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Raptorman -> Snakes are not evil or cursed (4/26/2008 1:48:54 AM)
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Just a warning: this rant contains an unusual amount of sarcasm for me. It’s just that I love being sarcastic with things that particularly bug me, at least when I am clever enough to be sarcastic. As usual, I invite criticism of any points I make here. If you can find mistakes, then I beg you to point them out to me!
Well, to cut right to the chase, I’m tired of the idea that snakes (and other real or fantastic reptiles, often associated with snakes – crocodiles, lizards, dragons, Leviathan-type sea serpents, etc.) are supposed to serve as a universal symbol in Christendom for evil. And of course it apparently got started in Genesis, where the Bible says the “serpent” tempted Adam and Eve.
At what point are we going to realize that this is not an actual snake? Correct me if I am wrong, but it’s pretty clear that it’s not a snake, it’s not Lucifer taking the form of a snake or possessing a snake, and it is not another reptile (or any other animal). “Serpent” is obviously a metaphor for Satan, due to his sneaky/subversive nature, a “snake-in-the-grass” type of approach to tempt Adam and Eve. The serpent in Genesis 3 is described as the craftiest, most intelligent being God had created. Surely the highest angel (as Lucifer apparently was) would qualify for that title, and need not be connected to an animal. Once we realize this, any concrete basis for saying a literal snake was involved in the Fall disappears faster than a bacon cheeseburger on my plate.
The references to “crawling on his belly” and “eating dust” are probably just extending the metaphor of Lucifer being brought low and knocked out of his position as the highest of the archangels. It’s kind of a stretch to say that this is why snakes have no legs, and pick up the scent of prey by using the Jacobson’s Organ at the roof of their mouths to taste air and dirt particles. This concept literally loses more ground when we realize that not all snakes spend their lives eating dust, staying close to the earth. Quite a few snakes are arboreal (tree-dwellers), so I guess they are less unholy. Well, they are living in trees, so they have to be a little closer to God… Oh, and let’s not forget sea snakes.
Even then, the Creation in Genesis 1 already mentions “creeping things” (reptiles, in the context of the ancient Hebrew) as, well, creeping on the earth. Rather than the product of a curse, it seems that reptiles were originally created to walk close to the ground. You know, part of the same creation that God pronounced as Very Good.
This idea of reptiles representing evil also operates under the extremely shaky notion that mankind shows a “natural” aversion to reptiles, or that snakes/lizards/dragons are usually repulsive creatures from a human perspective. Yeah, right! I guess Jesus was mistaken when He said that young children are innocent and that “the Kingdom of God belongs to them.” Why was He mistaken? Well, kids love running around outside and catching those satanic reptiles and bugs and other creepy-crawlies. They’re fascinated with them and keep them as pets. Surely this is a sign that our children are losing their innocence.
What about people who honestly find reptiles fascinating, even beautiful? Are they less godly because they love creatures that are cursed for something Satan did? (That never made sense to me, by the way, cursing the snake for Lucifer’s screw-up) Sure, there are people who are afraid of snakes. But there are also people who are petrified of spiders, sharks, jellyfish, wolves, pit bulls, army ants and hamsters (yeah, there are some hamster-phobes; you know who you are). People are afraid of certain animals. That’s just they way it is, and not much evidence exists to tell me that “most of mankind” is afraid of snakes in particular because of a curse placed upon them.
What about the fossilized snakes with small legs that have been uncovered? Don’t they show snakes have since been cursed to not have legs? Well, there are also lizards that have no legs, or tiny and vestigial limbs (called Glass Lizards). For that matter, there are some beetles that no longer grow wings. That’s not a curse, but a genetic mutation.
I will happily admit that the Bible sometimes uses actual snakes to illustrate evil, but to my knowledge, no animal group – not even reptiles – is all good or all evil in the Bible. For example, lions are used for good and evil comparisons. Lucifer is compared to a prowling lion, seeking to devour. But the Bible also claims Jesus to be the Lion of Judah, and it says “the righteous are as bold as a lion.” Likewise, even snakes are used favorably. Jesus may have called the Pharisees a “nest of vipers,” but he also commanded Christians to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” And let’s not forget the snake stuck to a pole that Moses raised up, a miraculous cure for Hebrews who had suffered snakebites. Jesus even compared His own death to this event (“As the serpent was raised in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up”).
Okay, I will confess that I have a vested interest in this. I personally love snakes. Some of you are afraid of them, and that’s fine. I won’t rock your boat by insulting you for it, nor will I place a boa constrictor in your sock drawer to irritate you. But I’ve grown to love even the scaly members of the animal kingdom. Everybody needs a friend, after all. My childhood often included me catching horned lizards and garter snakes in my yard, and I was endlessly fascinated by these creatures. So please forgive me if I am a little repulsed by the concept of these animals as satanic, or reminders of the Fall. There is ingenious design built into snakes: the aforementioned Jacobson’s Organ (for detecting prey animals) and the dislocating jaw which allows them to swallow large victims, the interaction of muscles and scales giving them the ability to slither, and in the venomous species we find teeth built like hypodermic needles to deliver poison. The fingerprints of God and His ingenuity are found as much upon the snake as any other animal. Does it really look like a “cursed” creature to you?
Of course, that’s just my two cents. I could be proven wrong. But until then, I think we really need to stop thinking of snakes as evil, jinxed or something which men are naturally going to be afraid of. Unless I am mistaken, they need to be remembered as a wonderfully designed, fascinating part of God’s creation. You don’t have to like snakes, but they should be seen for what they are: creatures that God made, because creation would be incomplete without them. And yes, the same goes for other animals we may not like – tarantulas, great white sharks, rats, etc. – as much as it does for creatures we love: cats, dogs, horses, canaries, swans, and so forth.
Thanks for putting up with another long rant, folks. If you would like to contribute anything, feel free.
Yours in Christ,
Raptorman
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