306). Despite these two varying definitions, English judges and the renowned "Witch-Finder General" Matthew Hopkins focused their attention on the malevolent witches and their evil deeds. Over a hundred witches were executed because of Matthew Hopkins" ambitious objective of finding evilness lurking among the populace. However, over a thousand witches were actually executed throughout the European continent. Although the majority of those accused of witchcraft were women, men were also accused. Therefore, the question that must be asked is why were these people accused of being witches. Were they actual witches or did they succumb to their dreadful existence in the rural countryside? The argument of this essay is that the people had indeed succumbed to their dreadful environment. .
People in the sixteen hundreds experienced an expanding population which made the available resources much scarcer. Because of these hardships, they had a hard time making a living, which often caused them to suffer from starvation and malnutrition due to bad harvests. All of this aided to the weakening of their immune systems, which made them more susceptible to diseases such as the bubonic plague, pneumonic plague, dysentery, small pox, and syphilis. It would not be far fetched to also assume that these conditions also affected the minds of the people. If one were to judge these people according to twenty first century standards, it would be completely understandable if they were said to be suffering from hallucinations and possibly schizophrenia. However, they could not be judged according to these standards because they did not have the medical nor scientific knowledge that exists today. Therefore, the only way to explain these hallucinations or mental disorders was to accredit them to evilness or bad magic. .
Those who were accused of being witches were done so on the pretence that they had caused some form of evil to occur.
People also practiced witchcraft in the days of the early Romans, and several thousand years before that time witchcraft was practiced in Egypt. ... In 1735 Scotland repealed all laws which dealt with witchcraft. ... Today most people no longer believe in witchcraft. ... Actually, witchcraft still exist in several parts of the world. ... Azande tribe is well-known for its witchcraft. ...
Witchcraft? Witchcraft is a sensation that has captured the minds of people since the beginning of time. I think it important to first discuss some history of witchcraft. ... It was then that society and the church began associating witchcraft with devil worship. ... Nadel's article titled Witchcraft in Four African Societies: An Essay in Comparison (1952), he talks of how the Nupe have a concrete belief in witchcraft that include the perception of "witchcraft as unequivocally evil, as destroying life, mainly through mysterious wasting diseases, and as implying the power of witc...
Witchcraft: The History The subject of witchcraft is something that has fascinated and instilled fear in people for centuries. ... Who would have really expected witchcraft to die there? ... It was now considered heresy to NOT believe in witchcraft! ... This was one of major causes for witchcraft. ... The history of witchcraft is a long and often times cloudy one. ...
It overrode the accuser's alibi because the judges blamed the witchcraft on their spirits. ... In an average outbreak of witchcraft, only one or two people were usually accused. ... In Europe, witchcraft was considered a heresy against the church, and heretics were burned. In England and New England, witchcraft was a crime, and the guilty were hanged. ... Today, witchcraft is legal and can be practiced as long as the government laws are obeyed. ...
Witchcraft is a phenomenon that has captured the minds of millions since its existence. ... People believed in witchcraft against the assertions of the church that it was mere superstition, and later the church began to believe in witchcraft too. ... (Russel, 658) Witchcraft has a very fascinating history. ... John Klaits best describes how the belief in witchcraft flourished by saying, "many accusations of witchcraft resulted from ordinary village quarrels." (86) Chance happenings in life were often blamed on witchcraft. ... Jews were among those accused of witchcraft during the mediev...
In The Crucible, a lot of conflict was going on about witchcraft. ... Ruth lies motionless in her bed due to being a victim of witchcraft. ... This also shows that witchcraft made Ruth paralyzed. As a result, Ruth is a victim of witchcraft by being paralyzed. ... This also shows that witchcraft broke the city apart. ...
Witchcraft is one of those religions. ... The misconceptions of Witchcraft have been inaccurate and misleading. ... Satan is a demonic figure from the Christian belief, not from Witchcraft. In Witchcraft there is no deity that is evil. ... Today modern Witchcraft "is a variety of paganism" (Russell 157). ...
Witchcraft was believed in every level of society therefore it was common to see every catastrophe as a result of the actions of witches. ... They claimed demonic witchcraft had no biblical justification, it was a type of witchcraft that was absent from the scriptures. ... Scot's 'Discoverie of Witchcraft,' written 1584, claimed that most accused were in fact innocent of witchcraft. ... However, despite the doubt expressed by judges and lawyers the belief in witchcraft was not eradicated in their minds. ... The religious group accredited events to be the work of God, rather than...
