Admit you're a witch, or we'll hang you...

of course if you admit you are a witch, you are truly evil, and we must kill you..

What an interesting show I am watching..

"Secrets of the Dead"
Witches" Curse Education.. It's on KLCS PBS channel here in LA..

check the PBS website to see when it's shown in your area.. It;s from 2001, but I have never seen it before :)

Ties in the Salem witchcraft trials with LSD and hallucinogens.


........

Program Information Close Window

Secrets of the Dead
Thursday, March 3, 9:00pm
Witches' Curse
The hallucinogenic drug LSD was behind the needless execution of 40,000 'witches' across Europe and in colonial America hundreds of years ago. New evidence reveals that the proof of witchcraft — a horrific affliction knows as 'bewitchment' — could be the result of a deadly fungus that sent people on a nightmare 'acid trip.'
In Stereo (CC)
Ed. Taping Rights: 1 year


Visit the Secrets of the Dead Web site

Other Broadcast Times

Thursday, March 10, 9:00pm
Murder at Stonehenge


Thursday, March 17, 9:00pm
Death at Jamestown


TONS of great documentaries @:

http://www.klcs.org/programmingaz.html

from spoiled rye.

if you sink, then you aren't a witch, and you can drown and go on to meet your maker in peace. But if you float, then indeed you are a witch, and we'll hang you til your death."

And the test was for more than Witches, it also was applied to other crimes (including lying, conspiracy against the King etc). The test seems to have developed during the Dark Ages by some Priest who needed some test to show someone was NOT a witch (or forgiven for being a Witch). The water test was one such test and you had something like a 90% chance of sinking (and NO ONE WAS PERMITTED TO DROWN, once you were "accepted by the water" you were taken out of the water).

The test sounds primitive to us and does NOT really shows if someone was a witch (or had done some other crime) but it did provide a quick method to shut people up about someone being a witch and was used as such.

The chief problem at Salem was the water test had been rejected as NOT scientific. Thus you were left with "Spectral Evidence" i.e. the reports of the Children that they were being attacks by the Spirit of the Witch. These outbursts were accepted as FACT by that community and without the water test to counteract such "evidence" people died.

By favorite story of such "tests" involve the related "Hot Brand Test", you put a hot brand on your hand and if it did not fester within three days it shown you had not committed the crime alleged (or had been forgiven by God for the Crime). When King Stephen of England wanted to see if some peasants had violated one of his laws the local Priest convinced him to use the "Hot Brand Test" instead of a trial by jury. The peasants took the test and past the test. King Stephen is reported to have said He would not have been as forgiving as God had been (The Peasants had violated the law the only real issue was had God Forgave, given King Stephen attitude you see why the peasants opt for the test rather than a Jury Trial).

Just a comment on the Water-Test and the other test for witch craft. When such test were in high use (roughly 500 AD till 1500 AD) very few people were killed as Witches (and most of them were not given the option of the water test for their crime were political not really witchcraft, for example the last of the Templer Knights, who where burned for Witchcraft in the 1300s). It is only with the Protestant Reformation that you see Witch trials coming back and people being killed (Catholics did not seem to have indulged in Witch Trials, they had the Inquisition instead, through given a choice between a Protestant Witch Trial and a Trial by the Inquisition if I was innocent I would prefer the Inquisition for they at least demanded some sort of actual real evidence as opposed to the Special evidence of the Witch Trials).

Just some comments on Witch Trials and the tests to determine if someone was a witch.

Some more on "trial by Ordeal":
http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/book-sum/lea_forc.html
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11276b.htm
http://www.worldhistory.com/wiki/T/Trial-by-ordeal.htm
http://historysources.tripod.com/wc1-online/coursedocs/Trial%20by%20Ordeal.pdf#search='Trial%20by%20ordeal'

I took an undergraduate class in medieval law and "Ordeals" was a two day lecture. Incredible. Thanks for reminding of the name of this treatment.

Or, as some of us prefer to call ourselves "Wicce".

Know what it means? "Wise One". I know -- rather presumptuous, but hey, it's supposed to be a term of respect.

Ah well... By the by, that junk in that Bible thingy? It actually refers to SORCERERS, not Wiches.

Sad.

but what's the difference other than gender? I was just wondering. No offense.

:P

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if anyone accuses you of being a witch. Either way you die violently. Sounds like freeper philosophy to me.

turn you into an artichoke

I am a witch! Of course, I am lots of other things too! :)