Was this stupidity, lack of faith, divine failing, or a business risk gone wrong? [See details].

Sunday question.

Forty-four year old West Virginia Pentecostal Pastor, Mark Wolford died from a rattle snake bite suffered during a church ritual involving snake handling. Amazingly, as a child, the Pastor witnessed his 39 year old father die in exactly the same way.

Both were taking part in a ritual practiced by some evangelical churches. They are supposedly demonstrating their belief in Mark 16: 17–18, which reads, “And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

So what went wrong. Was it stupid to take the verse literally? Would you really expect to drink poison and not have cause and effect operate? Was the Pastor just a tad short on faith? Was it divine failing, as in God the Holy Ghost getting distracted for a moment? Or was this a religious marketing stunt that is usually worth the risk, but this time didn’t pay off as hoped? What’s your take?