Professor consults on TV series

UTC's resident snake-handling expert and much-admired professor is now involved in an Animal Planet series.

Dr. Ralph Hood, originally from southern California,  teaches psychology and religion at UTC and specializes in religion and serpent handling. 

Hood advised numerous documentaries and is currently being featured as a consultant on Animal Planet's "The Snake Man of Appalachia."

The documentary follows the lives of the Shorts, a religious family who actively practices serpent handling. 

Hood said serpent handling is a religious ritual practiced in a small amount of Pentecostal churches, mainly in the Appalachian area. 

He said not every member of these churches is required to take part in serpent handling because it is a practice reserved for those who feel called. 

"Before you form an opinion about serpent handling, you really need to get to know who these people are and what they believe," Hood said. "They're certainly not crazy."

 He said the Bible has verses about serpent-handling that support the religious practice.

Hood quoted Mark 16:17-18, which says, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not harm them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

Hood said he was more than willing to work with Animal Planet for this particular documentary but had no desire to participate with television whose only goal is to sensationalize.

"That, I don't cooperate with," he said. 

Mandy Morgan, a graduate of UTC, said she took Hood's course over psychology of religion in 2004. 

"Hood is the kind of guy it would be fun to have a beer with," she said. 

Morgan said Hood's intellect makes him an interesting man and his arguments are compelling and thought-provoking.

"He's a true intellectual who can see things from so many different angles and perspectives," Morgan said. "He can argue controversial topics from either side and never skip a beat." 

She said she learned more from Hood than just philosophy and religion.

 "I learned that to understand anything philosophical or religious, you have to really listen to what people believe, you have to be genuine and put your whole self into it and give up your ego or preconceived notions," Morgan said.

 Kevin Roberts, a former graduate student, said he was impressed with Hood's intelligence and passion as well as his overall teaching style. 

 Roberts said as an undergraduate student, he took history and systems of psychology, psychology of religion and philosophical psychology with Hood. 

He said Hood also advised him as a graduate student from 2005-2008. 

Roberts said he remembers attending a seminar Dr. Hood had given at a local church on serpent handling. 

He said it was really interesting to watch the crowd become more accepting and understanding of the information they were receiving. 

"I have learned several things from Ralph, but perhaps the most important thing that I've learned directly from Ralph is to read original text, which I think is his quote on his UTC webpage," Roberts said. 

Roberts said he planned on watching the "Snake Man of Appalachia" series and had already watched the first two aired episodes.

Morgan said she plans on watching the series as well. 

"He's a brilliant professor and orator," said Morgan. "A unique personality and someone who enjoys being provocative and engaging students, pushing their buttons, and making them think."