Salem Witch Hunt and the Spiritual Worldview

Salem Witch Hunt and the Spiritual Worldview

Traditionally, witchcraft is the invocation of supernatural powers to control events or people. It involves the use of magic and sorcery. People witnessed it both culturally and historically.  The witches meet at night in secret places to indulge in orgiastic rites and cannibalism with the devil. The explanation in many cultures is connected with the evil in the world. The intensity of beliefs in witchcraft and witches is seen in the witch hunt in Europe and America. Witch hunt is the deliberate search and harassment, or persecution of people claimed to be witches. In the 17^th century, witch hunts and trials of witches faded in Europe. American colonies started the searches, and the most makeable events were in 1692-1693 in Salem.

The hunts in Salem village started in February 1692 after some teenage girls experienced fits beyond natural disease or epileptic fits. The teenagers threw things, uttered bizarre sounds, screamed, contorted into unnatural positions, and crawled under the furniture. They were the daughter and niece of a minister in the village, Reverend Samuel Parris. Without the evidence of being ill, they claimed to be pricked with pins. More young women exhibited fits and outbursts in the village. A woman called Sarah Good was accused of witchcraft at the time; she was interrogated on March 1^st in front of a magistrate and then was sent to jail. More women were accused of witchcraft.

There were investigations to identify witches between June 1692 and May 1693, which led to the persecution and hanging of people thought to be witches. It took place in Salem, colonial Massachusetts. In the trials, over two hundred people were accused. Out of thirty who were found guilty, nineteen were executed. Mainly, the spiritual worldview motivated the witch hunt because, generally, witchcraft uses the occult that departs from divine revelations. Witchcraft aims to overcome humans. With time, differentiating wizards and witches became difficult. White magic was considered harmless and a gateway to all pernicious activities. The wizards were believed to heal people’s lives with their knowledge and white magic. The feminine gender was mainly persecuted and condemned for witchcraft. There was an increased hatred towards women because of the political influence and need for control. The practices were not standard, but people’s mentality and believed that anything away from the belief system, which was strictly Christian, was devil’s work. Those thought to be witches were thought to be Satan’s followers who traded their souls while seeking his assistance. They were believed to worship the devil while practicing sorcery for evil intentions. The people believed that the witches transformed from humans to animals or other creatures at night. In the new forms, they flew on air and went for ogre meetings.

Most of the people who were accused of being witches were women. Puritans, who were dominant in Massachusetts, believed that women were inherently more sinful than men. They believed that women were susceptible to damnation and were living in constant flight from the devil attempting to take over their souls and lives. They thought that in the eyes of God, both men and women were equal, but in the eyes of the devil, witches sold their souls. The women most likely to be accused of witchcraft were the poor and without status in society. Since women have weak and venerable bodies, it was assumed their souls were unprotected. The accused women did not dare deny the charges because they already believed they were soft and maybe sold their souls to the devil. However, most of the accusations of some women were because they were women, old, and poor and not because they had done anything evil. Others were accused because of hate and quarrels in their village. Men were also charged and executed for witchcraft, though not in large numbers as women. Out of eight people accused of witchcraft, three of them are men.

The practicing Christians and people from other religions in Salem believed that Satan could use people for his plan on earth. Every sickness or abnormal behavior that could not be explained medically or in faith was caused by witchcraft. They believe that the witches pledged their loyalty to the devil or Satan. They had been given the power to ham and cause affliction by the devil. With the firm belief in witches, the witch hunt was set to fully eradicate them from society and purify them from these evil powers. There were family rivalries long before the witch hunts began, so if any member of a family was afflicted, the first suspect was from the rival family. A family could accuse another person of witchcraft without concrete evidence to appease their rivalry. Though they had spiritual backgrounds, the executions and trials also had a political background. The feuds and quarrels were believed to be brought by the devil. The displaced people who came to Salem created a strain on resources and aggravated the disputes. The first girls affected by witchcraft were from the Reverend’s household.

Most of the evidence against the accused people was spectral. Testimony by an afflicted person seeing the shape of the accused or their apparition was used as enough evidence against them. The theologians disputed that the person causing afflictions should have allowed the devil to use them or their shape is causing miseries. The court ruled that the people permitted the devil to manipulate their bodies. The court claimed to be careful with the trials, but the testimony of an afflicted person was enough to execute a person. The accused were tried in front of a magistrate court to rule whether they were guilty or innocent. Later, a witch cake was introduced. It was believed to have the ability to detect witchcraft in a person. It was later proved to be ineffective and just made by people. The touch test was introduced where the accused touched the afflicted person. If the fits stopped, it was believed that they were the cause of their affliction. Another form of evidence used in the court was a confession by the witch. Sometimes, another witch could confess to engaging in witchcraft with the accused. If the accused’s house had a horoscope, ointment pots, or palmistry books, they were declared guilty.

The last trials of witches and executions were done in 1693. It was stopped by a leader whose wife was accused of witchcraft and would have been executed. Though the trials and executions stopped, the public response and wrath to the events continued for decades. The family members of the accused and executed people, together with the survivors of the executions, sought to establish that the convicted individuals were innocent and strive to be compensated for their deaths and losses. The first public call of the inhumanity in the accusations and executions was made in 1695. Many involved in the trials performed institutional and individual acts of repentance. The court declared a day of fasting and praying to repent because of the tragedy. It announced the practices and actions of execution unlawful in 1702. In 1711, thirty-three of the executed were acquitted, and their families compensated for their loss. Their descendants sought to honor the memories of their loved ones who were falsely accused and executed. Though no compensation would pay back for the pain the people suffered, a fair trial and hearing of their innocence was the outcry of their families. In 1992, events were held in Massachusetts to commemorate their practices, and in 2001, the last eleven were fully exonerated by the Massachusetts legislature, declaring each of the accused innocent. Their families were compensated, and they celebrated a victory in honor of their loved ones.

Many cultures and people have practiced witchcraft and dark magic in history. Witch hunts were held in Europe and later in America with what witches were believed to do. The most extensive witch hunt in America was in Salem. In Salem, many people were accused of witchcraft and executed, with a large number of women. The spiritual worldview and beliefs were used in the hunt. They believed witchcraft to be the devil’s work through the witches. Magistrate courts were set for the hearing of the witchcraft cases. Both the accused and accuser were listened to before a verdict was set, though the testimony of the afflicted carried more weight. Their belief that witches were evil was the driving force behind the executions, which ended in 1693. Decades and centuries after the killings, the American people sought justice for their loved ones. The people accused and killed in the Salem witch hunt were pardoned by the Massachusetts legislature, and their families were compensated.

Work Cited

Godbeer, R. (2011). The Salem witch hunt: A brief history with documents. Macmillan Higher Education.

Hill, Frances. A delusion of Satan: The full story of the Salem witch trials. Tantor eBooks, 2014.

Le Beau, Bryan F. The story of the Salem witch trials. Routledge, 2016.

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Assignment: Select one of the four books (The American Yawp is not a choice. Attempting to
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Salem Witch Hunt and the Spiritual Worldview

The Salem Witch Hunt (You want the one edited by Richard Godbeer. In addition, make certain
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