(July 29, 2015 at 2:50 pm)Nope Wrote: I wonder how they retain their faith when one of their own dies from a snake bite?
Just because one person loses his faith and he dies from a snake bite, that does not mean that God is not real and does not protect those who sincerely believe.
Mark 16:
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 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.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
There is no protection implied for those who do not believe. So if someone loses his belief, the snake may kill him, without contradicting Mark.
Of course, some are inconsistent and just tell you the disbeliever is now with Jesus. (I say "disbeliever," because anyone can see from Mark that those who believe will not be harmed by snakes.)
"A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence."
— David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X, Part I.
