Puritan Beliefs about Witches Essays - Witchcraft, Magic

Puritan Beliefs about Witches Puritan Beliefs about Devils and Witches During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Puritans believed that witches were the servants, sexually or otherwise, to the devil. It was thought that a woman who did not have a husband would be at an increased risk of being seduced by the devil, and ultimately banned in hell. These beliefs played a huge role in the witch hunts by the Puritans and the death of many innocent people. To understand why the Puritans played such a huge role in the discovery and elimination of so many people who were accused of witchery, we must first understand their religious beliefs, their laws, and how they affected the Puritan community. Many years ago, Puritans readily accepted the idea of witches living among them in society because of their complete belief in the written word of the Bible to be accurate and without fault. Through teachings of the Bible, Puritans accepted the principal of original sin. Many of their sermons emphasized the idea that man was born sinful and depraved. Because of this idea, many innocent people would be persecuted. A reference from Exodus 22:18 states that Moses said, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. This statement validated the Puritan belief of witchery and gave them a sense of duty to hunt them down. Puritans believed that God had power over the universe and everything in nature. If the Puritans performed acts that were believed to be a part of Gods plan, then extreme violence toward witches was just a way of God communicating His will. The Puritans believed that in Gods eyes, there is always a cause and an effect. The effect would always lead to punishment through His word. Where there are witches, there is the devil. Puritans lived their lives under God and the devil was seen as the enemy of God. The soul of a human being is in constant battle between good and evil and those who are not Godly are punished by the devil. The Salem Witch Trials were a perfect example of the innocent people being killed for being witches. Even innocent little girls dancing in the woods was seen as the work of the devil and they were severely punished. This dancing caused hysteria among the people and many were hanged. These Puritans were given the choice of confessing to being witches or to die. Since Puritans believed in God, most Puritans would rather take death than have to admit to being a witch and losing their land and their dignity. They thought that if they died, then it must have been a part of Gods plan for them. Although the Puritans were very religious people and believed in the love of God and his salvation, they also believed that it was God who would punish them for any lack of faith or virtue. Since God had the power of the universe, he gave his power to the devil to use for those who do not follow the right path. For this reason, Puritans feared punishment by the devil but believed that it was God testing their faithfulness and a way to rid them of the weak. Many of these people were women. The Puritans believed that women were weak and vulnerable and easily persuaded by Satan and his evil ways. After all, it was Eve who took that first bite of the apple and, therefore, persuaded by the devil. For this reason, many women were accused of being witches and hanged. These executions took place all over Europe because they feared that the evil would be passed on to innocent people. Many months had gone by and several people were executed after being accused of being witches. The Puritans belief in Gods teaching had not changed, but the people on the jury of many of the accused were having second thoughts about the evidence that had been presented in the court room. It wasnt going to bring anyone back but they were no longer willing to accept spectral evidence. This type of evidence was based merely on visions or dreams. Puritans were later released from prisons and acquitted of all charged. All prisoners were