Protestant Reformation, Essay Example

As noted by Keith Thomas, during the Protestant Reformation, European or continental Catholic theologians were becoming uncertain or skeptical about the Church’s so-called “ultimate remedy” and “last recourse” in relation to exterminating the practice of witchcraft through liquidating witches themselves, usually through burning at the stake. However, in Medieval/Reformation England, this approach was not widely accepted, for the Church “continued to offer the faithful a great deal of protection against supernatural terrors,” being the practice of witchcraft and those who adhere to it (493). As to witchcraft being a “theological heresy,” Thomas asserts that the “essence of witchcraft was not the damage it did to other persons but its heretical character,” being the worship of the Devil which went against all of the teachings of the Catholic Church and which renounced the absolute power of God (438). In contrast, the common people saw the practice of witchcraft as a form of “magical activity” (436) that went against the teachings of the Catholic Church and which could be used for either good purposes or evil intentions. The practice of witchcraft does not appear to have been widespread in either Europe, England, or New England during the days of the Puritans, at least not according to available records which indicate a limited amount of individuals being tried and executed for practicing witchcraft or worshipping the Devil. For those who did practice the craft, their interest seems to have been based on the assumption that power could be derived from worshipping Satan, thus enabling them to influence the lives of others and to circumvent the influence of God and the Church.