How Did The Salem Witch Trials Influence The Church

While witch trials were on the decline across Europe and the American Colonies by the end of the 17th century, there remained a dangerous remnant in some regions, where the social context could easily spark another panic. This essay will compare the Salem village witch trials of the early 1690s to those in Scotland, with particular emphasis on the case of Christian Shaw in Renfrewshire in the late 1690s: two areas in which a sudden resurgence in witchcraft accusations can be seen. It should be noted that witchcraft cases in Scotland were highly varied, and the cases used here cannot be taken as standard across Scotland during the period. Both societies were highly religiously centred, with doctrine permeating every aspect of life, making them

In Salem, Massachusetts, the lives of many residents were at the mercy of a few young girls. The town was ruled by religion which opened many opportunities for residents to fear anything that they believed as against them, their religion, or just simply immoral. The people who lived there called themselves Puritans. The Puritans were a group of English Protestants who believed that they must purify the church of England from its catholic practices. In Salem, the residents were ruled by religious leaders who oversaw the town’s court.

Variables such as the Reformation, the Thirty Years War, and other religious strife cause a large amount of discord in the country. The struggles between the Catholics, Lutherans and Calvinists were intensely driven and resulted in tumultuous beliefs for the common person. The uncertainty of religious beliefs created confusion, and while the concern of witchcraft was gaining prominence, it is easy to understand how fear powered the hysteria behind beliefs held about witches. “Witchcraft raised issues that lay at the heart of religious identity” (Pg.

Context: Explore the different events that led up to the outcome of the Salem witch trials. Thesis statement*: Throughout time, it has been proven again and again that new concepts create fear among society. In modern times, people fear the advancement in technology. While in the 1600s, people feared the advancement of the government, religious or scientific ideas.

The conflict of the Salem Witch Trials had a lasting effect on the community even after a compromise was found. More than 3 centuries later the Salem Witch Trials are one of the most disturbing and shameful events in American History (Blumberg; how). Many people’s lives were changed through the trials. The Salem Witch Trials also ended in conflict. During the trials everyday tasks were overlooked like; chores, business matters, and other activities, so Salem in a state of ruin for years to come.

The Puritans residing there had travelled to North America to escape religious persecution (Text 1). However they faced a new set of problems upon reaching the New World. Wars with the Native Americans, an unruly climate, political unrest, and fear of the “devil’s den”, or wilderness left religion as the only steadfast thread for the colonists to cling to (Text 1). Therefore, questioning the Puritan church, who was the leader of the witch hunt and its trials, was out of the question. Colonists needed a reliable presence as a guide, which they could depend on equally during the cold winter and supernatural phenomena.

The worst quality in humanity is the instinct to find scapegoats—to cast blame on others for the occurrence of misfortunes. In 17th century Salem, residents lived in the constant fear of smallpox and war with the Native Americans. To subdue the fear, witch hunts were initiated, and more than a hundred people were accused of practicing witchery. After the Salem Witch Trials, people regarded the witch hunts as inane hysterias; however, 200 years later, Americans did not learn from the unjustified accusations cast in the witch trials. The Red Scare in the 1900s was the mirror image of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, and we made the same mistake and reacted unreasonably in response to fear.

The secular courts created laws and statues that defined witchcraft as a crime along with procedures on how to prosecute witches. Once the threat, based on shared understanding, was promulgated though the various levels of society the judicial machinery could take over and legally try witches. With a framework in place to handle witchcraft trials at all levels, the template of identifying witches in use, and a fearful populace seeking an outlet in turbulent times all it would take are trigger events to set witch hunts in motion. Wars, religious conflicts, and localized political issues factored into creating fear and anxiety because it created unstable situations that impacted people’s lives. Economic hardship stemming from drought, famine, limited resources for a growing population, and other natural disasters needed an explanation (Levack, 2016).

Most of the populace had either Catholic beliefs or Puritan beliefs. Their thoughts of hunting and burning witches relates to their Catholic studies. Catholicism is tied to rituals on numerous occasions, and they believed that the only way to stop them was to take an active stance. On the other side, Puritans did not agree with rituals and focused on prayer, faith, worship, and legitimate medical practices to fix even spiritual ailments. They still; however, viewed witchcraft practices as entirely sinful.

The Puritans followed the divine law by adhering to the Old Testament teachings. Puritans believe in the idea of predestination, the view that people's destiny were already predetermined by a higher power. This meant that someone who only did good deeds could still be condemned to go to hell while a murderer was chosen to go to heaven. Since they believed in this concept, they felt only a handful of them would be saved, or "God's elect". Since the Puritans weren't sure who was chosen as one of "God's elect", they all acted as if they were one of the ones who would be saved.

According to Richard Sibbes, a Puritan Minister, "The whole life of a Christian should be nothing but praises and thanks to God, we should neither eat nor sleep, but eat to God and work to God and talk to God, do all to His glory and praise" (Faiza,2008). Their belief that the devil could be amongst them was one of the main factors of the start of the Salem witch trials. The Puritans wanted their communities to only be made up with believers and followers of God and they thought that by hanging anyone suspicious of being "touched" by the devil they would accomplish that goal. According to Faiza (2008), one theory remains that ministers spread the rumor of witchcraft to bring more people into the churches.

“HALE: Mr. Proctor, your house is not a church; your theology must tell you that. PROCTOR: It does, sir, it does; and it tells me that a minister may pray to God without he have golden candlesticks upon the altar.” (Miller II.62). The society in The Crucible, is equally religious and with the recent accusations of witchcraft in the town, John Proctor becomes a suspect merely because he didn’t attend church as often as they’d prefer in the

In today’s society, the idea of witches have generally become a common topic. When Halloween arrives, we see people dressed up to mimic witches in fun spirit. However, during the Salem Witch Trials, witches were considered evil and against God, which caused fear to strike out amongst the people who religiously followed the Bible and believed in God. Thus, the accusations of citizens being involved with witchcraft struck out, and the persecutions began. When the topic of the Salem Witch Trials is mentioned, we think about how creepy it was and how the people were killed.

During The Crucible, the Witch Trials caused many court hearings. A good deal of the court hearings consisted of people over exaggerating outbursts of demons inside of them just to get somebody convicted. The Witch Trails also affected the church in many ways. Reverend Parris’ already had a wicked reputation as their minister, and the trials made it even worse. People wanted him out of the church.

Not many people know much about what actually happened in the Salem Witch Trials. Maybe someone would think that it was just about witchcraft and crazy people being hanged, but it is a lot more than that. The Salem Witch Trials only occurred between 1692 and 1693, but a lot of damage had been done. The idea of the Salem Witch Trials came from Europe during the “witchcraft craze” from the 1300s-1600s. In Europe, many of the accused witches were executed by hanging.