The simple answer: No, witches are not real. They are fun to imagine, which is why witches appear in a lot of fiction stories and hollywood movies, but in reality there is no such thing as magic. The history behind people's belief in witches, however, is both sad and interesting. Back in the medieval times, people were very afraid of witches and witchcraft because of it's association with the devil. If someone was suspected of being a witch, they were often burned at the stake without receiving a fair trial. Perhaps the most famous example is the Salem witch trials. These started in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts (which was then a British colony) when the daughters of the local Reverend started to act really bizarrely. They screamed, threw things around the room, contorted themselves, and complained of pinpricks. They accused three women in the town of doing this to them by witchcraft, but the accusations had no scientific foundation. The accused women were outcasts from the society: one was homeless, one didn't attend church regularly, and one was a slave. They were arrested, and based on the testimony of the two girls, they were hanged for witchcraft. However, they obviously were not actually witches, and the fact that they were hanged reflects an unfounded fear of witchcraft that was very common in that day. The net of the story is that we should carefully examine the evidence before reaching any conclusion. There is no evidence of witchcraft, but people used to still believe in it because that is what everyone else believed. The Salem witch trials were an example of people acting contrary to the best scientific evidence, and people died as a result! Especially in cases where someone's life or natural rights are concerned, we cannot be swayed by unscientific modes of thinking. |
|
Question Archives >
Are witches real?posted Jan 21, 2010 10:54 AM by Neal Pisenti |