History of Witch Hunts

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History has a way of repeating itself. This is most likely the result of human nature. Humans, despite years and years of evolution, still have some quirks they’ve always had. One such quirk is the fear of things that are different; a quirk displayed throughout history in an event known as a witch hunt. The concept of a witch hunt seems pretty self-explanatory; an angry mob chasing down some questionable old hag. Well, not exactly. The online Merriam Webster dictionary defines a witch hunt as, “the act of unfairly looking for and punishing people who are accused of having opinions that are believed to be dangerous or evil.” Hold on, that didn’t say anything about witches: what’s more, it said “unfairly… punishing people.” And that’s exactly how it started. In 1208, Pope Innocent III launched an attack of sorts on Catharism (1 Linder, Douglas J.D.). The Cathar’s beliefs were contradictory to the church. Because of their heresy, the Pope began an anti-Catharism propaganda campaign against them; spreading rumors of the Cathars worshiping Satan in person (1 Linder, Douglas J.D.). This even escalated to the point that a church propagandist “depicted Cathars kissing the anus of Satan in a ceremonial show of loyalty to him” (1 Linder, Douglas J.D.). Because of this, Catharism became the primary target in the “witch” hunts. Skipping ahead about 200 years the church’s front against Catharism had escalated. In the 1400s Cathar’s were being rounded up and tortured. “Torture inflicted on heretics suspected of magical pacts or demon-driven sexual misconduct led to alarming confessions. Defendants admitted to flying on poles and animals to attend assemblies presided over by Satan appearing in the form of a goat or other anima... ... middle of paper ... ...re something that have existed for a long time, and will continue to exist as long as there are people around to “hunt” each other. Works Cited Burnett, Paul. law2.umkc.edu. University of Missouri - Kansas City. Web. March 31, 2014 Linder, Douglas J.D. law2.umkc.edu. University of Missouri - Kansas City. September, 2009. Web. March 20, 2014. Loiselle, Brett. "Salem Witch Trials." Salem Witch Trials (2009): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. Ross, Sherwood. www.globalresearch.ca. global research, 24 April 2012. Web. March 31, 2014. Sacco, NicolaVanzetti, Bartolemo. "Sacco's And Vanzetti's Statements To The Court." Sacco's & Vanzetti's Statements To The Court (2009): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. March 21, 2014. Specter, Michael. "In modern Russia, a medieval witch hunt. (cover story)." New York Times 05 Apr. 1997: 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 31 March, 2014.

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