If a snake handler supposes that their ability to safely handle snakes is evidence that they're protected by the Christian god as a disciple of Jesus, then they must suppose in turn that their inability to handle snakes safely is evidence that they aren't protected by the Christian god as a disciple of Jesus. At least some part of the edifice has to take a hit.
I don't know if any non-Christian religion uses snake handling as a religious ritual. In Christianity, it's practiced in some minor denominations as an interpretation of a specific line.
I don't disagree with this and am not arguing against it. My point is, there's lots of people (including probably a very large majority of christians) who don't conceive of god as caring particularly one way or the other about snake handlers. For these people, Maher's argument doesn't hold at all.
Of course, the snake handlers themselves should update (modulo what pragmatist said).
Here's the new thread for posting quotes, with the usual rules: