Thursday, November 12th The Power of Religion

Witches Religion is a way to explain the world Sometimes people can't explain things This leads to superstitions These are beliefs that seem rational, but have no basis in reality The Wicked Witch of the West The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Witches Witches were people (women and men) who were believed to have magical powers. These gave them the ability to affect the world around them Before Christianity dominated Europe, witches were feared, but also respected for their abilities. The Wicked Witch of the West The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Witches Witchcraft was mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible It was associated with the evil and the devil Early Christianity, however, outlawed belief in witchcraft In the Early Modern Period, the Church permitted belief in witchcraft The Obscene Kiss Compendium Maleficarium (1608) Francesco Maria Gauzzo

Witch Hunts Puritans in England were especially interested in finding witches They believed life was a constant battle between good and evil It was their duty to find and destroy evil, in this case witches They usually accused people of witchcraft who didn't fit into society It was usually the poor who were accused, but sometimes people higher up were accused Magic Circle John William Waterhouse (1886)

Witch Hunts Sometimes people acted out of fear or hatred Mostly though, they persecuted witches because they firmly believed it was the morally right thing to do England had a strong judicial system, which usually made conviction difficult During the English Civil War, it became much easier for people to be convicted of witchcraft Examination of a Witch T. H. Matteson (1853)

Witchfinder One person who hunted witches was Matthew Hopkins He called himself “The Witch- Finder General” He is believed to have been responsible for the deaths of about 300 women He claimed to be empowered by Parliament He charged “twenty shillings a town”, about $6,600 today Matthew Hopkins, the Celebrated Witchfinder

Witchfinder He would deprive the accused of sleep to get them to confess He would cut them with a dull knife, and if they didn't bleed, they were witches He would tie them up and throw them in the water. If they drowned, they were innocent. Matthew Hopkins, the Celebrated Witchfinder

Homework Modern Day Witch Hunt Find an example of a modern day witch hunt  In the news, for example Write a brief description of what happened Include your sources! Write down where you got your information! Assignment instructions can also be found on p. 28 of your textbooks. (Activity #3)

Anglican Church Henry VIII, King of England, was married to Catherine of Aragon In 1533, he wanted to marry Anne Boleyn The Catholic Church didn't allow divorce though! So King Henry VIII decided to make his own church! The Anglican Church, aka the Church of England Portrait of King Henry VIII Hans Holbein the Younger ( )

Anglican Church At first, they were basically the same as Catholics, except they didn't obey the Pope, but the King instead. The highest rank in the Church was the Archbishop of Canterbury. Over time, more differences between the two churches arose. Portrait of King Henry VIII Hans Holbein the Younger ( )

Protestantism Martin Luther Lucas Cranach the Elder In 1517 Martin Luther, a German priest, started the Protestant Reformation Soon many different churches split from the Roman Catholic Church, with different interpretations of the Bible and how priests should behave Protestantism began influencing the Anglican church under King Edward VI, Henry's son. There was lots of conflict between those who wanted the Anglican Church to be more Protestant, or more Catholic influenced

James I James I of England Daniel Mytens (1621) After Henry's daughter Queen Elizabeth I died, King James VI of Scotland took the throne and became King James the I of England (He is both King James VI, and King James I, but we'll call him James I) In Scotland, Calvinism, a Christian sect developed by John Calvin, was popular. One of the big beliefs of Calvinism was the idea that there shouldn't be a strict church hierarchy; local priests had a lot of authority

Charles I James tried to tie the power of the church power with the absolute power a monarch had, using the slogan “No bishop, no King” When James' son Charles I became king, Charles had an interpretation of Calvinism that not everyone agreed with. Charles tried to make the church's authority more strict, and introduced more rituals and ceremonies The Puritans, an extreme branch of Calvinism, thought this was too much like Catholicism, and objected