Witchcraft 5 - Dance With The Devil [DVD]

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During the 20th century, interest in witchcraft rose in English-speaking and European countries. From the 1920s, Margaret Murray popularized the ' witch-cult hypothesis': the idea that those persecuted as 'witches' in early modern Europe were followers of a benevolent pagan religion that had survived the Christianization of Europe. This has been discredited by further historical research. [24] :45–47, 84–85 [1] :121 [80] [81] [82]

While some colonialists tried to eradicate witch hunting by introducing legislation to prohibit accusations of witchcraft, some of the countries where this was the case have formally recognized the existence of witchcraft via the law. This has produced an environment that encourages persecution of suspected witches. [88] The concept of witchcraft and the belief in its existence have persisted throughout recorded history. According to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions there is "difficulty of defining ‘witches’ and ‘witchcraft’ across cultures—terms that, quite apart from their connotations in popular culture, may include an array of traditional or faith healing practices and are not easily defined". [16] Such helpful magic-workers "were normally contrasted with the witch who practiced maleficium—that is, magic used for harmful ends". [128] :27-28 In the early years of the witch hunts "the cunning folk were widely tolerated by church, state and general populace". [128] :27-28 Some of the more hostile churchmen and secular authorities tried to smear folk-healers and magic-workers by falsely branding them 'witches' and associating them with harmful 'witchcraft', [1] :x-xi but generally the masses did not accept this and continued to make use of their services. [129] The English MP and skeptic Reginald Scot sought to disprove magic and witchcraft, writing in The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), "At this day, it is indifferent to say in the English tongue, 'she is a witch' or 'she is a wise woman'". [130] Historian Keith Thomas adds "Nevertheless, it is possible to isolate that kind of 'witchcraft' which involved the employment (or presumed employment) of some occult means of doing harm to other people in a way which was generally disapproved of. In this sense the belief in witchcraft can be defined as the attribution of misfortune to occult human agency". [2] :519 Main article: Cunning folk Diorama of a cunning woman or wise woman in the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic Behar, Ruth (1987). "Sex and Sin, Witchcraft and the Devil in Late-Colonial Mexico". American Ethnologist. 14 (1): 34–54. doi: 10.1525/ae.1987.14.1.02a00030. hdl: 2027.42/136539. JSTOR 645632.

A Global Issue that Demands Action" (PDF). the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) Vienna Liaison Office. 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 June 2014 . Retrieved 7 June 2014.

One notable event related to the suppression of shamanism occurred in 91 BCE, when Emperor Wu issued an edict that banned a range of "heterodox" practices, including shamanistic rituals and divination, in favor of Confucianism. The primary target of these measures was the Wuism or Wu (巫) tradition, which involved the worship of spirits and the use of shamanic practices to communicate with them. Wuism was considered by the Confucian elite to be superstitious witchcraft and at odds with Confucian principles. [64] :1 Suspicious!” cried Adamson’s rivals. “She’s a witch!” Poor Alison was imprisoned on charge of witchcraft, sealed in St. Andrew’s castle. And Adamson himself helped her escape imprisonment.In ancient Mesopotamian religion, witches (m. kaššāpu, f. kaššāptu, from kašāpu ['to bewitch'] [59]) eventually [ when?] came to be "regarded as an anti-social and illegitimate practitioner of destructive magic ... whose activities were motivated by malice and evil intent and who was opposed by the ašipu, an exorcist or incantation-priest", [60] :65–66 who were predominantly male representatives of the official state religion. [60] The individuals mentioned in records of Mesopotamian society as witches tended to be those of low status who were weak or otherwise marginalized, including women, foreigners, actors, and peddlers. [1] :49 Byrne, Carrie 2011. Hunting the vulnerable: Witchcraft and the law in Malawi; Consultancy Africa Intelligence (16 June): And, for a long time, these folk customs sat rather uncomfortably next to Christian views. It wasn’t until the tent century that the Catholic Church had decided witches had in fact been fooled by the Devil into thinking they had magical powers.

Kelly, A.A., Crafting the Art of Magic, Book I: a History of Modern Witchcraft, 1939–1964, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 1991. [ ISBNmissing] Meaney, Audrey L. (December 1984). "Æfric and Idolatry". Journal of Religious History. 13 (2): 119–135. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9809.1984.tb00191.x. Any activity that was at odds with the Church of Scotland brought on suspicion and local healers were seen as a threat to be removed, and women were the most frequent victims.

There is no counsel for the defence. If you are found guilty, you could become one of the 30,000–60,000 people who were executed for witchcraft in the early modern era. But at a time of fear and changing opinions on witchcraft, a woman like Alison wasn’t safe for long. And in 1588, she was captured once again, executed and her body was burned. One of thousands of innocent lives lost across Scotland. In the U.S., these same principles applied to the vilifying of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials which occurred between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing "Devil's magic," and 20 were condemned to execution. a b c Lawrence, Salmah Eva-Lina (2015). "Witchcraft, Sorcery, Violence: Matrilineal and Decolonial Reflections". In Forsyth, Miranda; Eves, Richard (eds.). Talking it Through: Responses to Sorcery and Witchcraft Beliefs and Practices in Melanesia. Canberra, Australia: ANU Press.