Hi

[Blackleaf]

You mean it was only a talking serpent?  OK, I suppose, but really; A talking serpent?

The book of Revelation kind of retconned the serpent and replaced him with the devil in the form of a serpent. But the story makes no sense in that context. The snake was punished by having his legs removed and forced to "eat dirt." That part of the story was meant to explain why snakes are shaped so weird. So if the snake was the devil disguised as an animal, God punished all snakes because of his deception. Why would he do that? Then again, this is the same god who's solution for the bad people in the world was to drown every single thing on the planet that wasn't on a boat.

[Baruch]

The book of Revelation kind of retconned the serpent and replaced him with the devil in the form of a serpent. But the story makes no sense in that context. The snake was punished by having his legs removed and forced to "eat dirt." That part of the story was meant to explain why snakes are shaped so weird. So if the snake was the devil disguised as an animal, God punished all snakes because of his deception. Why would he do that? Then again, this is the same god who's solution for the bad people in the world was to drown every single thing on the planet that wasn't on a boat.

Part of the witches + familiars.  Which reappears in Golden Compass.

[Cavebear]

Welcome.  I am a token theist.  Maybe a Tolkien theist ;-)

I sometimes think the beginning of the Silmarillion is the best version of creationism that was ever written.  I don't agree of course, but it is is well-written.

[Cavebear]

The book of Revelation kind of retconned the serpent and replaced him with the devil in the form of a serpent. But the story makes no sense in that context. The snake was punished by having his legs removed and forced to "eat dirt." That part of the story was meant to explain why snakes are shaped so weird. So if the snake was the devil disguised as an animal, God punished all snakes because of his deception. Why would he do that? Then again, this is the same god who's solution for the bad people in the world was to drown every single thing on the planet that wasn't on a boat.

I always did think the snake got the worst part of the story.  I rather like snakes myself.  Watched one at my pond spend a half hour struggling to swallow a complaining frog it grabbed badly.  I watched with some curiosity as the snake slowly got the frog in its mouth and eventually into its gut. 

Well, there were a LOT of frogs around...

[SGOS]

I always did think the snake got the worst part of the story.  I rather like snakes myself.  Watched one at my pond spend a half hour struggling to swallow a complaining frog it grabbed badly.  I watched with some curiosity as the snake slowly got the frog in its mouth and eventually into its gut. 

Well, there were a LOT of frogs around...

I was fishing for trout six miles by foot into a wilderness area at a glacier fed lake in Montana.  I had with me a purse sized canvas bag for my fishing gear, and place to put the fish.  I can't remember why, but I unslung the bag from my shoulder and laid it on the shore, and pushed through some brush to a different spot to cast from.

When I got back to my bag to add another trout to my catch, a snake slithered out of the bag with one of my fish.  I chased the snake.  I don't know why, because the idea of eating a fish that had been in the mouth of a snake is repulsive.  As I chased  the snake down the shore, a mink jumped out of the brush and pounced on the snake, took the fish, and disappeared back into the brush.

I related the incident to my hiking companion back at the campsite, and he said it sounded like one of Outdoor Life Magazine's "True Life Adventures."  While I thought the story was of some interest, the overall experience for me was disgusting and revolting, although I did actually cheer for the mink when he wrestled the fish from the snake.  But the thought that some snake had been slithering around in my bag full of fish is enough to create a gag reflex in me.

[Cavebear]

I was fishing for trout six miles by foot into a wilderness area at a glacier fed lake in Montana.  I had with me a purse sized canvas bag for my fishing gear, and place to put the fish.  I can't remember why, but I unslung the bag from my shoulder and laid it on the shore, and pushed through some brush to a different spot to cast from.

When I got back to my bag to add another trout to my catch, a snake slithered out of the bag with one of my fish.  I chased the snake.  I don't know why, because the idea of eating a fish that had been in the mouth of a snake is repulsive.  As I chased  the snake down the shore, a mink jumped out of the brush and pounced on the snake, took the fish, and disappeared back into the brush.

I related the incident to my hiking companion back at the campsite, and he said it sounded like one of Outdoor Life Magazine's "True Life Adventures."  While I thought the story was of some interest, the overall experience for me was disgusting and revolting, although I did actually cheer for the mink when he wrestled the fish from the snake.  But the thought that some snake had been slithering around in my bag full of fish is enough to create a gag reflex in me.

Wow!  Any idea what kind of snake that was?  I've never seen a snake eat a fish.

[Baruch]

My dad liked to camp in out of way places when I was young.  We were camping at a place near Bend Oregon, trying to fish for trout.  The trout wouldn't bite, they must have been on a mission to spawn.  I nearly stepped on one while wading across the river.  Watch before you find a place to take a dump in nature.  My dad was doing a dump, under a tree, but before he finished, he looked up, and there was a porcupine in that tree.   He finished his business very carefully!

[Cavebear]

My dad liked to camp in out of way places when I was young.  We were camping at a place near Bend Oregon, trying to fish for trout.  The trout wouldn't bite, they must have been on a mission to spawn.  I nearly stepped on one while wading across the river.  Watch before you find a place to take a dump in nature.  My dad was doing a dump, under a tree, but before he finished, he looked up, and there was a porcupine in that tree.   He finished his business very carefully!

Just out of curiosity, how did he wipe his butt?

[Baruch]

Just out of curiosity, how did he wipe his butt?

The porcupine didn't volunteer, and my dad didn't ask him!!

[SGOS]

OK then a wilderness porcupine story then.  Once again in the same wilderness, I had one especially odd porcupine encounter, porcupines being the most waddling sluggish creates in nature outside of the sloth.  I was walking rather briskly up the trail when a porcupine came galloping down the trail from the opposite direction.  I'd never seen a porcupine traveling so fast.  Something must have spooked it on the trail above.  My first reaction was to freeze.  But porcupines have notoriously bad eyesight, or so I've been told, and he just kept galloping toward me.  When he was about four yards away, my next reaction was to take a step or two backwards, but I lost my footing stepping backwards down a steep although short section of the trail, and fell flat on my back with my head down hill in the most awkward position, and porky was still running toward me.  So I'm laying there thinking, "Oh great, I'll end up lying here flat on my back with a porcupine sitting on my chest."  But suddenly the porcupine became aware of presence, a turned and ran back up the trail.

There was no reason to be embarrassed.  I was by myself, and the nearest person might be 10 miles away.  Never-the-less, I was still embarrassed.

[Baruch]

OK then a wilderness porcupine story then.  Once again in the same wilderness, I had one especially odd porcupine encounter, porcupines being the most waddling sluggish creates in nature outside of the sloth.  I was walking rather briskly up the trail when a porcupine came galloping down the trail from the opposite direction.  I'd never seen a porcupine traveling so fast.  Something must have spooked it on the trail above.  My first reaction was to freeze.  But porcupines have notoriously bad eyesight, or so I've been told, and he just kept galloping toward me.  When he was about four yards away, my next reaction was to take a step or two backwards, but I lost my footing stepping backwards down a steep although short section of the trail, and fell flat on my back with my head down hill in the most awkward position, and porky was still running toward me.  So I'm laying there thinking, "Oh great, I'll end up lying here flat on my back with a porcupine sitting on my chest."  But suddenly the porcupine became aware of presence, a turned and ran back up the trail.

There was no reason to be embarrassed.  I was by myself, and the nearest person might be 10 miles away.  Never-the-less, I was still embarrassed.

Lucky what spooked him was spooked by you too.

[SGOS]

Lucky what spooked him was spooked by you too.

From Google:

Through stomach and scat analysis, six carnivores are known to occasionally kill porcupines. Wolves, mountain lions, lynx, coyote, bobcats and fishers as possible suspects.

All six of these are abundant where I'm from, although I've never seen a lynx.  I should qualify that in the case of wolves and lynx, "relatively abundant when compared to other places" would be a better description.

[SGOS]

Wow!  Any idea what kind of snake that was?  I've never seen a snake eat a fish.

It was just a common garden variety garter snake which are encountered all the time sunning themselves on the trails.

[Cavebear]

OK then a wilderness porcupine story then.  Once again in the same wilderness, I had one especially odd porcupine encounter, porcupines being the most waddling sluggish creates in nature outside of the sloth.  I was walking rather briskly up the trail when a porcupine came galloping down the trail from the opposite direction.  I'd never seen a porcupine traveling so fast.  Something must have spooked it on the trail above.  My first reaction was to freeze.  But porcupines have notoriously bad eyesight, or so I've been told, and he just kept galloping toward me.  When he was about four yards away, my next reaction was to take a step or two backwards, but I lost my footing stepping backwards down a steep although short section of the trail, and fell flat on my back with my head down hill in the most awkward position, and porky was still running toward me.  So I'm laying there thinking, "Oh great, I'll end up lying here flat on my back with a porcupine sitting on my chest."  But suddenly the porcupine became aware of presence, a turned and ran back up the trail.

Hurray for a quilless encounter!

There was no reason to be embarrassed.  I was by myself, and the nearest person might be 10 miles away.  Never-the-less, I was still embarrassed.

[Baruch]

From Google:All six of these are abundant where I'm from, although I've never seen a lynx.  I should qualify that in the case of wolves and lynx, "relatively abundant when compared to other places" would be a better description.

Cats are usually nocturnal.  Smart predators usually are.