A Kentucky pastor, star of a TV show, died on Saturday after refusing medical treatment after being bit by a snake.
Jamie Coots, a famous Kentucky pastor who used to handle snakes during his sermons, was bit by one of the reptiles in a Middlesboro church where he offered a service on Saturday night.
According to Reuters, a team of paramedics in an ambulance arrived at the church where the incident took place at around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday; however, the faithful people present told the paramedics that the pastor had simply gone back to his home.
When the team arrived at Coots' home, he refused any treatment. At around 10 p.m., paramedics once more received a call for help and went back to the pastor's home; however, when they arrived at the house, the man had died as a result of the snake's bite.
According to CNN, pastor Jamie Coots, a Pentecostal believer claimed that, according to a passage in the Bible, poisonous snake bites could not harm believers anointed by God.
Jamie Coots was a recurring personality in the reality show "Snake Salvation" by National Geographic, in which a group of Pentecostal preachers put their lives at risk by handling snakes as a part of their religious service.
"Even after losing half a finger to a snake bite and see others die from bites during ceremonies, he still believed he should grab a snake and follow his faith," said the website for the show "Snake Salvation", quoted by CNN.
In the United States, handling snakes is illegal in most states, which is why pastor Coots had problems with the law in the past.
Despite being an illegal activity, it is a popular practice in some regions of the Appalachians, according to Reuters.
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