Perhaps if pastor Hamblin had actually take better care of the snakes…
A Tennessee preacher who used poisonous snakes in his religious practices won’t face criminal charges. But he also won’t get back the 53 serpents wildlife officials seized from his Tabernacle Church of God.
It makes no difference that a grand jury declined to indict Andrew Hamblin last week; the snakes are contraband, ‘so we can’t return them,’ Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency spokesman Matt Cameron was quoted by the Knoxville News Sentinel as saying."
What pastor Hamblin and the congregation of his Tabernacle Church of God did with the snakes is not the issue. The law states possessing the snakes is a crime. They should have been prosecuted. What we see here is another example of religious privilege. No charges were brought because… religion. Having said that, I don’t really care if the worship with snakes, just take care of the things.
