http://www.npr.org/2013/10/18/236997...snake-handling
So apparently they starve the snakes as it makes them less likely to bite and the venom less deadly.
I want to know where the this leaves the preachers? They actively try to remove as much of the risk as they can while putting on a show. So do they see themselves as frauds then? Or are they able to rationalise it in some way?