If bitten, should we kill the rattlesnake?

[dennis]

Brigham Young once said that he who takes offense when no offense was intended is a fool, and he who takes offense when offense WAS intended is usually a fool. It was then explained that there are 2 courses of action to follow when one is bitten by a rattlesnake. One may, in anger or vengefulness, purse the snake and kill it. Or he may make full haste to get the venom out of his system. If we pursue the latter course we will likely survive, but if we attempt to kill the snake, we may not be around long enough to finish it. Even if it appears that another may be Deserving of our resentment or hatred, none of us can afford to pay the price of resenting or hating, because of what it does to us. If we have felt the gnawing, mordant inroads of these emotions, we know the harm we suffer...What is our response when we are offended, misunderstood, unfairly treated, or hurt by those we love???? Do we resent , become bitter, hold a grudge??? Or do we forgive and rid ourselves of the burden. The nature of our response to such situations may well determine the nature and quality of our lives, hear now and eternally....OUR JOY AND HAPPINESS IN THIS LIFE AND OUR TRUE FREEDOM DEPEND ON OUR WILLINGNESS TO FORGIVE WRONGS COMMITTED AGAINST US. Forgivness relieves us of the destructive burden of anger and resentment. the withholding of love is the negation of the spirit of Christ. Of you it is Required to Forgive all men. By Marion Hanks CR Oct 1973

[creator]

Amen.

There was a great talk given by Elder Bednar on choosing not to be offended...

And Nothing Shall Offend Them

[Original_Intent]

Guilty.

Today was definitely not the day for me to get bitten. OK, this entire week would have been bad. Onward and upward.

[Jason]

We all have our moments......THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE REMINDER!!!

[SmallFarm]

Hey I've been looking for a quote that is somewhat realted to this subject for sometime. I don't know if it's scripture or just a quote from Brigham Young or what but it goes something like, "When man leaves the snake by the wayside that is when the lamb shall lay with the lion." Anybody know what I'm talking about?

[bobhenstra]

Marion D. Hanks ordained me a stake Seventy many years ago, he was one of my mentors! Still, I would kill the snake! But I find it easy to forgive my fellow man! At the same time, I also have discovered that I'm better off if I avoid those who have offended me. I'll let them know, but its just easier on me-- and their nose!

Bob

[Henmasher]

Hey I've been looking for a quote that is somewhat realted to this subject for sometime. I don't know if it's scripture or just a quote from Brigham Young or what but it goes something like, "When man leaves the snake by the wayside that is when the lamb shall lay with the lion." Anybody know what I'm talking about?

Joseph Smith on animals:
"In pitching my tent we found three massasaugas or prairie rattlesnakes, which the brethren were about to kill, but I said, 'Let them alone—don't hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose his venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition, and continue to make war upon it? Men must become harmless before the brute creation; and when men lose their vicious dispositions and cease to destroy the animal race, the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the sucking child can play with the serpent in safety.' The brethren took the serpents carefully on sticks and carried them across the creek. I exhorted the brethren not to kill a serpent, bird, or an animal of any kind during our journey unless it became necessary in order to preserve ourselves from hunger." (Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 2, pp. 71-72)

[bobhenstra]

Don't get me wrong, please! I would have eaten the snake! They do taste like mild chicken!

Bob

[Jason]

Don't get me wrong, please! I would have eaten the snake! They do taste like mild chicken!

Bob

....everything tastes like chicken! Rattlesnake tasted like rattlesnake to me.....been a long time since I was at a mountain man rendezvous and ate one though....

[dennis]

there was a documentary on PBS about a pioneer family on a sheep ranch in Wyoming, that made me laugh both times I happened to see it. I think the last name of the family was Love. I think It is told by either a grandson or son of the family. Anyway one of the boys kill a huge rattle snake and skin it for supper. A man who is known as a Murderer pass by and is invited to have supper with them. the boys are scared right to death when one of then said something about eating snakes. The Man said "if any body fed snake meat to Me I will Kill them. Now pass me some more of that chicken.

[bobhenstra]

Depends on the seasoning! Use poultry seasoning, my wife and kids had no idea what they were eating, no questions ask, just hungry. It was a pretty good sized rattler, but the meat was nice and tender, first lightly fried in peanut oil until golden, then pressure cooked for about 5 minutes. You'd be able to tell the difference if you were eating both rattlesnake and chicken without knowing you were eating snake----Until you learned what you were eating and threw it up---- But its the same difference as eating two different kinds of fish.

I was out with one of those mountain men once, hunting sage hens. Come across a nice rattler, killed it, cut off its head and buried it, stripped the skin, gutted it and dropped in in my plastic game bag. He ask me what I was going to do with it, I replied cook it and eat it, camp meat!

He did cut off the snakes rattles. But when we got back to camp, he suddenly had some important work he had forgot. Picked up his tent and sleeping bag he had so carefully erected and staked that very morning, threw it in his truck, unloaded his muzzle loader shotgun at a tree, threw the spare tire on top of everything and left with nary a goodbye!

The rest of us enjoyed a nice meal! And some good laughs---- He never hunted with us again, which was alright with us, he took six easy shots at sage hens and missed them all. To the rest of us, hitting sage hens is like shooting barn doors, easy! We really razz one another over the occasional miss!

Bob

[singyourwayhome]

My only experience with snake was at a ward campout when I was 5 or so. If I remember right, one of the ward members had run over the snake with his car, so they brought it into camp and cooked in foil over the fire. With the spices they put on it, I thought it tasted like sausage....

[Rensai]

Depends on the seasoning! Use poultry seasoning, my wife and kids had no idea what they were eating, no questions ask, just hungry. It was a pretty good sized rattler, but the meat was nice and tender, first lightly fried in peanut oil until golden, then pressure cooked for about 5 minutes. You'd be able to tell the difference if you were eating both rattlesnake and chicken without knowing you were eating snake----Until you learned what you were eating and threw it up---- But its the same difference as eating two different kinds of fish.

I was out with one of those mountain men once, hunting sage hens. Come across a nice rattler, killed it, cut off its head and buried it, stripped the skin, gutted it and dropped in in my plastic game bag. He ask me what I was going to do with it, I replied cook it and eat it, camp meat!

He did cut off the snakes rattles. But when we got back to camp, he suddenly had some important work he had forgot. Picked up his tent and sleeping bag he had so carefully erected and staked that very morning, threw it in his truck, unloaded his muzzle loader shotgun at a tree, threw the spare tire on top of everything and left with nary a goodbye!

The rest of us enjoyed a nice meal! And some good laughs---- He never hunted with us again, which was alright with us, he took six easy shots at sage hens and missed them all. To the rest of us, hitting sage hens is like shooting barn doors, easy! We really razz one another over the occasional miss!

Bob

I love your stories bob, they're great. For some reason they always make me think of the movie Second hand Lions.

[bobhenstra]

"Second Hand Lion" My kids bought me that movie right after it come out. They gift wrapped it and all stood around while I opened it. I had no idea what the movie was about, so I just sit there looking at the case wondering, "whats this all about?"

They put the movie in the machine while Jo and my daughter popped popcorn. I don't believe I enjoyed a movie so much before, and I've no idea how many times I've watched it since. Its got to be my all time favorite. Well maybe not, but its pushing "Gettysburg" really hard.

The opening where the two old men are out standing in the pond shooting carp, thats me! I sit forward in my chair and started laughing, my kids started smacking me on the back yelling "thats Dad, thats Dad!"

I don't fly planes, I'm not secretly rich, I like my relatives, most of them, well, some of them-- and am 22 years shy of 90; but I've had some really great life's experiences.

My kids favorite part was the scene beating up the brats in the diner. Reminded them of the time I took on four guys during the deer hunt. If that experience did nothing else, it got my kids attention;--- Jeez, Dad's pretty tough---- It wasn't that I was tough. Like in the movie, I simply knew more than the punks did about fighting,--- I don't fight fair, and I have (had) very fast hands,--- my wife always claimed! But if my boys thought I was tough, that was-- just fine!

Jo often paid me a great complement, she'd say "Honey, I always feel safe around you!" I would look down into her big beautiful blue eyes---and melt!

Thanks for reminding me of a great movie and good times!

Bob

[Rensai]

The opening where the two old men are out standing in the pond shooting carp, thats me! I sit forward in my chair and started laughing, my kids started smacking me on the back yelling "thats Dad, thats Dad!"

I knew it!

ahh bob, you even answer with a good story. It's great. I always enjoy reading your posts.

[fps.sledge]

Certainly kill the rattlesnake.

Why not? In my life and in the lives of a few certain around me, I know there are many snakes that ought to be killed. That might be a harsh way to say it, but they ought to have justice served on them. I find it quite reasonable to say that they deserve punishment.

My father has had so many over the years steal from him and take advantage of his kindness. Some even threaten his life. Interestingly enough, 80% of those people are now deceased.

You could kill the snake, then again, what goes around comes around.

Just because the church doesn't come out and point out the wrongdoings of political figures or those serving the public, doesn't mean they aren't committing awful crimes. They WILL get what they deserve.

That said, that's no excuse for their behavior as long as I'm around.

[Jason]

Depends on the seasoning! Use poultry seasoning, my wife and kids had no idea what they were eating, no questions ask, just hungry. It was a pretty good sized rattler, but the meat was nice and tender, first lightly fried in peanut oil until golden, then pressure cooked for about 5 minutes. You'd be able to tell the difference if you were eating both rattlesnake and chicken without knowing you were eating snake----Until you learned what you were eating and threw it up---- But its the same difference as eating two different kinds of fish.

I was out with one of those mountain men once, hunting sage hens. Come across a nice rattler, killed it, cut off its head and buried it, stripped the skin, gutted it and dropped in in my plastic game bag. He ask me what I was going to do with it, I replied cook it and eat it, camp meat!

He did cut off the snakes rattles. But when we got back to camp, he suddenly had some important work he had forgot. Picked up his tent and sleeping bag he had so carefully erected and staked that very morning, threw it in his truck, unloaded his muzzle loader shotgun at a tree, threw the spare tire on top of everything and left with nary a goodbye!

The rest of us enjoyed a nice meal! And some good laughs---- He never hunted with us again, which was alright with us, he took six easy shots at sage hens and missed them all. To the rest of us, hitting sage hens is like shooting barn doors, easy! We really razz one another over the occasional miss!

Bob

I love your stories bob, they're great. For some reason they always make me think of the movie Second hand Lions.

One good flick!!!!