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re: "drinking poison" This is in the end of Mark (Mark 16, 18). As it happens, the ending of Mark is of more controversy than most of the New Testament, not so much because of this message, but because many early Bibles did not have it, and the early Church fathers were divided on whether it belonged. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_16

But even if we assume that it does belong, the fact that Jesus told his Apostles that they (or "believers") could safely handle snakes, drink poison, and cure the sick, that does not mean that the teaching would necessarily apply through time to all believers. One could say the same of a ban on homosexuality (or adultery, fornication, etc.), but if even the Bible's moral teachings are all outdated, then that does not leave a lot left to follow. In other words, most religions make questionable or magical claims concerning the world; what people have tended to continue to follow are their religion's moral component. Even the liberal Episcopalians do this; they just stick to "blessed are the peacemakers" and ignore the other moral prescriptions they do not like.

Thank you for that. It was helpful. You know one thing I am glad about is not having to be on any committee that studies the Bible and make important decisions that effect people's lives. I am Catholic and a follower...

I was just a kid reading Mark when even I noticed a transition at the point where the oldest Mark ends. It planted the seed in my mind to look a little closer at what was being added and why. Thus doth cynicism begin...