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Do you think it is wrong/sinful for a Christian to keep a non-venomous snake as a pet? Just wanted some opinions.

Pastor Gary

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fanofnb

Where in the Bible does it say otherwise?

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templaris

no. Snakes are one of God's beautiful creations, veneomous, or non veneomous. just be sure you take care of i, bc snakes are pretty tricky to keep alive if you live in cooler conditions.

mustardseed

Why would you think it might be wrong?

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Banarenth

I believe I've heard of this before. I think it is based on some OT verse taken out of context, but I can't quite place it.

Struick

I don't care for snakes, but that's just me I guess.
I asked around a bit and have not found anyone in my family who likes them.
But if you like snakes, that's fine. I don't think they are suitable as pets though. I believe God greated horses, dogs and cats, etc. for that purpose.

Pastor Gary

The originator of this thread hasn't been back in awhile. The original question was that of a Christian keeping non-venomous snakes as pets...

From scripture, then, a snake is often described as a serpent and vice versa. The 'Serpent' is another name for Satan and is to be shunned. Therefore there is scriptural reference comparing the evil Satan to a slithering silent killer of the night.

The scripture regarding the handling of snakes does not take place in this earth age - it takes place in the Millenium, where there will be no flesh bodies - so in Isaiah 11:8-9 (NLT) we are shown that ..."Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes and pull it out unharmed. 9 Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain."

Note that I said that this will take place in THE MILLENIUM - not in this age on earth that we are in now. By inferrance, snakes as listed in this verse, WERE dangerous in the earlier age ( our current times).

We also have concerns about snakes getting too large or agressive for owners to manage... especially the constrictors. Many times, rather than donate them to a zoo or reptile exhibition, they are set free in remote areas - left to fend for themselves, and in doing so, they upset the food chain, as has happened in the Everglades in Florida and some locations in southern California.

Responsibility and proper management of ANY pet rests completely with the owner, and unfortunately, there are all too many pet owner's that are just not up to the task.

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Struick

I have seen some storeowners keeping snakes as pets in their store.
A couple of weeks ago I was in a stamp and coin store where the owner had one. It turned me right off. I asked him what the snake eats. He said he feeds the snake mice. I don't think I go back there. Some people have no idea how to run a store. It all takes common sense.

templaris

a snake probably won't ruin his store. Infat, just as it turned you off, it could have rightly so turned on ten times more people to buy things. I dont see how someone would want to buy things from a store just bc theres a pet snake there, and I don't see why anyone should buy things there just bc he has a snake.

its just an animal like everything else on this planet. God did not make animals for us tokeep as pets anyways. He made animals so they could run and roam free in their natural envionments, but lo and behold, we humans have done everything we can in our power to mess up this planet.


snakes are not wrong to keep, but one could justify that its wrong to keep any kind of animal bc they belong in the wild.