Witchcraft
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Christian [[theologian]] [[Augustine of Hippo]] didn't believe that humans or the [[devil]] could do any magic at all, leading to relatively little persecution of witches when he was popular. Later theologians like [[Thomas Aquinas]] took witchcraft seriously (Aquinas associated it with [[sex]]), making witch-hunts much more common.<ref>Douglas Linder. [http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/witchhistory.html A Brief History of Witchcraft Persecutions before Salem]. University of Missouri-Kansas City. 2005.</ref> | Christian [[theologian]] [[Augustine of Hippo]] didn't believe that humans or the [[devil]] could do any magic at all, leading to relatively little persecution of witches when he was popular. Later theologians like [[Thomas Aquinas]] took witchcraft seriously (Aquinas associated it with [[sex]]), making witch-hunts much more common.<ref>Douglas Linder. [http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/witchhistory.html A Brief History of Witchcraft Persecutions before Salem]. University of Missouri-Kansas City. 2005.</ref> | ||
| − | Modern western views of witches generally comes from the [[Christianity|Christian]] view, where a society's undesirable women were tainted as "witches" and blamed for the misfortunes of society. Simple herbalists, midwives, as well as the mentally ill were frequent targets of being "witches" - or women who associated with the [[Devil]]. The Black Death was largely blamed on witchcraft in the 14th Century; the Salem Witch Trials became an expedient way to eliminate political problems and blame women. | + | Modern western views of witches generally comes from the [[Christianity|Christian]] view, where a society's undesirable women, much more rarely men were tainted as "witches" and blamed for the misfortunes of society. Simple herbalists, midwives, as well as the mentally ill were frequent targets of being "witches" - or women who associated with the [[Devil]]. The Black Death was largely blamed on witchcraft in the 14th Century; the Salem Witch Trials became an expedient way to eliminate political problems and blame women. |
=== The bible's view on witches === | === The bible's view on witches === | ||
Revision as of 09:36, 13 November 2012
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Witchcraft, formally defined by anthropologists and those who study human religions is the use of rituals and magic to accomplish some kind of ends on this earth, most often curses witch can refer to either sex but more frequently means a woman. In modern lay idiom, it is largely associated with various sorts of neopagans, such as Lucy Cavendish and Wicca. A man who acts similarly is a wizard or warlock or simply a male witch. In the American folk / entertainment world it is the evil wrought by women onto poor suffering men who cannot resist such temptations.
Virtually all religions have a role that anthropologists would call a "witch", and it almost always is a person dealing in darker or so-called "evil" or unsanctioned elements of the religion.[1] Historically, many religions used the concept of witch to explain diseases, untimely death, droughts, and other unexplained negative circumstances that befall a society.
By definition, witches directly work upon the world though spells to do their own will. This differs from priests, who are intercessors between a god and the people. Priests pray or do rituals to ask the god to change the world. Witches also differ from herbalists in that they are invoking magic. There is no reason any particular witch cannot also be a priestess or herbalist.
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Christianity and witchcraft
Christian theologian Augustine of Hippo didn't believe that humans or the devil could do any magic at all, leading to relatively little persecution of witches when he was popular. Later theologians like Thomas Aquinas took witchcraft seriously (Aquinas associated it with sex), making witch-hunts much more common.[2]
Modern western views of witches generally comes from the Christian view, where a society's undesirable women, much more rarely men were tainted as "witches" and blamed for the misfortunes of society. Simple herbalists, midwives, as well as the mentally ill were frequent targets of being "witches" - or women who associated with the Devil. The Black Death was largely blamed on witchcraft in the 14th Century; the Salem Witch Trials became an expedient way to eliminate political problems and blame women.
The bible's view on witches
Anyone taking a literal view on the bible should take into account these quotes:
- "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." —Exodus 22:18
- "A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them." —Leviticus 20:27 (KJV)
So witches should be burned at the stake as we speak.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ For example, in traditional Navajo culture, the "good" user of magic is a Singer, the "bad" user of magic is a witch (regardless of gender).
- ↑ Douglas Linder. A Brief History of Witchcraft Persecutions before Salem. University of Missouri-Kansas City. 2005.