Ever been on a witch hunt?

[Kraklen]

I used to think that the whole Salem Witch Hunt was ridiculously stupid. I thought it just illustrated how dumb those puritans were, only they would hang people and crush people, etc. because of accusations of witchcraft.

But now I'm not so sure. I don't think it was show much a product of the times as it was just an extreme example of the depravity of human nature. Can it happen now? Even though we know there's no such thing as witches? Well, it's really not about the witches.

The puritans didn't know there weren't such things as witches. What they did have was this poor Elizabeth Parris girl acting horribly strangely and telling everybody about these horrible possessions, and strange sexual acts being performed in the dark of night. Is a teenage girl just going to make things up like that?

I mean, just look at that Bridget Bishop woman. She's pretty ugly. She lives by herself. She's got all those cats, we know witches have lots of cats. And when you think about it, she's way too nice to children. Nobody's that nice to children.

We all know that if somebody's going to be a witch, they're going to be the funny looking people who act weird. It's not like the witches are going to be the upstanding members of society who perform awful acts on their own children.

And if that Bridget Bishop freak isn't a witch, why is she acting so nervous? Why is she trying to buy off the accusers with material goods? That's not the act of an innocent person. If she were innocent, surely she'd trust the decisions of the good magistrates of Salem township.

So basically, who are you going to trust? The pretty little girl, who obviously wouldn't lie about such a thing; or the crazy freak who has good reason to lie about her innocence?

Wait, what's that? There's more then one girl making accusations about witchcraft? Two? Three?! Well, I suppose one girl could make up a story if she were really wicked? But why would three of them lie? In what kind of world would teenagers lie for personal profit? C'mon, now. We all know that Bridget Bishop is a witch, you'd have to be stupid not to believe that. Wait, what's that? There's more witches?

I swear, sometimes I think we're only a few good lawyers away from burning people at the steak.

[HEyHEY]

1. I;m a reporter - you'd better believe it

[Kraklen]

2. How do you mean?

You've been on a witch hunt, or we're a stone's throw from burning people at the stake?

[WePurrsevere]

3. I'm hoping you mean this as a metaphor...

and actually know that there are such a human beings that are called Witches and follow a nature based spiritual path (and don't even believe in the Devil no less worship him btw)?

[Kraklen]

4. Apples and oranges.

Not the new-age neopagan witches, no.

The ones that rape children and have sex with the devil on the black sabbath.

[Guy Fawkes]

5. I went on a wild-goose chase once...

lots of fun.

[China_cat]

6. Witchhunts have never stopped

http://www.illusions.com/burning/demons.htm
And in this country in 2000;
http://www.skeptictank.org/gen1/gen00523.htm

[Kraklen]

7. I don't really mean that literally.

Like I said, it's not about the witchcraft.