Do Creationists Believe in Talking Snakes?

friend of · Mar 29, 2021

Really, how hard is it for a Christian to believe the snake actually spoke?

FaithT · Mar 29, 2021

Bible Highlighter said:
A global flood would be considered miraculous by some people. I believe the global flood is more of a natural event, but I could be wrong of course. I am referring to the miraculous as things that break the normal operation of our universe as we know it. This could be things like walking on water, talking animals, an axe head floating to the top of the surface of the water, etc.

Ok, so those things you described (including a talking snake, talking donkey etc.) would be miraculous, or, supernatural events then?

Religiot · Mar 29, 2021

TedT said:
Going on the belly and eating dust (no snake eats dust) need not mean to lose his legs but to live a life of abasement, trodden down.

See how Jacobson's organ works in serpents: it is quite an interesting fact that a serpent does "eat" dust, as it quite literally tastes the ground as it stalks where it's prey walks--just amazing.

SoldierOfTheKing · Mar 29, 2021

The serpent in Eden was not a reptile...

FaithT · Mar 29, 2021

SoldierOfTheKing said:
The serpent in Eden was not a reptile...

What was it?

LightLoveHope · Mar 29, 2021

Dale said:
In Genesis 3, a serpent, or snake, talks with Eve. In Genesis 3:14-15, God says that the serpent will lose its legs. God doesn’t say that the serpent will no longer be able to talk or no longer have the intelligence to talk. We know there are no talking snakes today. Snakes do not have the vocal cords for speech, or any brain that could carry on a conversation.

All of this fits with the creation story in Genesis 2-3 being a parable for our instruction. It is not history. It doesn’t take place in the real world. The talking snake is a literary device.

For creationists, God did not take the serpent’s voice away, or say that it would lose intelligence to become a dumb animal. If there were talking snakes only six thousand years ago, when many creationists believe the world was created, there should be talking snakes today. How do creationists explain this?

Many creationists have been taught that Eve was tempted by Satan. They have been taught to substitute “Satan” for “snake” or serpent. Yet Genesis says nothing about Satan being in the Garden of Eden. This could be one reason creationists don’t ask when snakes lost their voices, they think of the snake as a manifestation of Satan. Yet Genesis says no such thing. God talks about the serpent as a real animal when it says it will “crawl on its belly,” or lose its legs.

If God didn’t take away the snake’s voice or its intelligence at the Expulsion from Eden, why don’t snakes talk today? It’s something for creationists to think about.

The King James Version does mention devils more often than most modern translation. Even so, the first mention of Satan in the KJV is in I Chronicles.

And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
I Chronicles 21:1 KJV

The first mention of devil or devils in the KJV is in Leviticus.

And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after
whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them
throughout their generations. Leviticus 17:7 KJV

There is no mention of Devil or Satan in Eden, or in any other part of Genesis.

My answer to this question is not about the historical nature of the account, but its metaphor.
Snakes are hunters with venom, baiting and causing harm when the opportunity arises.

Mans self awareness and lostness needs an analogy of intent and reconciliation between the creator and man. We have two versions of creations, two views of importance and relationships, of roles and rejection and our future. Like shadows in early morning they allude to complicated issues neither speak everything or nothing.

Like the bronze serpent that Moses made so people could be healed from snake bites sent as a judgement against Israel, but which became an idol worshipped which Hezekiah had to destroy, the creation story lays down authority and role and little more.

In metaphor the snake speaks knowledge of good and evil separate from God is ok, while God declares it will kill man. Yet God made it possible, knowing man would chose this road.
Most creationists have no clue to the issues involved, and some even think as believers we return to Adam and Eves condition before they gained knowledge, which clearly is absurd.

So it is just easier to say, its true, this snake spoke, and Adam and Eve listened.

It is like saying before the flood gravity was less, so people lived longer, before the rain fell.
They have no clue to how little all the water in mass terms makes up compared to the mass of earth, 0.05% of the earths total mass. It will have no relevant affect on gravity. Some folk will believe anything if it helps.

God bless you

Dkh587 · Mar 29, 2021

Bible Highlighter said:
Then what possible reason did God have for telling the serpent to crawl on it's belly? This to me sounds like the serpent cooperated with the devil and allowed itself to be possessed by him because the serpent was being punished. We also see a talking donkey in Scripture, too. Is this another divine being?

I don’t think God was speaking to the serpent in a literal way, such as it literally being cast on his belly and literally eating dust.

It’s figurative language, IMO.

I do think the donkey spoke. It said Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey.

Dkh587 · Mar 29, 2021

TedT said:
Going on the belly and eating dust (no snake eats dust) need not mean to lose his legs but to live a life of abasement, trodden down.

Therefore I tend to think that Serpent is a title for Satan, the dragon and destroyer and is labelled more cunning than the other demons flung to earth with him, Rev 12:9, because he started the whole rebellion.

Thanks for posting this. In our modern and western thinking, we look at the punishment as a literal, word for word punishment, so we think Adam & Eve were talking to an actual snake in the garden, and that God punished a snake that was walking, by making him crawl on its belly.

FaithT · Mar 29, 2021

Dkh587 said:
Thanks for posting this. In our modern and western thinking, we look at the punishment as a literal, word for word punishment, so we think Adam & Eve were talking to an actual snake in the garden, and that God punished a snake that was walking, by making him crawl on its belly.

Your profile says that you’re Christian, but what denomination are you?

Bible Highlighter · Mar 29, 2021

Dkh587 said:
I don’t think God was speaking to the serpent in a literal way, such as it literally being cast on his belly and literally eating dust.

It’s figurative language, IMO.

I do think the donkey spoke. It said Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey.

It just doesn't sound consistent to me. If one animal speaks literally in one case, then why is it that another animal in a different case was not literally speaking? To me: This seems like a cross reference in Scripture whereby I see two animals speaking in Scripture. I am not looking to make excuses for what is possible or not possible. I know the Bible is a book full of the miraculous. I just read it and believe it. It does not sound impossible to me that a serpent could talk if it was the devil who possessed the serpent. Again, the devil is able to do miracles, too. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 says there is “the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” and Exodus 7:10-11 says, “Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.”

Side Note:

Granted, there are limitations to what the devil can do (of course). GOD is so much more powerful obviously. GOD's power is unlimited and He holds all things together by the word of His power.

lismore · Mar 29, 2021

Dale said:
All of this fits with the creation story in Genesis 2-3 being a parable for our instruction. It is not history. It doesn’t take place in the real world.

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy (Exodus 20:11)

Dale · Mar 29, 2021

Mark Quayle said:
You brought up talking snakes, (plural). I never said you brought up donkeys. I said you used the plural, the way atheists do to mock, pluralizing both one-time events. I didn't even say you were mocking but that you sounded like them.

Then my apologies. I do hate bullying, and hate it when I see it in myself. It is lazy, and worse. It is the biggest reason why I hate political correctness, and I have seen a form of it used by Christians used to keep other Christians, particularly children and new believers, in line.

Again, I am sorry.

Thanks! I appreciate your response.

Bobber · Mar 29, 2021

Dale said:
This is one of the problems I have with creationists. Creationists think it is perfectly reasonable that the day before written history began, the world was operating on laws completely unlike anything that has ever been seen since then. Creationists don’t expect the world to make sense. That can’t be right.

You speak of laws. What laws are you talking about?

renniks · Mar 29, 2021

Dale said:
If God didn’t take away the snake’s voice or its intelligence at the Expulsion from Eden, why don’t snakes talk today? It’s something for creationists to think about.

Simple. It was a snake possessed by Satan. Demon possession of animals is a must believe for Christians. Jesus sent demons into pigs, remember? I suppose you think that's a parable too?

Mark Quayle · Mar 29, 2021

renniks said:
Simple. It was a snake possessed by Satan. Demon possession of animals is a must believe for Christians. Jesus sent demons into pigs, remember? I suppose you think that's a parable too?

I agree. A few years in most any third world country, and even in many places in the USA, and those scoffing the notion of possession by demons will likely see (and maybe even feel) things they will find hard to explain away.

Dkh587 · Mar 29, 2021

Hope1960 said:
Your profile says that you’re Christian, but what denomination are you?

I don’t have a denomination.

Norbert L · Mar 29, 2021

Dale said:
If God didn’t take away the snake’s voice or its intelligence at the Expulsion from Eden, why don’t snakes talk today? It’s something for creationists to think about.

Dale said:
There is no mention of Devil or Satan in Eden, or in any other part of Genesis.

There's the literal meaning of a word and then there's a not so literal meaning of the same word. As an example, if you were found out to be lying to people (I'm definitely not saying you are) and purposely deceiving them, it would be rather clear and plain to most people nowadays what it means when you get called a snake.

The root word translated as serpent takes on similar connotations.

TedT · Mar 29, 2021

Religiot said:
See how Jacobson's organ works in serpents: it is quite an interesting fact that a serpent does "eat" dust, as it quite literally tastes the ground as it stalks where it's prey walks--just amazing.

Encyclopedia Britannica:
Jacobson's organ, also called vomeronasal organ, an organ of chemoreception that is part of the olfactory system of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, although it does not occur in all tetrapod groups. It is a patch of sensory cells within the main nasal chamber that detects heavy moisture-borne odour particles.

THE SNAKE DOES NOT TASTE THE GROUND nor eat dust, it SNIFFS the ground for moisture-borne odour particles!!!

Christ does not need us to make things up to make His word more palatable...puleese.

Bible Highlighter · Mar 29, 2021

TedT said:
Encyclopedia Britannica:
Jacobson's organ, also called vomeronasal organ, an organ of chemoreception that is part of the olfactory system of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, although it does not occur in all tetrapod groups. It is a patch of sensory cells within the main nasal chamber that detects heavy moisture-borne odour particles.

THE SNAKE DOES NOT TASTE THE GROUND nor eat dust, it SNIFFS the ground for moisture-borne odour particles!!!

Christ does not need us to make things up to make His word more palatable...puleese.

Although snakes are carnivores, they do taste dust in order to find their way around. They use their tongues to smell and by doing so and as they crawl on their bellies, their tongue picks up dust. A snake bites the dust of the ground not so much for nutrition but for smelling his way to his next meal. The dust simply pass through their dietry tract. The dust particles are cleaned off the animal’s tongue. Most of the dust would therefore be swallowed and pass through the digestive tract. That is why it said that snakes really do eat dust.

In fact, humans even eat dirt (dust). Many humans eat about 6lbs of dirt over their whole life. Snakes would naturally eat dirt a lot more seeing they move along the ground.

So yeah. God's Word got it right.

Dale · Mar 30, 2021

Bible Highlighter said:
It may also be that the spirit of the devil that talked with Eve, and not the actual serpent itself. The serpent was just a vessel. But it may also be that the serpent did actually talk by a miracle of the enemy. For the devil essentially did a miracle before Pharaoh and Moses and he is said to do miracles in the end times (to deceive others). So there is that.

BH: “But it may also be that the serpent did actually talk by a miracle of the enemy.”

I don’t believe that the Devil can work miracles.

BH: “For the devil essentially did a miracle before Pharaoh and Moses and he is said to do miracles in the end times (to deceive others).”

I don’t believe this is true. The apparent miracles done by Pharoah’s sorcerer’s were tricks, what we would call stage magic or legerdemain.

Do Creationists Believe in Talking Snakes?

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