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Contribution of Religious changes to the increase in Witch Hunts…
Contribution of Religious changes to the increase in Witch Hunts
Fear of the devil
Reformation increased Europeans' fear of the Devil
Luther and Calvin stressed the Devil's presence- Luther saw his whole life as a struggle against Satan
Calvinist theologians perceived the witches' pact with the devil as being diametrically opposed to the Calvinists' covenant with God
Their concern at the threat posed by Satan encouraged many of their followers to take action against his agents- witches
Devil was just as frightening and omnipresent to Catholics
For many Catholics Protestantism itself appeared to be the work of Satan
In both Catholic and Protestant circles there arose a zealous commitment to purify the world by declaring war against Satan and Witches
'The Devil' said Luther, 'liveth, yea and reigneth throughout the world'
Attack on superstition and magic
Protestant reformers tried to purify the faith by eradicating Catholic superstitious beliefs and practises, eliminating vestiges of paganism and supressing magic- the use of holy water, charms and amulets and so on
Campaigns against catholic magic and superstition could easily lead to campaigns against Witches
The Godly State
Reformation bred a new moral mentality- the determination to create a godly state
In many places there was a considerable amount of legislation against moral offences
Sodomy, fornication, prostitution and adultery all came under attack- as did Witchcraft
Goal of establishing a godly state was not restricted to Protestant states
Catholic rulers pursued the same ideal- their efforts often finding expression in witch hunting
Some of the most intense witch-hunts took place in German principalities governed by Catholic prince-bishops who pursued witches in an effort to purify society as well as to promote their own image as the true defenders of Christian values
Blasphemy act and adultery act
The bible and witchcraft
The reformation established the bible as the sole source of religious truth for most protestants
Also a new insistence on the literal interpretation of the scriptures
Exodus 22:18 declared: 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live'- text used by preachers and judges to justify campaigns against Witchcraft
Religious conflict
Reformation and Counter-reformation led to bitter conflicts between Catholics and Protestants and between different Protestant denominations
Confessional strife- often erupted into domestic and international warfare- played a role in witch hunting
Some historians claim that a correlation can be established between the intensity of witchcraft prosecutions on the one hand and the extent of religious divisions on the other
Witch craft, it was claimed was most severe in countries or regions where either large religious minorities lived within the boundaries of a state or the people of one state adhered to one religion and the people of a neighbouring state adhered to the other
Especially true in Germany, Switzerland, France, Poland and Scotland
In these areas, religious divisions and conflicts fostered political instability and violence
Religiously homogeneous areas, such as Catholic Spain and Lutheran Scandinavia, suffered less witch persecution
Rough correlation between religious disunity/ conflict and witch hunting
Warfare could impede the operation of the regular judicial machinery that was used to Prosecute witches
The dominant faith in a religiousl divided area rarely used witchcraft prosecutions to dispose of their religious enemies
May be that religious conflict made communities more fearful of moral subversion and more eager to rid their communities of corrupting influences like witchcraft
May be the belief that such corruption was taking place was stronger in areas where the heretical activities of either a Protestant or Catholic were close and threatening
Hunting Witches allowed Protestant or Catholic communities to prove that God was on their side- and that they were on Gods
Arguments against contribution
Wars of religion of the late 16th and 17th centuries tended to suppress witch-hunting
No direct casual connection between the confessional conflict and the burning of witches
Robert Thurston argues that since trials for witchcraft predate the reformation religious reform had little to do with early modern witch panics
Few witch prosecution occurred in the early years of the Reformation
Luther nor Calvin were preoccupied with witchcraft
Not any direct connection between religious disunity/conflict and witch hunting
Most intense periods of witch hunting were in times of religious peace
For the most part witches belonged, at least formally to the same faith as their prosecutors
Conflict between Protestants and Catholics did not necessarily inspire witch hunting