Lecture notes, Unit 2 - The Demonic Perspective PDF

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Lecture 2 The Demonic Perspective The Drilled Skull  

People would drill holes in the skull to release the demons, if you survived the procedure you were believed to be cured. Survivors would keep the bone removed as a charm to keep Satan away

The Salem Witch Trials  

1962 All three women were convicted and sentenced to death (burning at the stake)

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even dogs would get executed if they were accomplices of witches

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Exodus 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

Assumptions of Demonology     

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Demonology: The idea of crime and deviance, as well with the cure, lie with supernatural The world is a battlefield where the good and bad forces are always fighting Look for the cause and cure of deviant behaviour in the realm of the supernatural The Inquisition Heretics : person who publicly declares that they aren’t with religion -Anything that challenged the norms -Anyone that lived outside religious norms (adultery, wedlock, etc.) Deviance = sin Deviance has cosmic consequences: -Harmful to victims -God -the entire cosmos Criminals are seen as sinner Crime is seen as against God instead of against society It was believed that deviance effects all of the cosmos (rocks, plants, water, etc.) If you look different, or even live a different lifestyle, this is considered deviant which is considered sinful

Two Paths To Demonic Deviance Temptation: •

Following in Adam and Eve’s footsteps

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No matter how tempting the devil’s offer might be, the individual has the opportunity to refuse

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This demonstrates an individuals willpower

Possession:

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Deterministic and passive

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Devil has taken over their mind and body and is responsible for the behaviour

How To Diagnose The Handiwork of The Devil     

Many individuals were believed to be in a pact with the devil Trials always practised in the name of God, because God will indicate who is guilty and innocent. God would never let an innocent be accused as guilty Person walks on coal and holds something hot and then bandaged, priest checks in 3 days and takes off bandages, if wounds were healing, this is sign of God and they are innocent Witches floated because water is pure and it repels the guilty, so whoever sank was innocent

The Trials     

Accused must testify  Refusal was proof of guilt Not immediately informed of charges Anyone could testify against him/her Was not told who accusers were No supporters  No legal assistance or representation during this time  This is because nobody wanted to be guilty by association

Five Types of Evidence to Convict  

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Trial by clever test Individual testimony  Ex. Sally stays the night, and the next day she leaves and the cheese has gone bad and all of the cows are dead, sally is blamed Physical marks of the devil  birth marks, etc.  one was "bitten by the devil" Spectral evidence  based on individuals dreams or vision  Ex. one could have a dream the your neighbour is floating, come forth and that can be used as evidence Confession of guilt  This would legitimize the process  It would save their soul, their soul will go to heaven after execution  Provides money because witch hunting was an industry  Money is made because once a witch is dead, all of the belongings are up for grabs by the church  There was a lot of employment involved, exorcises, judges, witch hunters, etc

Confessions

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Bring the accused back to the faith

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Forgiveness and/or saving the soul

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Inquisitors better educated than their subjects and trained in questioning

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Use of torture

Confessional Devices - Not Forms of Punishment The Head Crusher •

Are asked if they are a witch, if they say no it goes tighter and tighter

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They’re teeth will crush and there eyes will literally pop out

The Inquisitional chair •

Are you a witch?

You say no, the chair goes tighter, Also they can attach heat so it burns your skin as well •

By the third time they would typically admit to witch craft activities even if untrue

Iron Spider:

Cat’s paw :

Judas’ Cradle

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Weights are often attached to the person’s body to make the fall more strong and painful

The Rack  

Individual is stretched out Arms and legs would detached

Religious Control - More Shame Than Pain When it came to punishment, shaming was a really large aspect The following two are gender specific – only for women Hag’s harness •

Women who seem to be disrespectful or defiant to husbands

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Inside this device there is a sharp metal piece

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Every time she talks her tongue would get pierced to remind her why she’s there

___ Stool (missed the first word) •

For women with bad reputation, perhaps adultery

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Women goes in and out of the water,

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Water was suppose to purify the women

Witchcraft in Context0 Provides explanation -changes and turmoil in society •

When bad things start to happen (the stillborns, the random deaths) , they needed to know WHY

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Somebody must be to blame, such a compassionate God wouldn’t let these bad things happen

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Scientific knowledge was lacked, there was an explanation for everything, but they did not have access to this

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So they blamed witches, and God was off the hook

Maintain Status quo -protect privileges -challenge authorities = charged with heresy -they linked morality to religion Divert Attention -blame witches and the church becomes indispensible

-Scapegoat -discourage rebellious behavior -target powerless of threatening groups Why were 80-85% of people accused of witch craft women? •

Women were seen as the weaker sex

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It was a man’s world, men worked, men were dominant in relationships

Rationale For Punishment Rooted in Christianity -biblical law- lex talionis Penance through physical pain -nothing scared about the body Restore order of the world -maintain balance Eliminate evil spirits through death -symbolism of fire Deterrence -general and specific Affirm authority of the church -show who is in charge Social Control -Rid society of undesirables/deviants Death was believed to get rid of the evil spirits Fire was often used to represent the flames of hell in which they would eternally burn in Modern Day Witch Hunts A witch hunt occurs any time a group of people persecutes another group unfairly, usually blaming that group for larger problems Ex. Holocaust Modern day examples: •

Blaming joblessness on immigration

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Blaming AIDS on homosexuals

This is a socially-constructed problem •

If we went to the turn of the century, early 1900’s

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Once the railroads were constructed, a lot of the Chinese wanted to stay and continue make money but working at cheap costs, this was taking labour away from Canadians

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So someone started a campaign that created a fear that the Chinese was corrupting and eroding the fabric of society

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The act in 1909 band the opiates (drugs that Chinese did) yet it was still legal for Canadians in cough syrup

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Yet a Chinese man would get convicted for opiate use This created a moral Panic

The Black Candle •

Detailed the crazy things that marijuana would make you do under the influence

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“it has the effect of driving them completely insane…they become liable to kill”

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It was then illegalized in Canada in 1923

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She created a moral panic

Socially Constructed Problems - The Moral Panic Moral panic: An intense feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order • • •

Individuals believe society is going to breakdown unless something is done about it A moral panic can be completely fictitious or real Example: global warming

Moral entrepreneurs • • • •

Fuels up moral panics Can be an individual, group, or organization Attempting to sell their version of morality to the general public Example: PETA, MADD, Political figures

Folk Devils: • • • • •

People who are targeted by the moral entrepreneurs Sometimes this group exists, sometimes it is completely fictional and there is no need to worry Example: Halloween candy with razor blades Example: Oprah – rainbow parties: different coloured lipstick, then participated oral sex on the same guy Example: Awareness bracelets – snap certain colour for sexual deeds

The Burning Times • • • • • • • •

Halloween is a time to remember the ancestors Comical witch hat is a symbol of knowledge People fear the witch because it brings up fear of women power African women who proceeded in their cultural rituals were called witches and were persecuted “witch doctors” because they were first to use the drugs that stock our pharmacies Witch comes from “wick” which means to banned or shake “The women’s holocaust” refers to all them women murdered for being a “witch” Women interfered with God’s will with birth control or abortion

Who was targeted: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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African women Midwives Widows Spinsters Older women Beggars Financially stable women Children of witches Women healers Women in rural areas Women who practise rituals (especially at night time) Tended to be women who were powerless, or did things that particularly men would do Why were midwives targeted - perhaps they were giving women abortions or birth control (this is against God) - perhaps they were giving women in labour pain medication If people weren’t following the shift into Christianity, they were suspicious The black plague killed off more men than women, this shifts the status quo and made women pre-dominant which is worrisome to men 2. It was an industry It was the witches responsibility to pay for the witch-hunt Once the witch is dead all their belongings are up for grabs

The Demonic Era    

Church was the authority Crime can be defined as sin Temptation and possession were explanations of deviance Guilty were determined by :  -Trial by ordeal  -trial by heat or cold water  -The confession devices  -Spectral Evidence  -Physical marks of the devil (birthmarks, warts)  -Testimony of a person

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 -Reciting the Lord’s prayer (if you mess up, you are guilty)  -Confession The purpose of punishment was to: deter, save the soul, and restore social order The nature of punishment was: shaming, public, torturous, and symbolic of the committed crime

Bonus Question What was the name and publication date of the book that sets out the prohibitions and dangers of witchcraft? -due at beginning of wed’s class -must be typed -late or electronic submissions are NOT accepted...