He has no fear. Because he relies on his belief. So he puts the rattlesnake over his shoulder and sings. Later he wraps her around his hand, holds her writhing body up, stands on the animal with only socks on his feet. Chris Wolford is a Twin Adder in the State of West Virginia.
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Only a few Pentecostal congregations in the United States continue to use venomous serpents. The believers are convinced that nothing can happen to them with “Serpent Handling”. And if someone does die from a bite, Wolford and his followers think it’s God’s will.
Meanwhile, snake fairs have been banned in almost all U.S. states, so some communities have been disbanded or acted in secret. Only in West Virginia is this type of worship still legal. For the AFP news agency, photographer Andrew Caballero-Reynolds attended a church service called “House of the Lord Jesus”.
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Churches like Wolfords are small communities that are often made up of family members, writes Caballero-Reynolds. The pastoral office is passed on from relative to relative. Chris Wolford’s father was also a pastor of the church, after which his older brother Randy held the office.
Randy “Mack” Wolford was bitten by a rattlesnake in 2012. Because his belief forbade it, he didn’t call a doctor. He died slowly in the presence of his family, like a photographer of the “Washington Post” back then documented.
Despite this experience, Chris Wolford took over from his brother, who had been a mentor to him. Photographer Andrew Caballero-Reynolds reports that he became a freelancer much earlier than he expected.
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They take the Gospel of Mark literally
Why do people like Wolford use snakes in their ceremonies? They take a passage in the Gospel of Mark from the Bible literally: “And through those who have come to believe the following signs will happen: In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new languages; if they touch snakes or drink deadly poison, it won’t hurt them. ”
And if it does harm them, then it is their belief that their time has just come. Like Chris Wolford’s brother.
The snakes are often caught in the mountains and then kept in reptile cages, sometimes in the houses of the pastors. This always means trouble for the newcomers: Jamie Coots from Kentucky, to whom the National Geographic broadcaster devoted a documentary series, was caught several times when smuggling venomous snakes – which resulted in a one-year suspended sentence. Coots died in 2014 after a snake bite.
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At the climax of the fair, snake venom is drunk
At the Wolfords, a snake mass begins with a little sermon and music. The pace slowly increased until Chris Wolford spoke louder and more excited. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds’ photos show how the faithful handle a snake, how they hold their hand over fire, how they finally drink snake venom.
At the climax of the mass, the faithful seem to be in a trance. However, they do not like this description because it sounds like they have lost control. And the believers are convinced that they have everything under control.
However, Caballero-Reynolds writes that he couldn’t think of a better word than “trance” to describe what he saw when he visited the small settlement of Squire in West Virginia.
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