Religion and witchcraft

[george thindwa]

The belief in witchcraft is strong in Malawi. How are you dealing with it or how did your country deal with it. Just comments, please!

[Valheru]

My country ignored it. We made a killing exporting red candles, though.

[Valheru]

Joking aside, I'm from down south (Johannesburg) and even here we have lots of traditional african superstition. From sangomas selling muti made from chopped up kids and tales of being raped by the Tokoloshe, and so on.

The only thing that will kill it is education, from a young age. But for that to happen, you need critically thinking adults.

[Jobar]

George, this forum- Debate/Discussion Proposals- is meant as a place to offer challenges to formal debates and discussions, not as a place to carry them out.

Your topic here would fit either in our Religion forum, or in Politics and World Events. Do you have a preference for one of those places? If I don't hear from you, I'll move it to Religion sometime tomorrow.

[Redshirt]

This is probably best suited for the Religion forum. Moving now...

[DMB]

Most of the European countries gradually moved away from belief in witchcraft as populations became more educated and sceptical. Of course, the churches in general encouraged these beliefs and ran a thriving business in exorcisms. They still do a bit. Convicted witches were typically burnt alive.

My theory has always been that the Reformation indirectly led to the demise of belief in witch craft. although the Protestant churches at first joined in the pursuit of witches, the whole idea of the Reformation gradually reduced the authority of the churches, and the effects of thinkers such as Hume, Kant and Voltaire filtered down to the less privileged population. There was a slow increase in literacy which helped the dissemination of ideas.

See this article Witch-hunt

End of European witch hunts in the 18th century

In England, Scotland and Ireland, between 1542 and 1735 a series of Witchcraft Acts enshrined into law the punishment (often with death, sometimes with incarceration) of individuals practising, or claiming to practice witchcraft and magic. The last executions for witchcraft in England had taken place in 1682, when Temperance Lloyd, Mary Trembles, and Susanna Edwards were executed at Exeter. Jane Wenham was among the last subjects of a typical witch trial in England in 1712, but was pardoned after her conviction and set free. Janet Horne was executed for witchcraft in Scotland in 1727. In 1711, Joseph Addison published an article in the highly respected The Spectator journal (No. 117) criticizing the irrationality and social injustice in treating elderly and feeble women (dubbed Moll White) as witches. The final Act of 1735 led to persecution for fraud rather than witchcraft since it was no longer believed that the individuals had actual supernatural powers or traffic with Satan. The 1735 Act continued to be used until the 1940s to prosecute individuals such as spiritualists and Gypsies. The act was finally repealed in 1951.

The last execution of a witch in the Dutch Republic was probably in 1613. In Denmark this took place in 1693 with the execution of Anna Palles. In other parts of Europe, the practice died down later. In France the last person to be executed for witch craft was Louis Debaraz in 1745. In Germany the last death sentence was that of Anna Schwegelin in Kempten in 1775 (although not carried out).

The last woman executed for witchcraft in Europe is believed to be Anna Göldi in Switzerland, in 1782. In Poland in 1793 two women were executed for witchcraft, however, the legality of that trial is contested, and the last official trial in Poland was in 1783.

See also Witch trials in the Early Modern period, which contains the following suggestion:

The Historians L. M. Baynes and B. Flower built on the theory of G. liljebakk suggesting that improved diet amongst the common people resulted in a decline of people being accused of witch-craft. Following colonisation of the new world in the 15th and 16th century the import of fruits high in vitamin C such as lemons, limes and pineapples meant there was fewer cases of nutrient deficient diseases such as scurvy. This meant that people where less willing to search for scapegoats regarding their physically deforming conditions, leading to less accusations of witch-craft.

[columbus]

The belief in witchcraft is strong in Malawi. How are you dealing with it or how did your country deal with it. Just comments, please!

Hi George. Nice to have you join us.

I'd be curious to know what you mean by witchcraft. Here in the USA the word generally refers to a sort of belief in a mixture of pre-christian folklore and christian weirdness. I suspect you are refering to something else:)

The indigenous people here were pretty much wiped out. Now, a return to "Native" traditions is a bit trendy.

Tom

[Rie]

You need to have a very strong mind set to resist the 'hypnotic' effect that is deliberately associated with 'Witchcraft' and such like. I have always thought that there's a good reason for, even with rock n roll in emphasising the 'backbeat'.

[Free in Freeport]

Nah, all you need is a healthy dose of skepticism.

[Matty]

You need to have a very strong mind set to resist the 'hypnotic' effect that is deliberately associated with 'Witchcraft' and such like. I have always thought that there's a good reason for, even with rock n roll in emphasising the 'backbeat'.

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[Anne]

My hometown had a single witch trial. It was decided if she were heavier than a bible, she was guilty. So they built a see saw and pit her on one end. The ancestor of the kid I had a crush on in 5th grade went and got his family bible. 3 feet high and bound in silver.

Last trial ever.

Try that?