Snakes in the Bible

Good answer Bratspets, I liked that.

 

i'm a celtic wiccan [not pagan] and i pretty much agree with what has been said. all living things should be given respect. the snake is often a symbol of death, but death is just one part in the cycle of life and neccessary in this world.

 

Pagans where made to simbolize evil as a campaign to convert Pagans into Chritianism. They also used a lot of the Pagan simbols as part of the new religion becuase they meant something that people recognized and where familiar with. I was also raised Catholic, but having studies some Methodology, and read a lot of book on paganis, I have made my own conlusions about what the Bible says and what it really means, not that I want to discuss them here. But I do not think that snakes are evil, or represent evil in any way. So many other things are also deemed evil, yet I believe is all about perception and mustly ignoracne of people who has no idea where things come from or whay certain things are they way they are.

 

Moses' rod turned into a serpant(or snake?) as an instrument of God's demonstrated power before Pharoah.
Pharoah's magicians used snakes as well, to try to discount what Moses was declaring.

 

i'm baptist, but i dont think that snakes are evil. satan used the snake to deceive adam and eve, it wasn't the snakes choice at all. it was merely a tool for satanthat had no other option.

 

I am a Christian, and from what I understand and have read, w/ the pagan thing you've gotta get into the early history of Europe, the Church in Europe and Constantinian Christianity ie. using it as a tool of the government to gain control of the various disparate & competing tribes (goths, visigoths, celts etc. etc). I think that's a good deal off the mark of what Jesus intended for his teachings. As far as snakes go, Jesus himself didn't say much, if anything about snakes. I'm not quite sure what the original Hebrew word was for the creature that tempted Adam & Eve in the garden. I think in order to understand what was going on w/ the Pentateuch (1st 5 books of the Bible generally attributed to Moses) & in alot of other places in the Bible you've gotta break down the original language and see how it's been translated into English and also be pretty deep into the history and customs of the time. That's why my favorite Bible verse is Hosea 4:6. That verse applies to those of us that keep herps too. By the way I keep 4 SNAKES!

reako45

 

Isn't the pentagram a pagan symbol? I had a pentagram on a necklace once and one of my friends called me evil. But I'm pretty sure it's a sign of safety and protection...

 

thank you reeako 45 and mr~python for those posts

 

do you mean you wore a pentacle? because a pentagram is is the Star used in a ritiual. "pentacle" is when it is a physical object, whilst a "pentagram" is a drawing or diagram.
To me, the five points of the pentagram represent Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit. Wiccans usually put the symbol in a circle, which represents eternity. it's a reminder of my beliefs, our roots, and life. 5 points as 5 is a magick number. 5 elements, 5 senses, 5 toes and fingers, etc
if you wanted a protective symbol you should have gone with a Sheild knot or another knot. may i ask why you were wearing a random, unknown symbol? that's like me wearing a cross, calling it a cruifix and not knowing the creation story.

 

I was thinking about the "curse" upon the serpant, and I think it might of been like saying
" Eat you know what" to the enemy of our souls". Ha Ha.

Such a good question! Symbols in jewelry are so common, and really they say nothing about a person. I try to teach my daughter the meaning of the symbols, so she can make an educated choice in how she might be portraying herself to people. To many, though, it is just fashion. To me, a snake is just an animal. And I like them.

 

Thanks for clearing that up. Yes it was a pentacle. At the time it was not just a random symbol or object. It was in school, and religion class got me interested in different parts of different religions. Yes I went to a Catholic school. I forget most of it now, but I had researched it then, and I thought I remembered it meaning safety or protection. But again, this was years ago. Sorry if me taking an interest in a part of your religion offended you