| I have problems with seeing the pertinence of the post. A true witch, of course, would be a scourge on society. We think that those who persecuted witches were terrible because we think that there are no such things as witches. We also condemn their juridical standards, which relied too much on uncorroborated accusations and torture. We are definitely superior insofar as forensic matters are concerned. It is probably true that witchcraft was overrated, and not worth the persecution of cranks, as well. But many of the ladies who were caught in the net thought they were witches, and sometimes made lurid confessions about bedding the devil and the like, so the popular imagination was fed by the victims, to some extent. We may pity those who were convicted for no good reason, except eccentricity, or even the madwomen who claimed to have the power. But on either side, it seems more like an example of a barbaric holdover that it was difficult to get rid of, than like anything from which one could draw broad conclusions........ |
