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==History== | ==History== | ||
[[File:Devil-on-Horseback.jpg|350px|thumb|A witch riding on a horse with the Devil from the Nuremberg Chronicle]] | |||
The concept of witchcraft and the belief in its existence have persisted throughout recorded history. Most societies have believed in, and feared, an ability by some individuals to cause supernatural harm and misfortune to others. This may come from mankind's tendency "to want to assign occurrences of remarkable good or bad luck to agency, either human or superhuman". Witchcraft is seen by historians and anthropologists as one ideology for explaining misfortune, which has manifested in diverse ways. Some cultures have feared witches much less than others, because they instead believed that strange misfortune was usually caused by gods, spirits, [[demon]]s or fairies, or by other humans who have unwittingly cast the "evil eye." | The concept of witchcraft and the belief in its existence have persisted throughout recorded history. Most societies have believed in, and feared, an ability by some individuals to cause supernatural harm and misfortune to others. This may come from mankind's tendency "to want to assign occurrences of remarkable good or bad luck to agency, either human or superhuman". Witchcraft is seen by historians and anthropologists as one ideology for explaining misfortune, which has manifested in diverse ways. Some cultures have feared witches much less than others, because they instead believed that strange misfortune was usually caused by gods, spirits, [[demon]]s or fairies, or by other humans who have unwittingly cast the "evil eye." | ||
The predominant view of witches in the Western world derives from Old Testament laws against [[witchcraft]], and entered the mainstream when belief in witchcraft gained Church approval in the Early Modern Period. It is a theosophical conflict between good and evil, where witchcraft was generally evil and often associated with the [[The Devil|Devil]] and Devil worship. This culminated in deaths, torture and scapegoating (casting blame for misfortune), and many years of large scale witch-trials and [[witch-hunt]]s, especially in Protestant Europe, before largely ceasing during the European Age of Enlightenment. | The predominant view of witches in the Western world derives from [[Bible|Old Testament]] laws against [[witchcraft]], and entered the mainstream when belief in witchcraft gained Church approval in the Early Modern Period. It is a theosophical conflict between good and evil, where witchcraft was generally evil and often associated with the [[The Devil|Devil]] and Devil worship. This culminated in deaths, torture and scapegoating (casting blame for misfortune), and many years of large scale witch-trials and [[witch-hunt]]s, especially in Protestant Europe, before largely ceasing during the European Age of Enlightenment. | ||
[[Christianity|Christian]] views in the modern day are diverse and cover the gamut of views from intense belief and opposition (especially by Christian fundamentalists) to non-belief, and even approval in some churches. From the mid-20th century, witchcraft – sometimes called contemporary witchcraft to clearly distinguish it from older beliefs – became the name of a branch of modern Paganism. It is most notably practiced in the [[Wicca]]n and modern witchcraft traditions, and it is no longer practiced in secrecy. | [[Christianity|Christian]] views in the modern day are diverse and cover the gamut of views from intense belief and opposition (especially by Christian fundamentalists) to non-belief, and even approval in some churches. From the mid-20th century, witchcraft – sometimes called contemporary witchcraft to clearly distinguish it from older beliefs – became the name of a branch of modern Paganism. It is most notably practiced in the [[Wicca]]n and modern witchcraft traditions, and it is no longer practiced in secrecy. | ||