snake-Handling: 

The practice of handling snakes in Christian worship is based on a literal interpretation of biblical scripture, specifically Mark 16:17-18. In that Gospel passage, Jesus’ followers are told that as a sign of their faith they “shall take up serpents” without being harmed, and also drink poison without ill effect. Participants in Holiness churches like Cawood take this verse to heart. They believe that if they are truly filled with the Holy Spirit and have divine protection, they can handle deadly snakes as a testimony of God’s power and their faith. Snake-handling as a religious rite first emerged in Appalachia in the early 20th century and continues today in a small number of churches in the U.S. South. The practice usually occupies a brief part of the worship service and is undertaken voluntarily by members who feel “led by the Spirit” to do so. Services typically keep snakes (often rattlesnakes or copperheads) in latched wooden boxes until the time comes to take them out as the congregation sings and prays. While most such encounters end without injury, the risk of bites is very real, and worshippers accept that risk as a matter of faith.

snackContext of the July 27 Snakebite

On that July 27 service in Cawood, it appears the 27-year-old worshipper was handling a snake when he sustained the fateful bite. This would not be unusual in a Holiness church service – often multiple members (not just the pastor) will take up the snakes if they feel moved to do so. The specifics of the snake involved (such as species) were not officially confirmed, but many Appalachian serpent-handling churches favor rattlesnakes, which carry potent venom. Witnesses have not publicly described the immediate aftermath of the bite, but in similar cases church members sometimes respond by praying over the victim rather than calling for medical help. Notably, devout handlers view submitting to medical treatment as potentially showing a lack of faith, so some victims refuse medical care altogether. In this incident, the young man’s condition worsened over the ensuing hours. Roughly seven hours later he was pronounced dead, presumably from the snake’s venom. Sadly, this outcome mirrors previous tragedies in the region – for example, in 2015 a 60-year-old Bell County, KY man was bitten during a Pentecostal snake-handling service, refused medical aid, and died at a family member’s home later that day. And in a 1995 case in Harlan County, a woman died about seven hours after receiving multiple rattlesnake bites during a funeral service, having foregone medical treatment while fellow believers prayed for her recovery. These precedents underscore how quickly a venomous snakebite can turn fatal without antivenom or medical intervention. Each incident also highlights the profound level of conviction among practitioners, who often entrust their fate entirely to faith.

Legal and Community Reactions

The death at Cawood Holiness Church has prompted both local concern and renewed scrutiny of serpent-handling worship from outside observers. The Harlan County Sheriff’s Office and/or Kentucky State Police are investigating the circumstances, as a matter of protocol. One question is whether any legal action will follow. Kentucky law explicitly prohibits the use of venomous reptiles in religious services – snake-handling in church is a misdemeanor offense in the state, punishable by a fine of $50–$100. (This law has been on the books since the 1940s, when authorities responded to early snakebite deaths by attempting to outlaw the practice.) In reality, however, prosecutions are rare. Enforcement of the ban tends to be lenient unless other crimes or endangerment of minors are involved. It remains to be seen if anyone from the Cawood congregation will be cited or fined. In past incidents, even when charges were brought (such as a high-profile case in the 1980s where a Kentucky pastor was arrested for handling snakes), the penalties have been minor and have done little to deter the practice. The current investigation will also likely include an autopsy to officially confirm the cause of death as snake envenomation, and to ensure there was no foul play. Given the voluntary nature of the ritual, it’s unlikely that any serious charges (beyond the misdemeanor) would apply. Authorities may simply document the incident and remind the church of the legal restrictions.

Community Response:

 Within the local community and the broader snake-handling circles, the response to the tragedy has been one of mixed sorrow and steadfast faith. Fellow Holiness church members are mourning the loss of the young man, yet many see his death as being “in the line of duty” for God, so to speak. It is not uncommon for devout snake handlers to frame such a death as a martyrdom or a test of faith rather than a senseless accident. In fact, history shows that these congregations often continue undeterred even after a fatality. A striking example is the case of Pastor Jamie Coots of Middlesboro, Kentucky – a well-known serpent-handling minister who died from a rattlesnake bite in 2014. At his funeral, mourners did not react by swearing off snakes; instead, just three days after his death, congregants leaving Coots’ funeral proceeded to handle snakes once again at the church

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This resilience underscores a core belief: true faith entails trusting God’s protection even in the face of danger, and accepting the outcome as God’s will. Similarly, members of the Cawood church and their peers are likely to view the July 27 incident through a religious lens. On social media, some locals have expressed frustration at what they perceive as outsiders sensationalizing the story, while others debate the wisdom of the practice. But within the church’s own community, the prevailing sentiment is expected to be one of solidarity and continued devotion. There may be calls for prayer and support for the victim’s family, rather than calls to end snake-handling. As one follower of the faith might argue, if God saw fit to call the young man home through a serpent’s bite, then that was ultimately God’s prerogative.

Media and Public Attention:

 News of the snakebite death in Cawood has spread beyond Harlan County, reigniting public discourse on the risks of serpent-handling worship. Each time such an event occurs, it garners a flurry of media interest – in part due to the practice’s rarity and inherent drama. Outsiders often react with astonishment or criticism, and the Cawood incident has been no exception. The story has been covered in regional news broadcasts and shared widely on social networks, where it fuels a familiar debate: defenders of religious freedom and tradition vs. those calling the practice dangerous or archaic. This latest incident adds to the historical record of snake-handling casualties. Over the past century, dozens of people have died in similar fashion in the Appalachian “Signs Following” churches. Yet, the practice endures, passed down through generations. Anthropologists note that for believers, these signs (taking up serpents and surviving) are a cornerstone of how they experience God’s power directly in their lives. That helps explain why even tragedy may not dissuade them. Indeed, in the aftermath of the Cawood Church death, it would not be surprising if the congregation continues to hold snake-handling services once they regroup. Local religious leaders in the Holiness tradition often frame such events as a somber reminder of the seriousness of their calling, rather than as a caution to stop.

Ongoing Discussion and Conclusion

In summary, the fatal snake bite at Cawood Holiness Church highlights the tension between deeply held religious practices and public safety concerns. The incident’s exact location was the Cawood Holiness Church in rural Harlan County, Kentucky. The individual involved was a 27-year-old male congregant who was bitten during a ritualistic service and later died from the venom, as he apparently did not receive medical intervention in time. The church belongs to a Pentecostal Holiness lineage that uses snake handling as a demonstration of faith, rooted in biblical interpretation. The context of the bite was a religious service where handling serpents is seen as obedience to scripture and a test of divine protection. Following the incident, law enforcement opened an investigation, though any legal consequences may be limited given that snake-handling in church, while illegal, carries only minor penalties in Kentucky. The event has drawn media attention and sparked conversations about the practice, but within the snake-handling community it has also reinforced a narrative of unwavering faith. As the public looks on with curiosity or disbelief, the followers of this tradition mourn their loss but largely affirm their commitment to what they view as a Biblical mandate. The story of the Cawood snake bite incident, therefore, is not just a singular event but part of a continuing saga of faith, law, and cultural tradition in Appalachia – a saga where, for some, the line between devotion and danger is crossed in every worship service.

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