Believed venomous snakebites would not harm believers if they were anointed by God

A Kentucky pastor who starred in a reality TV show about snake-handling has died after being bitten by a poisonous snake.

Pentecostal pastor Jamie Coots, a third-generation “serpent handler,” believed that poisonous snakebites would not kill true believers if they were anointed by God. He died Saturday evening after refusing to be treated.

In his show Snake Salvation he pointed to a passage in the Bible that suggests venomous reptiles would not harm the pious, and he hope to one day pass on his church, “Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name”, to his adult son Little Cody.

(Read: Why People Pray With Snakes In Appalachia)

Coots was given one year of probation in February 2013 for crossing into Tennessee with poisonous snakes.

[CNN]