Every Age Has Its Witches
The prosecution of witches is stated to have occurred mostly from 1400 to 1700. The term, if not any actual witches, remains with us, at least according to some who claim one as a wife. Inclined to wonder about all sorts of things, I wondered why witches seemed mostly to be female, and how such an absurdity could last as a prosecutable crime, supported by laws and religion, for 3 centuries. Once again, I am at loss to fully understand how religion can be the basis of so much hate. I cannot think of one founding prophet, in any religion, who could ever be envisioned burning anyone alive tied to a stake. Isn't the image absurd of Christ, for example, turning to his disciples and saying, "C'mon keepers-of-the-faith, let's grab this bitch, tie her to a stake, and burn her alive, the evil witch". But burning witches happened, over and over, for 3 centuries, often by those with the greatest religious convictions.
These were no spur of the moment, road rage type events. Witch burning seems to have been based on deeply thought out considerations about the nature of human nature, the nature of law, and the nature of crime and punishment. Witch hunting was carried out not just by rogue low class gangs, but by some of the best minds and highest titled members of society. Whatever the specifics, the motivation seems to be that SOMEONE'S CONDUCT OR PERSPECTIVE IS SO UNORTHODOX AS TO CONSTITUTE A THREAT TO THE PERCEIVED WISDOM AND CORE VALUES NEEDED TO KEEP A COMMUNITY TOGETHER. It makes no difference if the thoughts or actions are harmless or hurtful to others---an affront to established core values of the 'community' has occurred. The number of executions cited in literature varies from hundreds of thousands to a million and upwards. The defense by the Church was that it was far more important to save the soul than to preserve the body. The due process followed to convict a witch was written by two Dominican monks, and approved by the Pope. The authors of the document, titled the Malleus Maleficarum, are of no particular significance since leaders of most religions, at a given place and time, have shown the same capabilities for blind hatred. Pat Robertson and Jerry Faulwell, just to give another example, had their own form of witch hunts. The particulars of a witch trial are interesting but too lengthy to include here. Let's just mention here that the accuser did not have to face the accused or anyone even have to know who the accuser was, torture was permitted, but confessions made in the torture chamber were not admitted. The accused had to step outside the torture chamber to make a valid confession. Sounds a bit too familiar doesn't it?
I guess the more times change the more many things stay the same. Not really. In terms of torture, for the most part, things are better today. Even George Bush would probably have limits not exercised in more ancient times.
Let's state one more time what generates 'witch hunting', consider the same forces today and who the witches are. 'Whatever the specifics, the motivation seems to be that SOMEONE'S CONDUCT OR PERSPECTIVE IS SO UNORTHODOX AS TO CONSTITUTE A THREAT TO THE PERCEIVED WISDOM AND CORE VALUES NEEDED TO KEEP A COMMUNITY TOGETHER. It makes no difference if the thoughts or actions are harmless or hurtful to others---an affront to established core values of the 'community' has occurred.
To some extent modern political campaigns are a form of witch hunting. The goal of the debates seem a not too subtle game of "will the real witches here please step forward". The art of preying on the prejudices of citizens has become so sophisticated as to leave few untouched. Hilliary Clinton is a good example of a witch to a sizable portion of our population. She isn't confronted with issues but adjectives. My guess is that a good number of people might agree on the same issues as Hilliary but they would still hate her.
A better, more applicable example would be gays. This is probably the epitome of a modern witch hunt. These are people whose conduct or perspective is so unorthodox as to constitute a threat to the perceived wisdom and core values needed to keep a community together. Of course gays exist (except in Iran) and there is no way to make this population unexist short of exterminating them on discovery---you know, a case where it is far more important to save the soul than to save the body. Of course it is irrational to state who somebody else loves or how they make love destroys your own marital life, and if parents can live with allowing their own kids to select their own mate and never question what the hell they do in bed, it would seem the whole gay issue is kind of irrelevant to their own lives. Witches, though, are never irrelevant to witch hunters.
Dress codes are often a modern form of witch hunt. Witches always generate a moral affront to the majority. Sometimes, with great effort and anguish, parents or others are forced to make an exception and tolerate a witch amongst their midst---like having a gay son or daughter or a teenager who dresses too 'hip' or listens to the wrong kind of music etc. Exceptions are sometimes forced, that is the nature of life. Like who really wants their own kids, who they know so well, to be 'burned at the stake'. Well, maybe Alan Keyes. If anybody can pick out a witch with the proper focused anger and hatred, Alan Keyes can. If anyone ever hears Alan Keyes speak they can feel the warmth of the flames. Everyone is going to hell except Alan Keyes and his clones.
The illegal immigrants who WE allowed to gain entrance to the U.S. when we could have prevented it for the most part, and who WE allowed employers to employ them, are the newest objects of a witch hunt. Of course it is our responsibility to close our borders and of course it is our responsibility to prevent employers from employing anyone in the country illegally, but even now we refuse to do it. Instead the anger is directed at those who went someplace where they could find work and have a better life. That is a witch hunt and yet another example, of which there seem to be an ever increasing number, where Americans refuse to accept responsibility for our own inactions and blame the consequences on others. Even worse, some want to take these 'witches' and create some sort of slave population called 'guest workers'---workers who will be paid less than minimum wage and do work no legitimate citizen will do. No matter, moral issues never apply to witch hunts. It is, I guess, better than burning them at the stake.
Women who abort or even use birth control are modern witches to some. Women in a live together without marriage relationship can be witches to some. Prostitutes are still witches. People who use the wrong recreational drugs are witches in the eyes of many. Over zealous believers in certain religions are considered witches by over zealous believers in a different religion. The list could go on here but the point, if worth making at all, has been made. A modern witch, to me, is any person who is not harming or hurting others, but whom, if the opportunity arises for certain members of society, would be persecuted for CONDUCT OR PERSPECTIVE PERCEIVED SO UNORTHODOX AS TO CONSTITUTE A THREAT TO THE PERCEIVED WISDOM AND CORE VALUES NEEDED TO KEEP A COMMUNITY TOGETHER. It makes no difference if the thoughts or actions are harmless or hurtful to others---an affront to established core values of the in-charge 'community' has occurred.
I suspect there will always be witches. Who the witches are changes over time, and from one culture to another. We all tend to say, on matters of this sort, that "God will be the Judge" but we rarely mean it. In the name of 'God' we just feel a need to do what needs to be done right now. And when we persecute our witches God will bless us. I am a bit hesitant, it all seems a bit presumptuous to me. Or maybe I just don't trust not being designated a witch of some sort. We probably all feel at times like a fox being harangued and hunted, but hey---a witch---that is kind of scary. It's near halloween---BOO!
