Don Penguinoini
Modi.
Neither do i, maybe we should ask roli, but then again, like a good christian that he is, he will keep out of this thread.
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Why Did Christians Quit Burning Witches?
- Thread starter Sunstone
- Start date
Neither do i, maybe we should ask roli, but then again, like a good christian that he is, he will keep out of this thread.
gnomon
Well-Known Member
A shame. There's actually very interesting history here that deals more with women in medieval European society than it does with the notion of witchcraft through much of those times.
I would be interested in reading the dissertation by Fluffy's friend.
Don Penguinoini
Modi.
They were baby machines, no baby, no life. I think anyways.
Smoke
Done here.
I'm much more familiar with the Salem witchcraft trials than any of the European trials, but Boyer and Nissenbaum brought up some interesting points about that outbreak. For instance, many of the accusers were girls from prominent families that had suffered a loss of status. Many of the accused were goodwives from families that were less prominent but more successful than the accusers' families. (The women accused were almost without exception called "Goody" while women of higher social status were called "Mrs.") Others, like Goody Good, were insolent and lacked deference to their "betters."
Another factor was self-preservation; everybody who was hanged denied practicing witchcraft, while nobody who confessed and accused others was hanged.
Sheer personal enmity may have played a big part. George Jacobs, for instance, was accused by his daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
And you can't overlook the influence of the clergy, most of whom were proponents of the trials. When George Burroughs perfectly recited the Lord's Prayer on the gallows, something a wizard wasn't supposed to be able to do, it was his fellow clergyman Cotton Mather who rallied the doubting crowd and made sure the hanging was carried out as planned.
Of course, Ann Putnam, one of the chief accusers, laid the blame squarely on the devil when she made her public confession in 1706:
... I have just grounds and good reason to believe they were innocent persons; and that it was a great delusion of Satan that deceived me in that sad time, whereby I justly fear I have been instrumental, with others, though ignorantly and unwittingly, to bring upon myself and this land the guilt of innocent blood; though what was said or done by me against any person I can truly and uprightly say, before God and man, I did it not out of any anger, malice, or ill-will to any person, for I had no such thing against one of them; but what I did was ignorantly, being deluded by Satan.
Why when Protestants also burned/hanged "witches"...
Nanda
Polyanna
Yeah, it was definately the Protestants who hanged them here in New England.
Smoke
Done here.
I'm not sure, but I'm under the impression that Protestants killed significantly more accused witches than Catholics did.
methylatedghosts
Can't brain. Has dumb.
Because ducks began weighing alot less.
BUDDY
User of Aspercreme
There were no "witches". There were only innocent men and women who were accused by a group of christians living in fear.
Who knows why they quit, but I am glad that they did.
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
The French came up with the idea of the separation of church and state, and it gradually caught on in the West. In short, the Church quit burning witches because they lost the authority to do so in areas that they lost control of state responsibilities (like writing and enforcing civil laws). Only after this time will we see church officials condemning the practice.
cardero
Citizen Mod
F-A-I-T-H
Fluffy
A fool
Unfortunately that won't be possible since plagiarism checks are now so strict that if any part of my friends essay was found online then it would give her hassle to have to prove that it was hers. Ridiculous but there it is.gnomon said:
I'll definitely ask her for a few comments when I get back, however.
Wynonna Rider was caught shoplifting and lost her credibility.
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
***MOD ADVISORY***
Several off-topic posts have been deleted. Please stay on topic.
Thanks,
A_E
Several off-topic posts have been deleted. Please stay on topic.
Thanks,
A_E
Blentyn chan Celi
New guy
Before we label either Protestants or Catholics (both Christians) as witch burners, I believe it is worthwhile to point out that there is no passage in any part of the cannon that instructs its adherents to execute heretics of any kind. Thus, I dont believe it is to bold to propose that witch burning was another excellent example of human beings displaying greed, hate, and disparity as they do best. Unfortunately their justification was piety and Jesus name was dragged through the mud again.
Hint: a sure fire way to tell a real Christian from a fake is by the direction of the flow of persecution.
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
This is completely incorrect. Exodus 22.18 was used by leaders of both churches (Protestant and Catholic) to kill suspected witches.
KJV Exodus 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
McBell
Unbound
What "canon" are you talking about?
Since the Bible has many passages of God telling his people to kill non-believers.
In one instance to the point of killing not only the men women and children, but also the livestock and trees.
Blentyn chan Celi
New guy
Well said. Now I must clarify
I am no linguist, but I think its fair to say that Hebrew does not translate perfectly into English. Google the passage. You will find that the third hit down (I cant add links yet) gives the explanation that In the original Hebrew manuscript, the author used the word m'khashepah to describe the person who should be killed. The word means a woman who uses spoken spells to harm others - e.g. causing their death or loss of property. Now, Im sure you are familiar with our own legal system, and antiquated systems of justice were much harsher than ours, but I believe it would be quite reasonable in any era to put to death someone who causes death or loss of property. Furthermore, if you take that verse in the context of the entire chapter, you may gain some insight. These are all very practical laws and we still practice modern versions of them today. You may call it witch burning, but I call it capital punishment, and that is a separate can of worms.
MdmSzdWhtGuy
Well-Known Member
You call it whatever you want Blentyn, but the fact remains that during the dark ages, up through Victorian times, European and American Christians burnt many young women and a few men at the stake claiming they were witches and used the Bible as justification for their actions. The passage "suffer not a witch to live" may indeed have said, or meant something different in Hebrew than it does in English, Dutch, German, French, and Spanish, but the fact, err, make that FACT remains that thousands of people were murdered by Church officials for being a witch.
Call it whatever you want, but that pile of dog poo you are calling a rose, still smells like ****e to me.
B.
Call it whatever you want, but that pile of dog poo you are calling a rose, still smells like ****e to me.
B.