AaronX
February 25, 2014, 12:29am
101
Claverhouse:
Hinduism etc. etc.
Thaipusam or Thaipoosam (Tamil: Taippūcam, .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}IPA: [t̪əjppuːsəm]) is a Tamil Hindu festival celebrated on the first full moon day of the Tamil month of Thai coinciding with Pusam star. The festival is celebrated to commemorate the victory of Hindu god Murugan over the demon Surapadman. During the batt...
https://www.google.com/search?q=google&rlz=1RMGOYI_enSG573SG573&hl=en-GB&espv=1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sboxchip=Images&sa=X&ei=WuMLU9jWHKetiAfFuYDIBQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAA#hl=en-GB&q=Kavadi&sboxchip=Images&tbm=isch
Why defug isn’t this stupidity illegal?
(Maybe they wanted to save laws for really dangerous things, like a puff on a reefer.)
Actually, I believe it IS illegal. But a lot of times the laws just aren’t enforced.
I would imagine animal-cruelty laws would cover it if nothing else.
According to wiki (sorry, I wanted to avoid looking at pictures, I HATE snakes!):
The states of Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee have passed laws against the use of venomous snakes and/or other reptiles that endangers the lives of others, or without a permit. The Kentucky law specifically mentions religious services; in Kentucky snake handling is a misdemeanor and punishable by a $50 to $100 fine. Most snake handling, therefore, takes place in the homes of worshipers, which circumvents the process of attempting to obtain a government permit for the practice. Law enforcement usually ignores it unless and until they are specifically called in, which does not usually happen unless a death has resulted.
Looks like it’s legal in – surprise!-- West Virginia. I guess since it’s such a miniscule sect (I think you could safely call snake-handlers a cult, since there’s less than what, 200 of them?), they don’t bother too much.
Bumping this thread to say, there’s an interesting - and actually, surprisingly, rather sympathetic - discussion of Appalachian Christian snake-handling in A.J. Jacobs’s The Year of Living Biblically , which I just finished (and enjoyed).