what was considered witchcraft in the village Salem?
360567
"In the town of Salem in 1692, eight young townswomen fell victim to "fits, outbreaks of obscene babbling, and wild partying in the local woodland." [1] The girls claimed they were bewitched by other members of the community and possessed by the devil. The initial accusers were Betty Parris and her cousin, Abigail Williams.\n\nThe first three accused were Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba. Good, orphaned as a teenager at the death of her mother (a French innkeeper), was the town beggar, noted for her strange "muttering". Osborne was a bedridden elderly woman who had gotten on the wrong side of the Puritans when she cheated her first husband's children out of their inheritance, giving it to her new husband. Tituba was the Carib Native American slave of Samuel Parris (a preacher in Salem Village); though she is very often referred to as black in modern historical and fictional interpretations of the trials, there is no evidence that she was anything but Native American."\n\nCheck out the source link, it's really interesting and explains the whole story and the possible reasons behind the behaviour of the people accusing the people of witchcraft.  At the bottom of the page is more links for more information on the salem witch trials.  Good luck!
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in mines\nmaking silver bullets to shoot werewolves\nSee history at the below link\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver
727197
What is Witchcraft? Who are these Witches anyway?\nA practitioner of a nature-based belief system or religion. Not all Witches follow the same belief system. Some practice what is called the "old religion" which has its roots in pagan pre-monotheistic folk ways and beliefs and usually follows the seasonal cycles. These belief systems or "traditions" of Witches are often based upon the particular culture from whence they originated. Many Witches believe in a polytheistic deity structure (usually based upon the local gods and goddesses of the area of origin), but some simply practice magick (sometimes spelled with a 'k' to differentiate it from stage magic). Witches may practice alone as 'solitaries" or in covens. There are also family groups or traditions which trace their practices and beliefs within the same close group throughout several generations.\n\nTraditional Wicca:\nA modern form of Witchcraft is called "Wicca." Traditional Wicca is based on the teachings of Gerald Gardner, is coven based and each coven can trace its lineage (line of teaching passed on by initiated Traditional priests and priestesses) back to Gardner himself. There are offshoots of Gardnerian Traditional Wicca such as Alexandrian Wicca, Georgian Wicca and many others. Traditional Wiccans are considered a 'mystery' religion, require initiation by the coven and have a "degree system" or different levels of rank based upon coven training and the readiness of the initiate to accept the duties and responsibilities of that degree. They have a core of inner knowledge-often called the "Book of Shadows"-which is known only to initiated Wiccans. Most Traditional Wiccans believe in the balance of male-female divinity. Traditional Wiccans are seldom solitary except for those 'Elders'-usually former priests and priestesses-who may have retired from active coven involvement.\n\nOther Forms of Wicca:\nA newer form of Wicca has developed since the 1970's which is looser in structure and practice than the Traditional Wicca. These practitioners may follow a mixture of various or "eclectic' pagan and/or non-pagan beliefs. Some have formed 'traditions' or covens of their own, with or without a degree system, and have written a "book of shadows" outlining their own belief system and coven structure. Many are solitary practitioners who practice their beliefs and formulate their rituals in their own way.\n\nPagans:\nSince the terms Witch and Wiccan are often mistakenly interchanged, many simply call themselves "pagans" or Neo-pagans" when talking with others who may not be familiar with the complexity of the different belief systems. But just as not all Christians are Lutheran or Catholic, so not all pagans are Witches or Wiccan. Neo-paganism is a term used most often to describe people who follow an earth-based belief system or religion. Druids and the Norse tradition of Asatru (who tend to prefer the term 'heathen") are considered to be pagan belief systems, but their adherents are neither Witches nor Wiccans. Neo-paganism should also not be confused with the "New Age" movement as pagans are almost exclusively involved in distinctive nature religions or earth-based practices while New Age spirituality draws from many sources and esoteric spiritual techniques.\n\nQ: Are you a good Witch or a bad Witch?\nA: When you ask if someone is a "good" Witch or a "bad" Witch, it is the same as asking someone if they are a "good" Presbyterian or a "bad" Presbyterian. Wiccans adhere to the Rede, "An it harm none, do as ye will." Witches, Druids and other pagan belief systems and religions have their own ethical standards. There are good and bad people in every society and in every religion. When a person breaks the laws of society or the tenets of their religion, they are called to account f
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Don't worry about it, witchcraft doesn't work. God is in control. Have faith in Jesus Christ, and you will be fine.
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I think of it as the definition of what witchcraft is .... The Craft of the Wise.\n\nUnlike what most people think, due to negative connotation, witchcraft is neither black nor white .... it is the practitioner that is good or evil.
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Dont you know LABIRETH? it's a famous magic shops in mississipi. Well i guess, only real wizards and witches know where it is. Sorry, no-magical creatures are forbidden.
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I'm pretty sure it was The Charmings. Was there a wicked witch and she used to have a mirror that use to talk? If so I used to watch it as well and I really used to like it
252249
This is what I found on that subject:\n\nThe Puritans lived in villages that consisted of four city blocks. Within these villages, relatives were placed together.  The Puritan families consisted of husband, wife and children.  The Puritan family was considered the basic unit of society in which the mother and the father had specific tasks.  The husband was in charge of his wife and he had all of the authority within the house.  He was to provide needs of the household, love and protect his family and teach his children about life which revolved around God.  The Puritans family life consisted largely of farming.  Both the men and women contributed to this way of life by planting and weeding from day to day.  Even though the majority of men were ministers, their professional trade also consisted of a variety of other tasks.  The females in the family were weavers, candle makers.  The women also tended to the garden, helped in the fields, and cut wood. In addition, the Puritan women bought metal, books, and cloth from barters for the family necessities.  Since God was the most important part in the Puritans life, prayer was a major part of their daily lives.  The Puritan families meditated and prayed before sleep at night, upon rising in the morning, on Saturdays, and at services.  They also found it necessary to record their spiritual experience in diaries.  Through their diaries, the Puritans lived their daily lives; around God and his plan.
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There have been several theories, some of which have already been posted, i.e., mass hysteria, repressed adolescent sexuality, fear of being hanged for witchcraft themselves.  There was also a political/economic factor.  Some of the girls fathers put them up to accusing their neighbors, so the fathers could cease the land.\n\nThe Salem witch trials is fascinating time.  It is a perfect example of how different societal forces can come together to create a mass hysteria.  It began when two girls started to have convulsions and hysterics in which they would scream blasphemies and go into trances.  The behavior spread to other girls in the village, and soon the girls were naming people who had "afflicted" them.\n\nIt was probably several factors, which came together just right in Salem, Massachusettes in 1692.  For one, the Puritans had very rigid religious and social codes.  The Devil was frighteningly real, blamed for crop failures and illnesses, and was believed to live in the woods, which in those days, was literally in a person's back yard.  God was also a literal presence.  Many things were a sin, and sins were punished immediately by a vengeful god.  So, if your kid got sick, that was punishment from god because you sinned.  Many people accused of witchcraft were those that were on the outskirts of society.  The story goes that the girls were having their fortunes told by a slave woman named Tituba.  If this were the case, the girls were probably feeling guilty about the "sin" they had committed.  They would also feel that they deserved to be punished for this, which could have translated into hysterical seizures and such.  Just living in this kind of punitive environment could have fostered hysterical seizures.  These hysterical fits would have been interpreted as the work of the devil, both by the girls and their parents.  To claim bewitchment would give the girls an easy out, because if they were bewitched, it wouldn't really be their fault.  It would relieve guilt and gain them sympathy.  So they started accusing people.\n\nAs for the economic angle, most of the accusers were poorer farmers, and most of the accused lived in the richer part of Salem.  It was likely that there were long-simmering tensions that were flamed and exploited by the hysteria.  And, if a person was accused of witchcraft and hanged, by Salem law, their property was ceased by the village and put up for auction.  So, neighbors accused neighbors in order to get their property.\n\nAnd, of course, as girl children in Salem, the girls had very little outlet for their energy and imagination, and certainly no kind of power to speak of.  The witch trials made them celebrities in their village.  Once started, why should they stop?
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I held a seance with my friends when I was eleven. The spirit really came and we were all so freaked out and we asked him to leave. I once heard a story from my friend that there was this girl who held a seance when she was alone at home. The spirit came and unfortunately  the spirit was a violent one. When she asked the spirit to leave the spirit refused and possesed her.
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start your reseach here\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_People
724515
It sounds like the Salem Witch trials again.\n\nWe had to kill them to save them...
737129
no witches were "burned at the stake" in the US! Those accused were hung, and one guy was pressed to death with stones.  Not to mention that all of the accused in Salem were puritanical christians at the mercy of some hysterical teenage girls, and a town most likely affected by ergotism or "St Anthony's fire" (by eating ergot tainted grain)  About the only witches were the yoruban slaves, and none of them were accused.\n\nthere is no help for you child! you are about as thick as they come!
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I am an eclectic witch.  I have a yahoo group that basically shares spells and information pertaining to all forms of witchcraft.\nI've included the link if anyone wants to join.
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No.  You're a medium.  Being a medium has nothing to do with witchcraft.\n\nAnd even if it did, there's nothing wrong with being a witch.  We're actually really nice people.\n\nBlessed be!\n)O(
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I have visited salem many times, and have gone to school there, I find it to be a nice town.  I have never had any problems there, but every town has its pro's and con's.  \n\nHere is the website for the city to get more informaiton\nhttp://www.cityofsalem.net/\n\nGood luck!
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http://www.biblestudylessons.com/cgi-bin/gospel_way/witchcraft.php\n\nHere is a lengthy article with good references to the bible.