Curse the Snake

A few caveats before I get into this.

1. I lived a great deal of my childhood years either living on the country or at my grandparents farm;
2.. I grew up hunting and fishing. I know my animals;
3. I have read the Bible and I am a fundamentally, conservative Christian.

Why do we hate snakes? I have seen people swerve on the road to run over a snake. Not just poisonous snakes, like rattlesnakes or copperheads, but the 'beneficial' snakes like king snakes and chicken snakes. We go out of our way to miss skunks, deer buzzards and other animals, yet the snake is a target. People get axes and hoes and lop off the heads of snakes they find in their yards, all snakes. I get annoyed when people tell stories of the snakes the kill in the yard and they exclaim they didn't know what kind it was. Sounds like ignorance. Outdoors men, who should know their snakes, are not immune to this ignorance.

Is this mania because of the Bible? Genesis gives the account of how the Serpent lured Eve to taste the forbidden fruit. Yes, God told the Serpent that people and animals will fear snakes. Does that mean we have to kill every snake we have the opportunity to kill? My take on this is...God instilled the fear in snakes to protect us from the beguiling color and pattern on snakes. The warning is to be cautious of beauty and high promises. That is what the Serpent promised Eve! There was even a gentle truth wrapped up in the lie. The Serpent said, "Ye will not surely die." Eve tasted the fruit and did not "die," physically. Be cautious is the meaning of the expulsion from Eden.

Snakes, like some of the other animals in the world are misunderstood. Some are very poisonous, while others give a nasty bite that hurts and get infected. Snakes have a poison for the purpose of obtaining food. It is no different than fearing sharks because they have big teeth (I stay out of murky over the knee seawater.). Other snakes have powerful constricting muscles to strangle their prey. There is no need for any human to be afraid of non-poisonous snakes. They will bite, but everything else harmful is your fear. The the majority of poisonous snakes in the United States can kill a human. These deaths are caused by improper or no medical treatment. Yeah, the poison hurts, causing swelling, infections and other complications. Terrible effects for sure but not deadly.

When will I kill a snake? I will kill a snake when it can't be helped, such as on the highway. I will not go out of my way to kill one. As a general rule, I do not kill non-poisonous snakes. The situation would be dire. I can tell the difference. If I am out hunting or fishing, I will not kill a poisonous snake as long as they go there way and are not danger to me. I will kill a poisonous snake in my yard where it threatens my family or my pets. I let black racers race away in through my yard. There is no reason to kill any animal you are not going to eat or is not causing a threat. We don't kill foxes in the yard unless they are after the chickens. They can be ran off easily.

The Bible's story of Adam and Eve being kicked out of the Garden of Eden is not a cart blanche to kill snakes. Yet, many use that as an excuse. I'm not Jewish so I do not know if snakes are Kosher (I really doubt they are). That doesn't mean that because you can't eat it means should kill it. Being afraid of snakes is not much of an excuse in my book. If you see a snake stay away from it. Killing shows a weakness on your part (LOL). If you live in an area where snakes are common, educate yourself. If not, you could be killing a natural mouse exterminator. Think about what you are doing before you do it. Easy on the knee jerks.